El Padrino faces his greatest challenge in the Florida Derby
The 3-year-old Let’s Go Stable owned colt, El Padrino was better than Take Charge Indy and Mark Valeski in his last two races, but now the big question looms, is he good enough to take down the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby early favourite, Union Rags? If he is,
than he is on a collision course with the rampant colt in the Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby set to go underway on 31 March, 2012, over a distance of 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park’s dirt course.
In preparation, the Todd Pletcher trained Kentucky bred colt turned in a work of five furlongs at Palm Meadows Trainer Center on 18 March, 2012, in 1 minute and 1 1/5 seconds, which left Pletcher satisfied. “It was a very good work with a strong gallop out,”
said Pletcher of the chestnut colt.
The son of Pulpit, out of mare Enchanted Rock by Giant’s Causeway, as a juvenile broke his maiden at second asking at Belmont Park on 29 October last year, over a distance of 1 mile with the winning time of 1 minute and 40.10 seconds.
Stretched in distance immediately, El Padrino went 1 1/8 miles in his third career start in the Grade 2, Remsen Stakes, but found it hard to cope with bolstering speed of O’Prado Again in the stretch, as he lost ground to Souper Speedy in second and finished
third on the day.
With two months off, El Padrino returned to the races new and improved and it reflected in the way he ran and approached the race, winning his seasonal debut in an allowance/optional claimer at about 1 1/16 miles on 29 January, 2012, shooting down the strapping
colt called Take Charge Indy in second, and taking the allowance test in 1 minute and 42.68 seconds.
His next assignment was a little tougher than his previous. In search of graded stakes earnings it had to be done as Todd Pletcher pointed El Padrino to the Grade 2, $300,000 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, and El Padrino came good with a powerful run
down the stretch to claim what was his to begin with.
Pletcher would be hoping he lives up to the hype, and has the ability to take down someone like, Union Rags, and if he can than there will be a major twist in the build up toward the Run for the Roses on 5 May.
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