NEWS
VIDEO: Super Saver pursues second jewel
Posted: Friday, May 14, 2010 5:35 PM
SUPER SAVER
PhotosByZ.com/Thoroughbred Times
For video of Super Saver, click here.
For video of Calvin Borel, click here.
by Jeff Lowe
The Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) was a sweet dream for Super Saver and a nightmare for Lookin At Lucky. The two will try to shed some light on Triple Crown reality on Saturday in the $1-million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course.
Jockey Calvin Borel predicted before they reached the Derby winner’s stand on May 1 that Super Saver would become the first horse in 32 years to sweep the American classics. He still is brimming with confidence.
“We’re coming in with a fresh horse and I love his chances,” Borel said on Friday.
Borel does not shy from center stage in the Triple Crown. He won the Derby in 2007 with Street Sense and again with Mine That Bird last year before switching to Rachel Alexandra for Preakness glory. He and Super Saver came together for a Derby coronation that played out like it was made-to-order.
Super Saver thrived on the sloppy surface, and he and Borel worked out a flawless trip along the rail, passing only one horse on their way to a 2 ½-length victory as the 8-to-1 second choice.
The past two weeks have been just as seamless.
“We’ve been really, really pleased with the way he’s trained since the Derby,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, still basking in his first Derby win. “There’s not a lot to it. We’ve just been trying to keep him happy. Everything he’s shown us is very, very good; very positive. He’s held his weight well—that’s always a concern after a big race like that. His appetite has been very good. I don’t think he’s lost much from the Derby.”
Pletcher has seemed relaxed and at ease this week, both at Churchill Downs on Monday and at Pimlico since Super Saver arrived on Wednesday. He also is aware that Super Saver has the opportunity to launch a whole new layer of excitement.
“When your horse is doing well, everything is going smoothly, it’s a lot easier to relax,” he said. “This is what you dream about; it’s a great position to be in, and it’s a challenge for sure, but it’s something that you look forward to. To me there is nothing as exciting in this game as potentially going to Belmont with a Triple Crown candidate. That’s certainly what we’re hoping for.”
The Derby was a stark disappointment for the connections of Lookin At Lucky, the reigning champion two-year-old male, from the moment the number one post was assigned to his name in the post position draw.
Bounced and shuffled back to 18th place within the first quarter-mile, Lookin At Lucky finished sixth as the 6.30-to-1 favorite, continuing a string of head-shaking circumstances. He began the year inducing both fright and relief when he clipped heels in the Rebel Stakes (G2), only to roar home to a narrow victory. The next round was an absolute negative, a rough third-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 3.
“We don’t really know what he can do,” trainer Bob Baffert said, assessing the last three starts. “He’s never had the opportunity to run his race. He clipped heels at Oaklawn, he got slammed into the rail, and he got T-boned, so we really don’t know where we stand. We know he’s a good horse. We’ll find out what he’s made of.”
The Preakness’ recent history producing champions is a side element for Super Saver, Lookin At Lucky, and the rest of the field of 12.
Since 1997, every Preakness winner, with the lone exception of Red Bullet in 2000, has garnered an Eclipse Award at the end of the year.
Besides Lookin At Lucky, three other horses—Dublin, Paddy O’Prado, and Jackson Bend—will take a second shot after finishing behind Super Saver in the Derby.
The list of new challengers includes a second Pletcher-trained horse, Aikenite, along with Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G2) winner Caracortado, Florida Derby (G1) runner-up Pleasant Prince, Tampa Bay Derby (G3) runner-up Schoolyard Dreams, Lane’s End Stakes (G2) runner-up Northern Giant, Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G1) third-place finisher First Dude, and Illinois Derby (G3) runner-up Yawanna Twist.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
May 15, $1,000,000, 3yo, 1 3/16M, Pimlico Race Course, 6:12 PM ET
| Post |
Horse |
Sire |
Weight |
Jockey |
Trainer |
| 1 |
Aikenite 3, c. |
Yes It's True |
126 |
Javier Castellano |
Todd Pletcher |
| 2 |
Schoolyard Dreams 3, c. |
Stephen Got Even |
126 |
Eibar Coa |
Derek Ryan |
| 3 |
Pleasant Prince 3, c. |
Indy King |
126 |
Julien Leparoux |
Wesley Ward |
| 4 |
Northern Giant 3, c. |
Giant's Causeway |
126 |
Terry Thompson |
D. Lukas |
| 5 |
Yawanna Twist 3, c. |
Yonaguska |
126 |
Edgar Prado |
Richard Dutrow, Jr. |
| 6 |
Jackson Bend 3, c. |
Hear No Evil |
126 |
Mike Smith |
Nicholas Zito |
| 7 |
Lookin At Lucky 3, c. |
Smart Strike |
126 |
Martin Garcia |
Bob Baffert |
| 8 |
Super Saver 3, c. |
Maria's Mon |
126 |
Calvin Borel |
Todd Pletcher |
| 9 |
Caracortado 3, g. |
Cat Dreams |
126 |
Paul Atkinson |
Michael Machowsky |
| 10 |
Paddy O'Prado 3, c. |
El Prado (IRE) |
126 |
Kent Desormeaux |
Dale Romans |
| 11 |
First Dude 3, c. |
Stephen Got Even |
126 |
Ramon Dominguez |
Dale Romans |
| 12 |
Dublin 3, c. |
Afleet Alex |
126 |
Garrett Gomez |
D. Lukas |
