Departing installed as even-money choice in Super Derby

Departing will try to make it two in a row in the Super Derby (Mountaineer Park/Coady Photography) Departing, an 8 3/4-length winner of the West Virginia Derby on August 3, will seek another Grade 2 prize when he lines up against six opponents in Saturday’s $500,000 Super Derby at Louisiana Downs. The Al Stall Jr.-trained gelding is the even-money favorite on the morning line for the 1 1/8-mile event. A debut winner in late December, Departing opened his sophomore campaign with facile victories in an optional claiming event at Fair Grounds and the Texas Heritage Stakes at Sam Houston. The bay son of War Front finished third when making his graded stakes bow in the Louisiana Derby in late March. Departing rebounded from his first career setback with a 3 1/4-length win in the Illinois Derby, earning a berth in the Preakness Stakes. He offered a menacing move on the far turn to reach contention before flattening out in the final furlongs, checking in sixth in the middle leg of the Triple Crown. Returning off a 2 1/2-month freshening in the West Virginia Derby, Departing made short of his rivals to confirm his status as an exciting three-year-old prospect. Jockey Robby Albarado retains the mount and Departing will break from the far outside post.

Multiple stakes-placed Bashaar is the early 7-2 second
choice. Third in the Iowa Derby two back, the Street Cry colt exits a
fourth in the Jim Dandy at Saratoga. The top three finishers in that event —
Palace Malice, Will Take Charge and Moreno — came back to finish fourth, first
and second, respectively, in the $1 million Travers.

Channing Hill picks up the Super Derby mount for trainer
Dan Peitz and Bashaar will break from the rail post.

Stakes winner and West Virginia Derby runner-up Ruler of
Love comes next on the morning line at 6-1. Scott Spieth retakes the mount for
conditioner Joan Scott.

Cameo Appearance will test his mettle against graded foes
following a third in his stakes debut, the August 17 Straight Line, at Arlington.
He opened 2013 with a pair of convincing wins, breaking his maiden in mid-June
before taking an entry-level allowance in mid-July on the Polytrack, and the
Wayne Catalano charge adds the services of Patrick Valenzuela.

Catalano will also send out Grade 2 runner-up Treasury
Bill, who exits a third in an optional claiming event at Indiana Downs. Rounding
out the field are Holiday Mischief, a 16-1 upsetter in the August 3 Prelude at
Louisiana Downs, and Prelude third-placer Runaway Stephen.

Five stakes will be offered on the Super Derby undercard.

The $100,000
Sunday
Silence for two-year-olds and $100,000
Happy
Ticket for two-year-old fillies both take place at a mile on turf. Got
Shades, who broke his maiden with a 3 3/4-length score in the August 3 Sunny’s
Halo on turf, is the one to beat in the seven-horse Sunday Silence. The Happy
Ticket features 11 runners, including Redgrass Cat and Thegirlinthatsong, the
top two finishers in the Donnie Wilhite Memorial, the female counterpart to the
Sunny’s Halo.

In the $100,000
Unbridled,
String King and Global Power highlight a field of seven at 1 1/16 miles on turf.
String King, who placed in the Grade 2 Mervin Muniz Jr. Memorial and Grade 3
Col. E.R. Bradley at Fair Grounds earlier this season, returns to open company
following a pair of convincing victories in the Louisiana Legends Turf and
Louisiana Cup Turf Classic. Global Tower will make a title defense in the
Unbridled following a nice score in the West Virginia House of Delegates
Speaker’s Cup.

Seven fillies and mares will square off in the $100,000
River
Cities at 8 1/2 furlongs on turf and multiple stakes queen Artemus Kitten
figures to be a heavy favorite. Owned by Ken & Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike
Maker, the five-year-old daughter of Kitten’s Joy finished second in the Grade 3
Modesty two starts back and should appreciate the class relief following an
eighth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington.

The $50,000

Temperence Hill, a six-furlong sprint on the main track, features the return
of Grade 2 winner Gantry, who will make his first start since a second in the
Commonwealth at Keeneland in April. Trained by Ron Facheux, the six-year-old
gelding finished second to Delaunay in last year’s Temperence Hill and will meet
six rivals on Saturday.

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