Hansen a solid favorite in West Virginia Derby

Hansen will seek a fifth career stakes win in the West Virginia Derby (Debra Kral/Horsephotos.com) Juvenile champion Hansen, exiting a 10-length procession in last month’s Grade 3 Iowa Derby, will take his front-running show on the road to Mountaineer Park Saturday for the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby. The 1 1/8-mile contest tops an all-stakes, nine-race card which, unlike most Mountaineer programs, will be conducted in the afternoon. Despite the presence of nine other colts and geldings, Hansen figures to be heavily favored Saturday. Mike Smith will take over riding duties on the charismatic gray as regular pilot Ramon Dominguez has chosen to honor other riding commitments at Saratoga. In addition to having a new face in the saddle, Hansen will in part be a horse of a different color in the West Virginia Derby. The Louisville Courier-Journal reported this week that the West Virginia Racing Commission has granted breeder and co-owner Dr. Kendall Hansen’s controversial request to have the near white colt’s tail dyed blue on raceday. Similar requests by Dr. Hansen were denied by officials at Aqueduct and Keeneland earlier this year.

The June 30 Iowa Derby was a return to form for Hansen, who finished up the
track in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in his previous start. In eight starts so
far, the Churchill Downs classic is the only race where Hansen has finished
worse than second.

After an undefeated championship campaign that included a narrow victory over
Union Rags in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, Hansen finished second in the
Grade 3 Holy Bull after a poor start in his sophomore bow. He next captured the
Grade 3 Gotham by coming from slightly off the pace from a wide post, and then
ran a game second to Dullahan in the Grade 1 Blue Grass.

Following the Kentucky Derby Hansen reverting to typical catch-me-if-you-can
tactics in the Iowa Derby, ultimately dusting Grade 2 Louisiana Derby winner
Hero of Order and Macho Bull, both of whom re-oppose the champion Saturday.

Le Bernardin exits a photo-finish triumph in the Pegasus (Ryan Denver/Equi-Photo) Invading from New York is Le Bernardin, a Darley-owned son of Bernardini who’s won three of five, including the Grade 3 Pegasus by a neck at Monmouth Park last time. Another gray, Macho Macho, comes off a close second in the Long Branch at Monmouth for trainer Steve Asmussen. Other potential upsetters include Morgan’s Guerrilla, who placed in the Grade 2 Dwyer and Grade 3 Illinois Derby earlier in the year; Hollywood Park allowance scorer Called to Serve, a sub-par fifth in the Grade 2 Swaps last time; Bourbon Courage, a dominating winner of his first two starts but unplaced in recent graded attempts; and Belmont allowance winner Penn’s Grant, and improving son of Empire Maker. The richest of the eight undercard stakes is the $200,000 West Virginia Governor’s Handicap for older horses at 1 1/16 miles. Grade 2 San Fernando winner Tapizar, unraced since finishing second in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap March 10 could face the likes of Headache, who took last year’s Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup and Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and Seruni, a Mountaineer stakes winner most recently second in the Grade 2 Firecracker Handicap over the Churchill turf.

Churchill invaders will be favored to dominate the $100,000
Mountaineer
Juvenile and $100,000
Mountaineer
Juvenile Fillies, both at six furlongs. The Juvenile stars Grade 3 Bashford
Manor hero Circle Unbroken and the Al Stall Jr.-trained Maybe So, who captured
his debut in swift time at the Louisville track. Grade 3 Debutante winner
Blueeyesintherein will be heavily favored in the Juvenile Fillies over Churchill
debut winner Scammony and Significant Bling, a two-time stakes winner versus
Ohio-bred company.

Another strong favorite Saturday is Immortal Eyes, who seeks to defend his
title in the $100,000
West Virginia
Legislature Chairman’s Cup for older horses over 4 1/2 furlongs. In
contrast, the $100,000
West Virginia
Secretary of State Handicap for fillies and mares at six furlongs, is a
wide-open affair with Grade 3 veteran Tamarind Hall and the talented
Louisiana-bred Speedacious among the notable names. Multiple Grade 3 winner
Ravalo heads a competitive field of older horses in the $100,000
Robert C. Byrd
Memorial Handicap, also at six furlongs. In opposition are stakes winners
Will’s Wildcat, Delaunay, and Guam Typhoon, the latter a winner of six straight
races.

Two grass stakes, both at one mile and 70 yards, are also on the program. The
$100,000 West
Virginia Senate President’s Cup for fillies and mares features Atemus
Kitten, winner of the Bayou Handicap at Ellis Park Turf this term, and recent
turf stakes winners Frontside and Revelside. The $100,000
West Virginia
House of Delegates Speaker’s Cup, for older horses, features the race’s 2011
runner-up Strike Impact, last seen taking the Independence Day over the same
course, and El Commodore, who’s narrowly missed in a pair of Grade 3s this
season.

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