Clarence Scharbauer’s SILVER CITY (Unbridled’s Song) will cut back to 7 1/2
furlongs for Saturday’s $100,000
Derby
Trial S. (G3), the opening-day feature of the Churchill Downs’ spring/summer
meet, and the Bret Calhoun runner will be difficult to catch from the rail.
Silver City scorched his rivals when capturing a 6 1/2-furlong allowance by 4
1/2 lengths at Churchill in late November, and he opened his three-year-old
campaign with a sharp four-length score in the 5 1/2-furlong Dixieland S. at
Oaklawn Park. His connections had to deem his Kentucky Derby (G1) worthiness,
stretching him out first to a mile in the Southwest S. (G3), where he recorded a
respectable runner-up placing behind Old Fashioned. But any Derby dreams came to
a halt when the gray colt weakened to fifth in the Rebel S. (G2) on March 14.
Julien Leparoux will pick up the mount on the speedball.
Seven rivals will line up to challenge, including the unbeaten HULL (Holy
Bull), who was originally scheduled to make his stakes debut in last Saturday’s
Lexington S. (G2) but was re-directed following a terrible post draw (12); San
Vicente S. (G2) third-placer GATO GO WIN (City Place), who will make his dirt
debut for trainer Jeff Mullins; and El Camino Real Derby (G3) third-placer
RENDEZVOUS (Victory Gallop).
The Derby Trial marks the first stakes start for a pair of good-looking
allowance winners at Gulfstream Park recently, CHECKLIST (Gone West) and SANTANA
SIX (Hold That Tiger), and the colts hail from the always dangerous barns of
Todd Pletcher and Nick Zito, respectively. KENSEI (Mr. Greeley) exits an
allowance tally at Oaklawn Park, and TINTIM POR
TINTIM (Broken Vow), who will step up to stakes company off a seven-length
maiden win at Gulfstream, rounds out the field.