The late money was right. Frank Conversation (Quality Road), hammered into 8-5 favoritism a few minutes to post, turned in his second straight strong performance in Northern California to capture Golden Gate's GIII El Camino Real Derby. He settled in a good spot on the outside in sixth through fractions of :23.73 and :48.37 after breaking from post 11. With Mario Gutierrez aboard, Frank Conversation hit the gas with a smart three-wide sweep on the far turn, made the front at the top of the lane, and outkicked Tusk (Tapit) home by 3/4 of a length. Second choice Kasseopia (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) ran a big race to finish third after a very slow break and wide trip. The California Derby hero, owned by Reddam Racing, earned 10 points toward the GI Kentucky Derby with the win.
“He ran as we hoped and as we expected,” said Paul Reddam, who, of course, also campaigns the unbeaten champion juvenile Nyquist (Uncle Mo). “The race pretty much happened as we drew it up. That's just not all that common; usually you have a plan that falls apart at the gate. Now the question is if he'll transfer his form to dirt.”
Frank Conversation, a maiden winner going down the hill at Santa Anita last October, was a respectable third in Del Mar's GIII Cecil B. DeMille S. Nov. 29. He tired to finish fifth after dueling in the GI Los Alamitos Futurity Dec. 19.
The bay is perfect in two starts this term.
“It does look like synthetic or turf is his thing, but we'll definitely try a big race on dirt soon,” trainer Doug O'Neill commented. “The race at Turfway Park [GIII Spiral S. Apr. 2] is something we'd look at first because it is on synthetic. That was a big-time performance today. We were concerned about the 11-hole, but Mario did a very good job of getting him into position so he was just four-wide.”
O'Neill continued, “Watching him train on dirt, it looks like he's not only a synthetic and turf horse. He and Nyquist haven't worked together; they're both so professional that they do everything we ask working alone. His race at Los Alamitos [in the Los Alamitos Futurity] wasn't that bad. The buildup [to the Kentucky Derby] is almost as exciting as the actual event. When you have a good horse and you keep him injury-free and watch him train every day, there's no better feeling.”
Gutierrez added, “It was a perfect trip. It was a lot of horses, so I wouldn't say we were worried, but we definitely wanted to get the perfect position right away coming out of the gate. It worked really good for us. The horses went to the lead and I was able to just lay down behind the speed like the last time. There were more horses today [than in the California Derby], but it was kind of the same trip. 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.”
Frank Conversation's stakes-placed dam Rushen Heat (Unusual Heat) is a full-sister to GI Hollywood Turf Cup winner Unusual Suspect and GI Las Virgenes S. heroine Golden Doc A. The chestnut mare produced a Hat Trick (Jpn) colt in 2014 and an Aikenite filly in 2015. She is currently in foal to Raison d'Etat.
Saturday, Golden Gate Fields
EL CAMINO REAL DERBY-GIII, $200,840, GG, 2-13, 3yo, 1 1/8m (AWT), 1:50.64, ft.
1–@FRANK CONVERSATION, 122, c, 3, by Quality Road
1st Dam: Rushen Heat (SP, $179,901), by Unusual Heat
2nd Dam: Penpont (NZ), by Crested Wave
3rd Dam: Imposing Star (NZ), by Imposing (Aus)
($65,000 Ylg '14 FTKOCT; $120,000 2yo '15 OBSMAR).
O-Reddam Racing LLC; B-Marc Keller (KY); T-Doug F. O'Neill;
J-Mario Gutierrez. $120,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-0-1,
$230,450. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk
Nick Rating: C.[bullet ad=”bluewater-shell-big-fish”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Tusk, 122, g, 3, Tapit–It's Midnight, by Shamardal. ($335,000
RNA Ylg '14 KEESEP). O/B-Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY); T-H
Graham Motion. $40,000.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-foaled-and-raised”]3–Kasseopia (GB), 122, c, 3, Showcasing (GB)–Dream Again
(GB), by Medicean (GB). (12,500gns Wlg '13 TATFOA;
40,000gns 2yo '15 TATBRE). O-Team Valor International &
Gary Barber; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-H. Graham
Motion. $24,000.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Margins: 3/4, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 1.60, 11.20, 2.20.
Also Ran: San Dimas, Diplodocus, Algenon, Mana Strike, Marqula, Oscar Dominguez (Ire), Kelly With a Twist, Touched by Autism, Giopress, Go Long. Scratched: Mr. Coker.
Click for Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree, Equibase.com chart or TJCIS PPs. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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