Azul Coast Likely Favorite in El Camino Real Derby
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Photo: BENOIT PHOTO
(L-R): Owners Mike Pegram, Paul Weitman, and Karl Watson and trainer Bob Baffert will run Azul Coast in the El Camino Real Derby
With Northern California's leading 3-year-old, Anneau d'Or, running Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in the second division of the Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2), a field of 11 will seek to capitalize on his absence in the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier, which awards points on a 10-4-2-1 basis to the top four finishers, is the deepest of Saturday's nine races at Golden Gate. It will be shown on "America's Day at the Races" on Fox Sports 2 and TVG.
Though the Golden Gate-based Anneau d'Or will be thousands of miles away in New Orleans, trainer Blaine Wright and owner Peter Redekop will still be represented in the El Camino Real, running Ajourneytofreedom, a half brother to last year's winner, Anothertwistafate (by Scat Daddy), who also started for these connections. Ajourneytofreedom, a colt by Hard Spun , has won one of four starts and looks to improve upon a fourth-place finish in a Jan. 19 allowance-level race.
Ricky Gonzalez will ride Ajourneytofreedom.
The colt was bought for $180,000 by bloodstock agent Alistair Roden at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training from the Wavertree Stables consignment. Bred in Kentucky by Pursuit of Success, the colt is out of the First Defence mare Imprecation.
The top five finishers from that Jan. 19 race, separated by just 2 3/4 lengths, are back in the El Camino Real, including the winner, The Stiff, who successfully invaded from Santa Anita Park.
Video: Race 8 (AOC) at GG on 1/19/20
This time, it is another raider from Southern California who looks like the probable favorite: Sham Stakes (G3) runner-up Azul Coast, who finished 7 3/4 lengths behind stablemate Authentic, a leading Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prospect, when racing at Santa Anita Jan. 4. That race followed a debut maiden victory Dec. 8 at Los Alamitos Race Course in which he rallied to win by four lengths despite a six-wide trip for much of the race.
Video: Sham S. (G3)
Trainer Bob Baffert has swept the graded stakes schedule for 3-year-old males with different horses at Santa Anita this winter and will seek to extend his reign to Golden Gate.
In choosing the El Camino Real, run over 1 1/8 miles on Golden Gate's Tapeta surface, Baffert said he didn't weigh whether Azul Coast would make a good prospect for racing on the synthetic footing.
"It's just a spot to run. It was either there or take him to Turf Paradise for a little $50,000 derby over there," he said of the Turf Paradise Derby on Saturday.
Forgoing his usual rides at Santa Anita for the mount on Azul Coast is Rafael Bejarano.
A son of Super Saver bred in Kentucky by SF Bloodstock, Azul Coast is owned by the same partnership behind multimillionaire McKinzie—Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman. They bought him for $320,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when consigned by Woods Edge Farm.
Other leading contenders include Sacred Rider, the runner-up in the Jan. 18 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita; Indian Peak, a fast route winner at Golden Gate before he finished seventh in the California Cup Derby; and Czechmight, who makes his first start for trainer Richard Baltas and owner Calvin Nguyen after being purchased by Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale from the ELiTE consignment. Czechmight was a maiden winner by a head at Keeneland Oct. 13 in his second start and has trained swiftly at Santa Anita in recent weeks.
The El Camino Real Derby is race 7 with an approximate post time of 6:45 p.m. EST.
Golden Gate Fields, Saturday, February 15, 2020, Race 7Entries: El Camino Real Derby
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Indian Peak (CA)
Juan J. Hernandez
122
Quinn Howey
7/2
2
2Praise Loudly (CA)
Silvio Ruiz Amador
122
Daniel Franko
50/1
3
3American Farmer (CA)
Kent J. Desormeaux
122
Steve M. Sherman
15/1
4
4Wine and Whisky (CA)
Cristobal Herrera
122
Felix Rondan
15/1
5
5Mysterious Stones (CA)
William Antongeorgi III
122
Steve M. Sherman
15/1
6
6Final Final (KY)
Kevin Krigger
122
Bill McLean
15/1
7
7Sacred Rider (CA)
Frank T. Alvarado
122
Steven Specht
9/2
8
8Ajourneytofreedom (KY)
Ricardo Gonzalez
122
Blaine D. Wright
12/1
9
9Azul Coast (KY)
Rafael Bejarano
122
Bob Baffert
2/1
10
10Czechmight (KY)
Jose Valdivia, Jr.
122
Richard Baltas
6/1
11
11The Stiff (KY)
Julien Couton
122
Michael W. McCarthy
8/1
