By Alan Carasso
It has been the better part of three decades since the winner of the GII Toyota Blue Grass S. has managed to repeat the dose in the GI Kentucky Derby. The Nick Zito-conditioned Strike the Gold pulled off the double in 1991, and while Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}) used a runner-up effort in the 2007 renewal as a springboard to victory at Churchill, the race hasn't been the strongest pointer to the Run for the Roses. But none of this has stopped the connections of 14 horses from entering what looms a tremendous handicapping exercise Saturday afternoon in Lexington.
Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) defeated future 'TDN Rising Star' Mihos (Cairo Prince) into third on his Sept. 23 debut at Belmont and came right to post a big-figure victory in the GIII Nashua S., with GISP and this year's GIII Swale S. hero Call Paul (Friesan Fire) third. The May foal resumed with Lasix on for the GII Xpressbet Fountain of Youth S. Mar. 2 and he has every reason to improve for his third-place effort to Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) and Bourbon War (Tapit).
Signalman (General Quarters) is the only other member of the field with a graded win on dirt to his credit, a neck success over last weekend's G2 UAE Derby victor Plus Que Parfait (Point of Entry) in the GII Kentucky Jockey Club S. He was a longshot third to 'Rising Star' and GI Santa Anita Derby favorite Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and has form over the Keeneland strip, courtesy of his runner-up effort to loose-on-the-lead Knicks Go (Paynter) in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity last October.
Live Oak Plantation's Win Win Win (Hat Trick {Jpn}) owns the field's best Beyer, having earned a 99 for his track record-setting, 7 1/4-length victory in Tampa's seven-furlong Pasco S. Jan. 19. Trained up to the GII Tampa Bay Derby, he raced in the latter half of the field, rallied wide into the lane and got home nicely to round out the triple behind Wood Memorial starters Tacitus (Tapit) and 'Rising Star' Outshine (Malibu Moon) as the 7-5 chalk.
'Rising Star' Dream Maker (Tapit) turned in a sparkling sophomore debut at the Fair Grounds Feb. 9, winning a two-turn allowance by 8 1/2 lengths, but he never picked up his feet in the Tampa Bay Derby, finishing a well-beaten 10th. He enters this off a half-mile gate work in :46 flat over this track Mar. 30, a time that was best of 48 at the distance and 1.40 seconds faster than the next swiftest.
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