IEAH Stables

Morning-line favorite I Want Revenge was scratched for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) on Saturday morning after an undiagnosed problem was detected in the left front ankle of the Jeff Mullins-trained colt.

Dr. Foster Northrop, the attending veterinarian, x-rayed and ultra-sounded the ankle without determining a cause for the inflammation that he said was defused in the ankle above and below the sesamoid.

“On the digital X-rays I’m not seeing any bone lesion at all. It X-rays really pristine, so I do think more soft tissue at this point. Ultrasound, which is basically an X-ray on soft tissue, I’m not seeing a lesion either. So further diagnostics will be done,” Northrop said. “It’s a high-risk area for being injured and we need to be sure there’s not an abnormality with further diagnostics.”

Mullins detected the problem shortly after arriving at Barn 24 on the Churchill Downs backstretch, finding heat in the ankle after removing the Wood Memorial (Grade I) winner’s bandages, washing his legs and giving them a routine check.

“We detected a little pressure and a touch of heat in the left front ankle. We jogged him up and down the asphalt to check for soundness and he actually jogged pretty well. We flexed the ankle and he gave to the flexing of the ankle,” Mullins said. “By that time, Dr. Foster (Northrop) showed up. He jogged him again and he jogged fairly good. Dr. Foster flexed the ankle and he gave to the flexion again.”

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the on-call veterinarian for the American Association for Equine Practitioners, also examined I Want Revenge.

“After Jeff and Dr. Northrop looked at him, I came by to look at him a third time, and he didn’t jog that bad, but the inflammation was there in his ankle. Unfortunately, this close to the Derby, there’s not a way to gauge how important that is yet. So we have to err on the side of caution, and I’d like to commend the owners and Jeff for doing what’s right for the horse until we know what’s going on.”

The decision to scratch I Want Revenge, however disheartening, came easily for breeder and majority owner David Lanzman.

“I can’t look back at what might have been. It’s really not going to do me any good. I think I’ve hired the best people in the world to give me the decisions as to what they think we should do,” Lanzman said. “When the words came out that running could hurt the horse, I looked at those doctors and I said: ‘Then this is no debate. What are we talking about? We’ll fight another day.’ ”

Mullins said he had been completely satisfied with I Want Revenge’s preparation for the Run for the Roses while raising the possibility that the colt might have wrenched his ankle while training on a wet track Friday morning.

“To me, in my whole career, I’ve never handled a horse of this caliber before and I’m just not going to take a chance on hurting him.” Mullins said. “I’ve been in this business kind of all my life. Most of the things I’ve learned in this business I learned by hard knocks in more ways than one. Your biggest dream is to get here, but the biggest nightmare is to get to race day and have to scratch. Right now I don’t think it’s sunk in that much, but I’m pretty disappointed.”

I Want Revenge, whom Mullins said was unlikely to run in the Preakness Stakes (Grade I) in two weeks, is the first morning-line favorite to be scratched on the morning of the Kentucky Derby.

“Really, I’m at a loss of words. I’m just glad the horse is OK. It could have been a lot worse. Something could have happened on the track. I’m just glad it happened in the stall, and I believe everyone did the right thing by the horse,” 19-year-old jockey Joe Talamo said. “He’s the one who got us here, so you have to do the right thing by him.”

KENTUCKY DERBY ADJUSTED PURSE
Purse: $2,177,200 (if 19 horses start)
Winner: $1,417,200
Second: $400,000
Third: $200,000
Fourth: $100,000
Fifth: $60,000

IEAH Stables, Gary Tolchin and Pegasus Holding Group Stables’ Laragh took the lead shortly out of the gate and never looked back to win the 25th running of the $115,300 Edgewood for 3-year-old fillies over the Matt Winn Turf Course by 1 1/4 lengths over Magical Affair.

Ridden by Edgar Prado, Laragh carved out fractions of :23.57, :48.43 and 1:13.04 while racing on an uncontested lead. Favored Magical Affair, under Julien Leparoux, closed ground late to salvage second with Banker’s Choice finishing another 3 ¼ lengths back in third under Calvin Borel.

Trained by John Terranova, Laragh returned mutuels of $7.40, $3.80 and $3. Magical Affair paid $3.40 and $2.80 with Banker’s Choice returning $4.80 to show in the field of 10.

Laragh, winner of the Grade I Hollywood Starlet last December after a third-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, covered the mile and a sixteenth on a “good” turf course in 1:43.88.

The victory was worth $67,911 and increased Laragh’s career earnings to $581,876 with four wins in eight starts.

EDGEWOOD QUOTES

EDGAR PRADO (rider of winner Laragh):  “She is a very nice filly who has a lot of natural speed. We didn’t want to take her out of her game. We went to the lead and she was nice and relaxed. I was just hoping she would have enough at the end and she did. The main thing with her is to get her to relax. Today she showed us an extra gear and I was very happy to see that.”

JOHN TERRANOVA (trainer of winner Laragh): “This was our first preference and we just entered the race for tomorrow (the Eight Belles) in case something weird happened. We wanted to keep our bases open, but this was the spot we were aiming for and she ran huge today. As long as you don’t fight her, she’ll give you everything she’s got. Edgar (Prado) rode her perfectly. She’s big speed and she can carry it. When I saw the half in :48 it was all over.”

JULIEN LEPAROUX (rider of second-place finisher Magical Affair):  “My horse started off slow, but once we get rolling we made up some nice ground. It was going to be tough to catch the winner but I was happy with her effort and she fought hard to get the place spot.”

A Saturday that featured three major prep races for the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) ended with a new favorite in the third and final pool of Churchill Downs' 2009 Kentucky Derby Future Wager ("KDFW") as a dazzling win in Aqueduct's Wood Memorial propelled I Want Revenge into the pool's top spot.

David Lanzman and IEAH Stables' 3-year-old son of Stephen Got Even overcame a slow start and major traffic problems to score a dramatic victory under Joe Talamo in the 1 1/8-mile Wood and saw his KDFW Pool 3 odds drop to 9-2 by the end of the day's betting.  He had opened the day at 10-1.  Florida Derby (GI) winner Quality Road, the favorite through the first two days of the four-day pool, was the second choice at 6-1 and Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Friesan Fire was a close third choice at 7-1.

The day's other major Kentucky Derby prep races featured victories by odds-on favorite Pioneeerof the Nile in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) and Musket Man in the Illinois Derby (GII) at Hawthorne Park.  Pioneerof the Nile was the 11-1 fourth choice after Saturday's Pool 3 betting, while Musket Man's odds stood at 33-1, a considerable drop from his 96-1 odds that were in place at the start of the day's betting.

The Kentucky Derby Future Wager, now in its 11th year, provides offers Derby fans the opportunity to bet on contenders for the 135th renewal of the Kentucky Derby at odds that could be more attractive than those available when the race is run on May 2 at Churchill Downs.  Along with the Future Wager's traditional $2 "win" bet, this year's third pool is only the second in history to offer exacta wagering.  Both the KDFW "win" bet and its exacta wager require a $2 minimum bet.  There are no scratches or refunds in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

A total of $217,791 has been wagered during the first three days of Pool 3, which pushed the total betting for all three 2009 KDFW pools to $1,076,932.  That marks the tenth consecutive year in which total wagering in the three Derby Future pools has surpassed the $1 million mark.  Exacta betting in Pool 3 stood at $53,960 heading into Sunday's final day of Derby Future betting.  Betting in KDFW Pool 3 resumes at noon (all times EDT) on Sunday, April 5 and the pool will close at 6 p.m.

Real time odds, exacta payouts and other information on the Kentucky Derby Future Wager are available on the official event Web site at www.kentuckyderby.com.

L & M Racing’s Rachel Alexandra, a dominant winner of Churchill Downs’ Golden Rod (GII) and Oaklawn Park’s Martha Washington in her last two starts, will be the odds-on choice when she faces five rivals in Saturday’s $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks (Grade II) at Fair Grounds.

If the Hal Wiggins-trained daughter of Medaglia d’Oro wins the 1 1/16-mile race, she will  to emulate 2008 Fair Grounds Oaks winner Proud Spell, who went on to win the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (GI), America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies, and earn the Eclipse Award that honored her as America’s finest 3-year-old filly.

Regular rider Calvin Borel will be in the irons aboard Rachel Alexandra, who is the odds-on favorite at odds of 4-5.

Heiligbrodt Stable’s Four Gifts, the Steve Asmussen-trained runner-up to injured stablemate War Echo in the Silverbulletday (GIII) at Fair Grounds, is the second choice at 5-2.  Others in the field include Our Dahlia, African Skies, Flying Spur and War Tigress.

WEST/STARDOM BOUND LIKELY TO STAY WITH FILLIES, TARGET KENTUCKY OAKS – Although she scored a fifth consecutive victory in Grade I stakes competition, last week’s narrow victory by 2008 2-year-old filly champion Stardom Bound in the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) was apparently not enough to keep her on course for a possible run against males in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) and, perhaps, a bid for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

Stardom Bound rallied to win the Santa Anita Oaks by a nose, but majority owner IEAH Stable had hoped to see more progress by the gray Tapit filly.  IEAH President Michael Iavarone said Monday the champion would now be pointed toward the Ashland (GI) at Keeneland, and a big run there would likely earn her a shot at the May 1 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

“We have to think of her welfare and do what’s in her best interest,” said Iavarone. “What we were looking for in the Santa Anita Oaks and what we didn’t see is a leap forward.” 

Third Dawn, the John Sadler-trained Santa Anita Oaks runner-up at odds of 35-1, is also being pointed toward the Ashland Stakes.

OAKS NOTES – Brereton Jones’ Proud Spell, winner of the 2008 Kentucky Oaks, was upset by Superior Storm in her debut as a 4-year-old on Thursday at Oaklawn Park.  The Larry Jones trainee finished second as she could not catch the pacesetting winner over a muddy track. … Rags to Riches, the winner of the 2007 Kentucky Oaks who would later beat eventual ‘Horse of the Year’ Curlin, Hard Spun and other males in the Belmont Stakes (GI), delivered her first foal – a filly by Giant’s Causeway – on Monday at Ashford Stud in Versailles, Ky.

(May 16, 2008) – Louisville-based UPS employees are expected to deliver strong support for their namesake Big Brown on Saturday at Churchill Downs as the historic racetrack hosts a “UPS Day at the Races” in conjunction with a simulcast of the Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course.

Unbeaten Kentucky Derby 134 champ Big Brown is the 1-2 morning line favorite against 11 rivals in the 133rd running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (Grade I) and will continue his attempt to become horse racing’s first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978.

On Saturday at Churchill Downs, UPS employees and their guests will receive free general admission at a Gate 10 registration table located next to a UPS truck. Sections 115 and 116 will be available for UPS employees and their guests to enjoy a day at the races.

Employees also will have an opportunity to choose between a free program, a complementary food voucher or to enter prize drawings for either a trip to the June 7 Belmont Stakes in New York if Big Brown wins the Preakness or a unique Kentucky Derby 134/Big Brown gift basket.

Also, ESPN will broadcast live “cut-ins” of UPS employees and Kentucky racing enthusiasts celebrating the day from the Churchill Downs paddock area during their Preakness Day telecast at approximately 2:30 p.m. (all times Eastern) and 4:45 p.m.

Admission gates will open at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and the first of 10 live races is 1:15 p.m. The simulcast of the Preakness Stakes is set for 6:15 p.m. following the final live race of the day.

Last week, UPS announced a marketing agreement with jockey Kent Desormeaux and IEAH Stables, the majority ownership group for Big Brown, to make UPS the exclusive marketing partner of the “Big Brown” team.

Big Brown, named after the world’s largest package delivery company, will fly the UPS colors in the Preakness. Minority owner Paul Pompa Jr., who operates the Truck-Rite Corp. in Brooklyn, N.Y., named the colt after renewing a contract with UPS Freight in 2007.

“Big Brown circles the track almost as fast as UPS aircraft circle the globe,” said UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot. “We’re a great combination, a solid exacta box, and we’re proud to be sponsoring the Big Brown team in the Preakness. Our own Big Brown team will be coming out in force to cheer our horse to victory.”

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An hour before Kentucky Derby champ Big Brown tries to keep his Triple Crown hopes alive in Saturday’s $1 million Preakness Stakes, another IEAH Stables’ 3-year-old will attempt to land the $100,000-added Matt Winn at Churchill Downs.

Inner Light, an impressive first-level allowance winner at Gulfstream Park in March for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, is one of seven 3-year-olds scheduled to compete in the six-furlong sprint – the first post-Derby stakes event under the historic Twin Spires. Zayat Stables’ Swale Stakes (Grade II) winner Eaton’s Gift, conditioned by eight-time Churchill Downs training champ Dale Romans, heads the field as the 5-2 morning line favorite.

The seventh running of the Matt Winn highlights a 10-race live program that will precede a simulcast of the 133rd Preakness Stakes from Pimlico Race Course. Churchill Downs’ first race Saturday is 1:15 p.m. (all times Eastern), while the finale is set for 5:51 p.m. The Preakness, headed by dominant Kentucky Derby 134 winner Big Brown, will run as Pimlico’s 12th race and has an approximate post time of 6:15 p.m.

Inner Light, listed at 5-1 on the morning line with jockey Larry Melancon in the saddle, returns to a sprint after a last place effort in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial in April. Prior to that effort, the Songandaprayer colt scored his second career win with a two-length tally over Jockey Ridge and Samba Rooster in a March 7 one-turn mile allowance at Gulfstream.

Meanwhile, Eaton’s Gift, who garnered headlines in February with a 3 ½-length romp in the 6 ½-furlong Swale in South Florida, will attempt to rebound from a seventh place finish in the $100,000 Derby Trial on April 26. He’ll break from post 3 under Elvis Trujillo.

Here’s the complete Matt Winn field from the rail out (with jockey and morning line odds): St. Joe (Tracy Hebert, 8-1), Georgetown (Calvin Borel, 4-1), Eaton’s Gift (Elvis Trujillo, 5-2), Saratoga Seven (Miguel Mena, 10-1), Inner Light (Larry Melancon, 5-1), Devereux (Shaun Bridgmohan, 9-2), and Ling Ling Qi (Jesus Castanon, 3-1).

Churchill Downs admission gates will open Saturday at 11:30 a.m. General admission is $3 ($1 for senior citizens and Twin Spires Club members), but will be free to all UPS employees with proof of identification in honor of Big Brown.

In addition to the 10-race live program and simulcast of the Preakness Stakes, Churchill Downs will host the inaugural “Brassapalooza.” Track bugler Steve Buttleman and Dr. Michael Tunnel, the University of Louisville trumpet professor, have organized what would be the world’s largest “Call to the Post” for Race 8 at 4:49 p.m. Approximately 50 buglers are expected to perform.

Also, the Derby City Brass Band, the University of Louisville Trumpet Ensemble and registered participants will entertain patrons with a free concert after the Preakness simulcast near Gate 17.

Brassapalooza is being staged as a fundraising effort to benefit a trip to Europe for the U of L Trumpet Ensemble. Each bugler will donate $20 to participate in “The World’s Largest ‘Call to the Post’”.