Ezmosh Tries for Turf Hat Trick in American Derby

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Photo: Coady Photography
Ezmosh before capturing the May 26 Arlington Classic Stakes at Arlington International Racecourse

Eight sophomores will race to establish themselves at the top of the 3-year-old turf division July 7 in the $100,000 American Derby (G3T) at Arlington International Racecourse.

One of four graded events taking place that day in the Ride to the Million Presented by Miller Lite, the American Derby will be contested at 1 1/8 miles.

Returning to the Chicagoland oval is Arlington Classic Stakes (G3T) winner Ezmosh, who emerges from post 5 under Jose Valdivia Jr. The Oklahoma-bred son of Tizway owned by Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, and Zayat Stables tried turf for the first time one race prior to the May 26 Arlington Classic—a first-level optional-claiming allowance event over the Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots course where he defeated fellow entrant Dubby Dubbie.

Trained by Brad Cox, Ezmosh broke his maiden over a fast main track at Churchill Downs in September at third asking and did not find the winner's circle again until switching to the grass in March.

Lothenbach Stables' Captivating Moon looms as the biggest competition to the Arlington Classic winner.

Although the son of Malibu Moon  has yet to find the winner's circle at stakes level, he has been stakes-placed six times and most recently was third in Canterbury Park's June 23 Mystic Lake Derby, beaten 1 1/2 lengths behind Sniper Kitten. The homebred also dead-heated for second in the May 5 American Turf Stakes presented by Ram Trucks (G2T) at Churchill with multiple graded stakes winner Untamed Domain and was second behind Analyze It in the April 6 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland. The Chris Block trainee will be ridden by jockey Florent Geroux from post 6.

Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen will send three-time winner Tap Daddy to Arlington exiting a win in Pimlico Race Course's May 19 James W. Murphy Stakes. The 1 1/16-mile event was originally scheduled for the turf but was taken off and contested over a sloppy main track.

Owned by Exotique Racing, the son of Scat Daddy broke his maiden over the turf at Kentucky Downs in September by 3 1/4 lengths.

Also on the card is the $100,000 Stars and Stripes Stakes (G3T) over 1 1/2 miles featuring  Arklow, Nessy, and Slim Shadey.

Donegal Racing's Arklow, a 4-year-old Arch colt trained by Cox, won two of six starts as a sophomore, including a rallying victory in the 2017 American Turf. All three of the bay's wins have come on the turf, including a nose score in his 2018 debut over next-out allowance winner Dot Matrix

Nessy put in a monster effort April 22 while making the grade in the San Juan Capistrano Stakes (G3T) over 1 3/4-miles at Santa Anita Park.  A veteran of 22 starts with three wins, six seconds, and six thirds for owners Edmond and Sharon Hudon, Nessy will turn back significantly in distance for Saturday's test after landing sixth in the two-mile Belmont Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (G2T) June 8.

Classy 10-year-old gelding Slim Shadey, with wins in 14 of his 74 starts and purse earnings of $1,265,955, shows no signs of slowing down with a pair of victories already this season while routing on the Belmont Park turf. The dark bay son of Val Royal will seek his third consecutive win while joining the barn of owner Michael Hui, who claimed Slim Shadey out of his most recent start June 9.

It will be his first time starting at the level since a nose loss to Conquest Sandman in the Old Man Eloquent Stakes Feb. 17 at Gulfstream Park.


Entries: American Derby (G3T)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, July 07, 2018, Race 5

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/8m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo
  • 3:41 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Kitten a Gettin (KY) Corey S. Nakatani 119 Eoin G. Harty 30/1
2 2Proquestor (KY) Constantino Roman 119 Mikhail Yanakov 50/1
3 3Pont Du Gard (LA)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose E. Lopez 119 Ignacio Correas, IV 10/1
4 4Dubby Dubbie (KY) Jack Gilligan 119 Michelle Lovell 5/1
5 5Ezmosh (OK)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Valdivia, Jr. 119 Brad H. Cox 5/2
6 6Captivating Moon (KY) Florent Geroux 119 Chris M. Block 8/5
7 7Real Story (KY) Joe Bravo 119 Ignacio Correas, IV 12/1
8 8Tap Daddy (KY) Jose Lezcano 121 Steven M. Asmussen 4/1


Entries: Stars and Stripes S. (G3T)

Arlington International Racecourse, Saturday, July 07, 2018, Race 8

  • Grade IIIT
  • 1 1/2m
  • Turf
  • $100,000
  • 3 yo's & up
  • 5:23 PM (local)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L
1 1Soglio (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jose Lezcano 119 Michael J. Maker 12/1
2 2Catcho En Die (ARG) Jose Valdivia, Jr. 117 Naipaul Chatterpaul 5/1
3 3Slim Shadey (GB) Corey S. Nakatani 117 Michael J. Maker 8/1
4 4Arklow (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Florent Geroux 117 Brad H. Cox 5/2
5 5Nessy (KY) Carlos H. Marquez, Jr. 121 Ian R. Wilkes 9/2
6 6Bronson (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Joe Bravo 117 Michael J. Maker 20/1
7 7Harlan Strong (ARG) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 119 Kenneth G. McPeek 12/1
8 8Memory Bank (IL) Christopher A. Emigh 117 Michael Stidham 30/1
9 9Canessar (FR) Feargal Lynch 117 Arnaud Delacour 4/1
10 10High On Sugar (KY) Edgar Perez 117 Leonard M. Slager 50/1
11 11Twenty Four Seven (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Jermaine V. Bridgmohan 117 Roger A. Brueggemann 30/1
12 12Cartoon (KY)Keeneland Sales Graduate Mitchell Murrill 117 Pavel Vashchenko 30/1