Published: May 01, 2008 12:43 am            

KENTUCKY DERBY: Colonel John will try to win first race on dirt in Saturday’s Derby

The skeptics have been out in full force this week at Churchill Downs, and one of the horses they have been questioning is Kentucky Derby contender Colonel John.

The main question surrounding the 3-year-old this week — can he win Saturday’s Derby even though he has never raced on a dirt surface?

Colonel John’s trainer, Eoin Harty, is confident the horse can be the 134th champion of the “Run for the Roses,” emphasizing that Colonel John trained on dirt when he was a 2-year-old.

Colonel John proved he could go fast on dirt this past Sunday when he posted a fast 57.8-second workout at five furlongs. The speedy workout drew nothing but praise from Harty.

“I’m happy with the way he did it,” Harty told kentuckyderby.com immediately after the practice run. “He did it within himself and that’s what I liked. That track was fast today — maybe faster than it should be. But everyone else was working fast, so that’s part of my thinking.”

Harty thinks Colonel John has adjusted well to the dirt at Churchill and says the surface should get faster as the week prolongs.

“A lot of times when they have a big day of racing and the leaders come for the Derby, the track seems to really speed up,” Harty said.

In his six-race career, Colonel John has not finished outside the top two spots. He has posted four wins, including a victory in the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby on April 5. All of his six races have been on synthetic surfaces.

Two factors have helped Colonel John become a Derby contender.

One is his pedigree. Colonel John’s sire is 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow, which won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill that year. Tiznow won $6.4 million in his racing career. Colonel John’s dam is Sweet Damsel, who won five races in 33 starts during her career.

The second factor has been Harty, who has a successful track record at the Derby. Harty was an assistant for three-time Derby winning trainer Bob Baffert when Baffert captured Derby titles with Silver Charm (1997) and Real Quiet (1998).

It is the first time Harty has fielded a Derby starter as a head trainer. The Irishman has enjoyed being the man in charge and said his duties are pretty much the same than when he worked under Baffert.

“I took on a lot of responsibility in my job when I worked for Bob, and I felt equally responsible for how things worked out. But I wasn’t held ultimately responsible,” Harty said. “It doesn’t feel a lot different other than the fact that I’m answering the questions.”

Along with being an assistant under Baffert, Harty has been a race prognosticator — at least in one instance. In 1998, he went out on a limb and successfully predicted Real Quiet to win the Derby.

“I went on record earlier in the day that Real Quiet was going to win on ESPN,” Harty said.

So will Harty go out on a limb again and pick Colonel John to wear the garland of roses on Saturday?

“No,” Harty responded with a grin.



COLONEL JOHN FILE

• OWNER: WinStar Farm LLC

• TRAINER: Eoin Harty

• JOCKEY: Corey Nakatani

• SIRE: Tiznow

• DAM: Sweet Damsel

• CAREER WINS: Four (last victory was the Santa Anita Derby on April 5)

• GRADED EARNINGS: $720,000







DERBY NOTEBOOK

As cool temperatures finally lifted and the sun returned over Churchill Downs on Wednesday morning, several well-regarded horses made practice runs in preparation for Saturday’s 134th Kentucky Derby.



• Big Brown — the early favorite for Saturday’s race — galloped once around the oval on Wednesday morning, and wanted to do more under his exercise rider.

• Colonel John continued to handle the Churchill Downs track well, extending his stride briefly when allowed by his exercise rider. The second choice thus far, Colonel John has trained very well for a horse that is preparing for his dirt-track debut.

• Another horse disturbed the morning workout of Cool Coal Man, and he hasn’t looked strong in the past few mornings.

• Z Fortune looked contented during his early run and performed well, as did Smooth Air, who looked strong after recovering from a fever last week.

        

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