Will Flashpoint be able to run in the Preakness Stakes? The question lurking around John Fort
The president of Peachtree Stables, John Fort, had his doubts about sending the Peachtree Stable colt, Flashpoint, to the Kentucky Derby but he certainly does not seem to regret it. Now with the Preakness Stakes just around the corner, Fort is wondering
whether Flashpoint should compete in it or not.
Flashpoint was eligible to race in the Kentucky Derby as he had accumulated enough graded earnings by winning in the Hutcheson Stakes on February 26, 2011, and finishing fourth in the Florida Derby.
He practiced on April 28, working five furlong in bullet: 59-flat.
The colt just had three starts this year. He broke his maiden in January by 6 ¼ lengths at Aqueduct. As soon as the colt came off from standing fourth in the Florida Derby, Fort decided to remove the colt from Rick Dutrow Jr’s barn to the ward at Keeneland.
This move was made since Dutrow was denied a trainer’s license and the colt’s career would have suffered if he stayed with him.
Fort commented on this, saying, “Obviously, Rick has some hurdles to overcome, I hope he does; I’ve known him since he was a little boy. He has a good heart. His dad, Dicky Dutrow, trained a lot of horses for me”.
The colt was given a brief layoff time before he went to the ward and then the colt worked on three occasions.
Although Flashpoint is not the sort who craves for the leading position, he does possess the capability to excel at the game. His demonstration of such a skill is evident in his starts.
Fort also said, “In the Hutcheson, he sat off of Travelin Man for a half-mile; he relaxed beautifully, the Florida Derby wasn’t bad, but everything went wrong. He had an outside post, he was wide, and just had a terrible trip. It was a throw out for us”.
His pedigree might be suggestive of the fact that the colt is unable to handle two starts. The three- year-old is sired by the multiple Grade 1 winner, Pomeroy, and is out of the mare, Two Punch Lil. Two Punch Lil was also a sprinter.
Fort is still optimistic about the colt’s performance. “Pedigree is an indication, but the four-generation pedigrees are all pretty much the same nowadays,” he said. “The immediate direct influences of Pomeroy and Two Punch Lil suggest that he is more likely
to be a sprinter. But it just means he’s more likely, it’s not an absolute. He’s a big, strong horse with overpowering speed and a great mind. And he’s a terrific breathing horse; he never lacks for air. I’m willing to go to Baltimore and take our chances”.
In another instant Fort said that the Florida bred colt might not be able to step up in the Preakness Stakes as he does not have a reputation of a front running speed-ball. He deduced that if a colt has a clean trip, it determines a horse’s performance in
the race.
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