El Camino Real Derby Win Lands Frank Conversation on Triple Crown Trail

Frank Conversation prevailed in the El Camino Real Derby on Saturday at Golden Gate Fields. (Shane Micheli/ Vassar Photography)
Reddam Racing’s Frank Conversation put together back-to-back stakes victories with an emphatic win on Feb. 13 when he rallied to take the $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields.
The Quality Road colt became the first horse to complete the El Camino Real Derby-California Derby double since Chocolate Candy in 2009, and Frank Conversation earned his way onto the Road to the Kentucky Derby for trainer Doug O'Neill by picking up the lion’s share of points awarded on a 10-4-2-1 spread to the top four finishers.
Frank Conversation currently ranks 14th on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard. The No. 1 spot is held by his stablemate, 2-year-old champion male Nyquist (30 points), who is set to make his season debut on Monday in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita Park.
COMPLETE ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY STANDINGS
Wide throughout under jockey Mario Gutierrez from post-position 12 in a crowded field of 13, Frank Conversation tracked from sixth behind the pace set by 39-1 longshot Kelly With a Twist. The leader went an opening quarter-mile in :23.73 and a half-mile in :48.37 while Frank Conversation cruised along midpack. After three-quarters of a mile in 1:13.15, 14-1 shot Algenon ranged up from second to take the lead, but Frank Conversation mounted a big run and blew by him in early stretch.
“The last two races he has improved a lot, and I think he’ll keep improving,” Gutierrez said. “He’ll definitely stretch out because the competition was a little bit harder today, but he definitely kicked on and he never hesitated to keep pushing until the wire.”
Trainer Graham Motion saw Tusk put in a strong rally for second, while his other entrant, Kasseopia, closed to get third after a slow start. But Frank Conversation prevailed by three-quarters of a length, completing 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.64 on the all-weather track.
“That was a big-time performance today,” O’Neill said. “It does look like synthetic or turf is his thing, but we’ll definitely try a big race on dirt soon. The race at Turfway Park [the Grade 3, $500,000 Spiral Stakes on April 2] is something we’d look at first because it is on synthetic.
“Watching him train on dirt, it looks like he’s not only a synthetic and turf horse. His race at Los Alamitos [a fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity] wasn’t that bad. Obviously, his style is to sit and pounce, but speed was doing well that day and we told Mario to go for the lead.”
Sent off as the 8-5 favorite in a field of 13, Frank Conversation returned $5.20, $3.40, and $2.80. Tusk brought $8 and $4.40 at odds of 11-1, while Kasseopia paid $3.80.
Bred in Kentucky by Marc Keller out of the Unusual Heat mare Rushen Heat, Frank Conversation was a $120,000 purchase by Dennis O'Neill from the Wavertree Sales consignment to the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds in training. His record now stands at three wins and a third from six starts, for earnings of $230,450.
For an Equibase chart, click here.