NEWS
American Lion powers to victory in Illinois Derby
Posted: Saturday, April 03, 2010 8:35 AM
AMERICAN LION
FourFootedFotos.com
To view the Illinois Derby, click here.
by Patrick Reed
WinStar Farm’s American Lion faced two pressing questions about his classic potential leading up to Saturday’s $500,000 Illinois Derby (G3) at Hawthorne Race Course.
The three-year-old Tiznow colt first turned heads with a pair of impressive wins on synthetic surfaces last fall to solidify his position in the top tier of early Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) hopefuls, but two consecutive subpar efforts going two turns in graded stakes at Santa Anita Park this winter removed some of the luster from American Lion’s résumé. The two defeats left the colt unproven in route races and on a dirt surface despite a pedigree that suggested he should be able to handle both challenges.
Trainer Eoin Harty shipped American Lion to Hawthorne to answer those questions, and on Saturday, his charge removed all doubts with a powerful 2 ¾-length win in the Illinois Derby over Yawanna Twist. By capturing the $291,000 winner’s share, American Lion boosted his career graded stakes earnings to $378,000, placing him firmly among the leaders for Kentucky Derby contenders.
American Lion was ridden by David Flores for the first time on Saturday and also had his blinkers removed, and both choices proved beneficial as the colt immediately seized command over 1.30-to-1 favorite Yawanna Twist and led the eight-horse field through an easy opening half-mile in :49.32.
Flores, known for his patience at parceling out speed, kept American Lion relaxed on the backstretch despite constant pressure from Yawanna Twist and Edgar Prado, and both horses began to draw away from the rest of the field midway through the far turn.
Entering the stretch, Yawanna Twist drew even with American Lion as Grade 2 winner Backtalk commenced a mild rally from the outside. Under steady urging from Flores, American Lion dug in at the eighth pole and rebuffed Yawanna Twist’s challenge, drawing away late to an impressive victory. He covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.31 on a track rated as fast as the 3.30-to-1 second wagering choice.
“I was pretty confident [on the lead],” Flores said. “I thought they would push American Lion a little bit early, but he was just looking around a little bit and he responded when they came to him. That was a good feeling knowing that he still had something left in the tank.”
Yawanna Twist continued gamely through the stretch despite drifting out slightly and was well clear of Backtalk, who finished another 11 ¼ lengths behind in third.
American Lion broke through in his second career start with a dominant maiden win at Keeneland Race Course last fall and then captured the Hollywood Prevue Stakes (G3) in November. Facing many of the California circuit’s top three-year-olds in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) and the San Felipe Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, American Lion finished third and fourth, respectively, pressing the pace in both starts but coming up empty in the stretch.
Following the Illinois Derby, Harty expressed confidence in American Lion’s ability to move forward and confirmed that the colt will be pointed to the Kentucky Derby.
“There is only one [Kentucky] Derby and we plan on being there. I think we needed to get a race over dirt and fortunately he responded well to it,” Harty said.
With his turnaround effort in the Illinois Derby, American Lion improved his career record to three wins in six starts. He is out of the winning Storm Cat mare Storm Tide, and his second dam is Grade 1 winner City Band, by Carson City.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Patrick Reed is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
