For Ron Sanchez and trainer Manny Azpurua, it all came down to a nose.
After watching their three-year-old colt Social Inclusion win his first two
starts at Gulfstream Park by a combined 17 1/2 lengths and become one of the
most exciting horses on the Triple Crown trail, Sanchez and Azpurua shipped the
colt to New York for the April 5 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
The plan was simple. A first or second place finish would give Social
Inclusion enough points to go to the Kentucky Derby. Unfortunately, despite a
game performance after setting the pace, Social Inclusion finished third, beaten
a nose for second and a trip to Churchill Downs.
So instead of running for the roses come Saturday, Azpurua and Sanchez of
Rontos Racing Stable Corp. will be at Gulfstream saddling Social Inclusion in
the very competitive $75,000
Sir Bear, a mile
race that will serve as a prep for the colt’s expected trip to Pimlico and the
May 17 Preakness.
“Were we disappointed to lose a Derby spot by a nose? Sure, but you can’t
worry about these things,” Sanchez said. “You know, our first goal all along was
the Preakness, but we wanted to give him a shot (at the Derby) by going to New
York. That was the right thing to do for the horse.
“It didn’t work out to go to Kentucky, but patience pays off in horse racing.
You can’t rush a horse, and this horse could be the horse of a lifetime. So
we’re OK with running Saturday (at Gulfstream) and then going to the Preakness.
He’s doing fantastic and training great.”
Social Inclusion, who will be ridden by Elvis Trujillo, will have to be at
his best to beat seven others that includes the promising Little Daddy, Big Guy
Ian and the stakes-placed East Hall.
Little Daddy has won his first two starts impressively, breaking his maiden
March 15 at six furlongs by 3 1/4 lengths and then winning under allowance
conditions at 6 1/2 furlongs by 1 1/4 lengths on March 30.
East Hall, third in the Gulfstream Park Derby behind Kentucky Derby entrants
General a Rod and Wildcat Red, has been knocking heads all winter with the best
of the three-year-old division. He was fourth in the Fountain of Youth, eighth
in the Tampa Bay Derby and fifth last time out in the Florida Derby.
Big Guy Ian broke his maiden at Gulfstream January 25 before finishing sixth
last time out under allowance conditions behind Constitution, who would win the
$1 million Florida Derby.
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