HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - Sitting on a bench in the middle of Gulfstream Park, Nick Zito reached over and knocked three times on a wood fence that frames the walking ring, as if to say:
Lookin’ good, so far.
Seven weeks before the Kentucky Derby, the trainer has a trio of 3-year-olds in tiptop shape. In fact, with a lineup of Birdstone, Eurosilver and The Cliff’s Edge, Zito might just have one of the strongest Derby contingents in years. But first they have to make it into the starting gate May 1.
“I will be extremely disappointed, not if we don’t win the Kentucky Derby, but if we don’t get all three in the gate,” Zito said a few days before Saturday’s Florida Derby, one of several Kentucky Derby preps this weekend. “That’s my goal. That was my goal way back when. And I’m sticking to it.”
For a guy who gears his operation to winning the Kentucky Derby, the past two years have been tough. A Derby winner with Strike the Gold in 1991 and Go for Gin in 1994, Zito’s last starter was A.P. Valentine in 2001. Just before last year’s Derby, he stood outside his barn at Churchill Downs muttering, “We’ll regroup. We’ll be back.”
He’s back, all right.
The Cliff’s Edge takes on favorite Read the Footnotes and eight others in the $1 million Florida Derby, while Eurosilver is the favorite in the $150,000 Swale Stakes on the undercard. Birdstone runs in the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park next Saturday.
Zito has been kind to his colts, picking races he believed wouldn’t be too tough on the often bumpy road to the Derby. Fearing the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 14 might be tough for Birdstone’s 3-year-old debut, the colt easily won an allowance race that day on the Gulfstream undercard.
“We have complete faith in Nick,” said John Hendrickson, husband of Birdstone’s owner Marylou Whitney. “We know he will do the right thing for our horses. Some may want to second-guess his strategy, but how can you? He’s won the Derby twice.”
Victories in the upcoming Derby preps would be nice, but not necessary, Zito said. If all goes well, the colts will have their final preps April 10 — Birdstone in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, Eurosilver in the Blue Grass at Keeneland, and The Cliff’s Edge in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
“I’d like these horse to have some credentials, but also not be beaten up before they get into the Derby,” Zito said. “That’s my approach.”
Zito has also avoided head-to-head competition among his horses, who have different owners. Only once did two hook up — Eurosilver won the Lane’s End Futurity on Oct. 4, with The Cliff’s Edge sixth.
In other races with Derby implications: The 2-year-old champion filly Halfbridled tops the field for Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks; 2-year-old male champion Action This Day takes on the likes of St Averil, Odds On and Preachinatthebar in Sunday’s San Felipe, and Swingforthefences and Limehouse head the field in the Tampa Bay Derby, also Sunday.
Plotting for the Derby began last summer for Zito.
Eurosilver had just three starts as a 2-year-old. The son of Unbridled’s Song, owned by Mahmoud Fusok’s Buckram Oak Farm, finished second in his first race, then broke his maiden at Saratoga on Sept. 1 and won the 1 1-16th-mile Lane’s End Futurity. Because of shin problems, he didn’t race again until winning at Gulfstream on Feb. 4.
Since the long-striding Eurosilver has already won around two turns, Zito opted for the seven-furlong Swale instead of the 1 1-8-mile Florida Derby. “We’re almost there with him,” Zito said.
The Cliff’s Edge, owned by Robert LaPenta, was second in his 3-year-old debut in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 21. The son of Gulch, a heavy favorite, drew the outside No. 12 post and was kept outside all the way around the track. He closed out his five-race, 2-year-old campaign with wins in the Iroquois and Kentucky Juvenile Cup, both at Churchill Downs.
“Cliffy ran hard in the fall, and we found a race for him to start this year we thought would be easy,” Zito said. “But he never got a break. He needed the race, though, and responded beautifully. We’re looking forward to a really good Florida Derby and moving on.”
Birdstone could be the best of all. The son of 1996 Derby winner Grindstone capped his 2-year-old season with a victory in the Champagne at Belmont on Oct. 4, then didn’t race again until winning the same day Read the Footnotes won the Fountain of Youth.
“That would have been a tough race to bring him back from,” Zito said. “So it’s worked out nicely for Birdstone, too.”
The Lane’s End will be Birdstone’s next start because Zito wants to keep jockey Jerry Bailey aboard. Bailey, the best rider in the business, also rides Read the Footnotes.
“We figured: Let’s wait another week on him, and we’ll keep Jerry Bailey,” Zito said. “We’ll hope for a good race in the Lane’s End and go on to the Wood Memorial.”
And if it all works out, Zito’s colts will meet up three weeks later in the Kentucky Derby.
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Lookin’ good, so far.
Seven weeks before the Kentucky Derby, the trainer has a trio of 3-year-olds in tiptop shape. In fact, with a lineup of Birdstone, Eurosilver and The Cliff’s Edge, Zito might just have one of the strongest Derby contingents in years. But first they have to make it into the starting gate May 1.
“I will be extremely disappointed, not if we don’t win the Kentucky Derby, but if we don’t get all three in the gate,” Zito said a few days before Saturday’s Florida Derby, one of several Kentucky Derby preps this weekend. “That’s my goal. That was my goal way back when. And I’m sticking to it.”
For a guy who gears his operation to winning the Kentucky Derby, the past two years have been tough. A Derby winner with Strike the Gold in 1991 and Go for Gin in 1994, Zito’s last starter was A.P. Valentine in 2001. Just before last year’s Derby, he stood outside his barn at Churchill Downs muttering, “We’ll regroup. We’ll be back.”
He’s back, all right.
The Cliff’s Edge takes on favorite Read the Footnotes and eight others in the $1 million Florida Derby, while Eurosilver is the favorite in the $150,000 Swale Stakes on the undercard. Birdstone runs in the $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes at Turfway Park next Saturday.
Zito has been kind to his colts, picking races he believed wouldn’t be too tough on the often bumpy road to the Derby. Fearing the Fountain of Youth on Feb. 14 might be tough for Birdstone’s 3-year-old debut, the colt easily won an allowance race that day on the Gulfstream undercard.
“We have complete faith in Nick,” said John Hendrickson, husband of Birdstone’s owner Marylou Whitney. “We know he will do the right thing for our horses. Some may want to second-guess his strategy, but how can you? He’s won the Derby twice.”
Victories in the upcoming Derby preps would be nice, but not necessary, Zito said. If all goes well, the colts will have their final preps April 10 — Birdstone in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, Eurosilver in the Blue Grass at Keeneland, and The Cliff’s Edge in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
“I’d like these horse to have some credentials, but also not be beaten up before they get into the Derby,” Zito said. “That’s my approach.”
Zito has also avoided head-to-head competition among his horses, who have different owners. Only once did two hook up — Eurosilver won the Lane’s End Futurity on Oct. 4, with The Cliff’s Edge sixth.
In other races with Derby implications: The 2-year-old champion filly Halfbridled tops the field for Saturday’s Santa Anita Oaks; 2-year-old male champion Action This Day takes on the likes of St Averil, Odds On and Preachinatthebar in Sunday’s San Felipe, and Swingforthefences and Limehouse head the field in the Tampa Bay Derby, also Sunday.
Plotting for the Derby began last summer for Zito.
Eurosilver had just three starts as a 2-year-old. The son of Unbridled’s Song, owned by Mahmoud Fusok’s Buckram Oak Farm, finished second in his first race, then broke his maiden at Saratoga on Sept. 1 and won the 1 1-16th-mile Lane’s End Futurity. Because of shin problems, he didn’t race again until winning at Gulfstream on Feb. 4.
Since the long-striding Eurosilver has already won around two turns, Zito opted for the seven-furlong Swale instead of the 1 1-8-mile Florida Derby. “We’re almost there with him,” Zito said.
The Cliff’s Edge, owned by Robert LaPenta, was second in his 3-year-old debut in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 21. The son of Gulch, a heavy favorite, drew the outside No. 12 post and was kept outside all the way around the track. He closed out his five-race, 2-year-old campaign with wins in the Iroquois and Kentucky Juvenile Cup, both at Churchill Downs.
“Cliffy ran hard in the fall, and we found a race for him to start this year we thought would be easy,” Zito said. “But he never got a break. He needed the race, though, and responded beautifully. We’re looking forward to a really good Florida Derby and moving on.”
Birdstone could be the best of all. The son of 1996 Derby winner Grindstone capped his 2-year-old season with a victory in the Champagne at Belmont on Oct. 4, then didn’t race again until winning the same day Read the Footnotes won the Fountain of Youth.
“That would have been a tough race to bring him back from,” Zito said. “So it’s worked out nicely for Birdstone, too.”
The Lane’s End will be Birdstone’s next start because Zito wants to keep jockey Jerry Bailey aboard. Bailey, the best rider in the business, also rides Read the Footnotes.
“We figured: Let’s wait another week on him, and we’ll keep Jerry Bailey,” Zito said. “We’ll hope for a good race in the Lane’s End and go on to the Wood Memorial.”
And if it all works out, Zito’s colts will meet up three weeks later in the Kentucky Derby.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4508046/
