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Dirt is big deal at Oaklawn Thursday, Mar 13, 2008 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - When it comes to preparing a thoroughbred for the Kentucky Derby, a four-letter word elevates Oaklawn Park above Keeneland and Santa Anita. It's d-i-r-t. You know the substance, add water to make mudpies. At Lexington, Ky., the horses run on Polytrack, a mixture of silica sand, rubber, fibers and wax. At Arcadia, Calif., it's called Cushion Track, which is similar to Polytrack except that officials had to add polymers and fibers in early February after the surface failed to drain following major rains and Santa Anita lost 11 days of racing. At Louisville, the Derby is on d-i-r-t at Churchill Downs. The subject comes up this week because some 3-year-olds with Derby potential will take to the Oaklawn surface Saturday to compete in the $300,000 Rebel. Three of the last four years, the Rebel winner has gone on to win the Arkansas Derby and two of those horses won three Triple Crown races. For this one day, thoroughbreds are a welcome diversion from trying to identify the No. 11 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. On Wednesday, that just happened to be Arkansas in one man's opinion. Like the NCAA, the Rebel has had a bubble horse. His name is Denis of Cork, and he's officially out of the race. Ever since he won the Southwest at Oaklawn on Feb. 9, there has been some waffling on the next race for the unbeaten colt. On Tuesday, trainer David Carroll told a teleconference that Denis of Cork's only race prior to the Kentucky Derby would be in either New York or Illinois on April 5, a week before the Arkansas Derby. His horse is on the skinny side, one of those that has trouble maintaining his weight, and this way he'll have 28 days prior to Louisville instead of 21. Until recently, such a sparse campaign would have been viewed as insufficient preparation. But last year, Street Sense won the Kentucky Derby with only two prep races - a victory on the dirt at Tampa and a second-place finish on that stuff at Keeneland. Despite the departure of Denis, the Rebel is significant because Z Fortune is in the field. He is the No. 2 Derby prospect in the barn of Steve Asmussen. No. 1 is Pyro, who is at the top of the most recent poll by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association. Pyro won the Louisiana Derby by three lengths last week. In his three previous races, including the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, he finished behind War Pass, No. 2 on the list and winner of a race last month in Florida. Following the Louisiana Derby, Asmussen said he would send Pyro to Keeneland. He cited the all-weather track, but such a move would avoid another head to head like the one in early February when Pyro bested Z Fortune by two lengths. Nick Zito, who trains War Pass and Cool Coal Man, is likely to try and get a line on one of his lesser lights and Z Fortune by entering a horse in the Rebel. Todd Pletcher might do the same. "This is that time of year when they all start coming out of the woodwork," Zito assistant Tim Poole said recently. Z Fortune is an intriguing sort, particularly in light of assessments by the record-setting Asmussen and Garrett Gomez, the Eclipse Award-winning jockey who went through the eighth grade at Lake Hamilton High School and is returning to Hot Springs to ride the colt. Asmussen sent Z Fortune to Oaklawn last week. "I want him to have confidence on that track, so I want him to have his final work there," the trainer told Jay Privman of the Daily Racing Form. Mentally, Pyro is far ahead of Z Fortune, Asmussen said. The latter, he said, "has no idea how good he's going to be." In early February, after Z Fortune took the lead and then was run down by Pyro, Gomez compared the colt to a big kid. We've all seen athletes like that, those who put it on cruise when their team goes in front with a few minutes to play. If Z Fortune can be as good as Asmussen thinks, the maturation process should begin Saturday at Oaklawn Park. ------- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
