A.P.'s Secret, Fourth in Wood, Drops Into Texas Derby

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 05/24/2022 - 11:04
Link: 
A.P.'s Secret, Fourth in Wood, Drops Into Texas Derby
Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
A.P.'s Secret wins an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park

Once again this spring, a runner from the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Results World Casino (G2) could have a say in a rich dirt race for 3-year-olds.

Following the success of Early Voting , the Wood runner-up who captured the May 21 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, Wood fourth-place finisher A.P.'s Secret  heads a field of eight sophomores in the 1 1/16-mile Texas Derby May 30 at Lone Star Park.

The Gentry Farms-owned son of Cupid   chased Early Voting in the Wood before tiring in the stretch to lose by 5 1/4 lengths to Mo Donegal, with Early Voting  a neck behind the winner. That race was A.P.'s Secret's second graded-stakes start after a seventh behind Preakness sixth-place finisher Simplification  in the Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park March 5.


Video

Before those stakes defeats, A. P.'s Secret won two of three starts in maiden and allowance optional claiming action in South Florida for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Sign up for

A.P.'s Secret is not alone in coming to Lone Star from Florida. So does the Miracle's International Trading's Strike Hard , a Flashback  colt with three wins from nine starts for trainer Matthew Williams. He defeated A.P.'s Secret in an allowance optional claiming race at Gulfstream Park Dec. 5 in their lone meeting.

The Texas Derby includes California raiders Win the Day , Fowler Blue , and Got Thunder , Churchill Downs shippers King Ottoman and Cover Me Up , as well as Presidential , an optional allowance claiming winner at Oaklawn Park last month. Presidential is the only horse in the field with workouts at Lone Star Park this spring. His trainer, Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, keeps a string there.

Sayjay Racing's Cover Me Up  exits a fast allowance optional claimer on the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) undercard in which he ran second to Creative Minister , the subsequent third-place finisher in the Preakness.

Cover Me Up races for trainer Richard Baltas, whom 1/ST Racing barred from competition at its tracks pending an investigation. 1/ST Racing, a division of The Stronach Group, operates Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields, Pimlico Race Course, and other tracks.

With that suspension issued by a racetrack operator and not a regulator, Texas is not required to honor it via reciprocity.

Numerous jockeys are in from out of town for mounts Monday at Lone Star, including Florent Geroux (Cover Me Up), Victor Espinoza (Got Thunder), and Kentucky Derby winner Sonny Leon (Fowler Blue).


Entries: Texas Derby

Lone Star Park, Monday, May 30, 2022, Race 11

  • STK
  • 1 1/16m
  • Dirt
  • $300,000
  • 3 yo
  • 7:01 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Strike Hard (KY) Jose L. Alvarez 124 Matthew J. Williams 4/1
2 2Win the Day (KY) Reylu Gutierrez 124 Doug F. O'Neill 7/2
3 3Presidential (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Isaac Castillo 124 Steven M. Asmussen 8/1
4 4King Ottoman (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Stewart Elliott 124 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1
5 5Fowler Blue (CA) Sonny Leon 124 Doug F. O'Neill 12/1
6 6Got Thunder (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Victor Espinoza 124 John W. Sadler 12/1
7 7Cover Me Up (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 124 Richard Baltas 3/1
8 8A. P.'s Secret (KY) Edwin Gonzalez 124 Saffie A. Joseph, Jr. 5/2