El Camino Real Derby

Notes:
California Derby champion Zeewat headlines Northern California s Kentucky Derby prep race, which will award 10-4-2-1 qualifying points to the top four finishers plus a share of the 200,000 purse. Trained and co-owned by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, the Harlan s Holiday colt will be trying for his 3 rd straight stakes victory under Russell Baze and his fourth overall. Zeewat has been off-the-board only once in six prior starts, his only race without No. Cal kingpin Baze in the irons. Wildcat Moon, Carving, Manando are the other Triple Crown nominees in the nine-horse field. The former was just a half-length behind Zeewat in the Cal Derby and sports a 5-2-2-1 record over this Tapeta surface, as well as consecutive bullet works for his graded stakes debut. The latter two hail from the barn of three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert. Carving was no factor when closing out his juvenile season in the G1 CashCall Futurity but does own a stakes win on synthetic at Betfair Hollywood Park. Manando was 3 rd of five in the G3 Sham S. at Santa Anita last out and also has a win on the Cushion Track at Hollywood. Counting Days has finished out of the exotics in his last two on dirt and turf but romped by 10 lengths in his only synthetic start, a MC 50000, on Keeneland s Polytrack last October. Rush In comes into this off a narrow loss here in a 1m OC 50000n1x and picks up Juan Hernandez as Baze sticks with Zeewat. Nina s Dragon was just a half-length behind Rush In in that 2/1 contest and shows improving BRIS Speed Figures as distances have increased in each of his three starts. North Pacific broke his maiden over this oval 1/19 in his 8 th start and the runner up from that returned to score. Southern California invader Dice Flavor has raced exclusively on turf in his 4-race career.
The El Camino Real Derby is an American horseracing event that is raced at a distance of one and one eight miles on the dirt track of Bay Meadows. This grade III event is open to thoroughbred three-year-old horses. The El Camino Real Derby was run for the first time in 1982 as the preparatory race for Northern California s Kentucky Derby. Though the Golden Gate Fields hosted the race from 2001 through 2004. It is again expected that the race will come back in the same ground in 2009. Chocolate Candy zoomed past rivals to win El Camino Real Derby in 2009.

El Camino Real Derby Video