It doesn’t happen often and it may be a bit of a stretch, but a pair of Thoroughbreds trained by the same connec-tions, who appear to be a near lock in this year’s Kentucky Derby, bring back memories of 1948 when Citation beat Calumet stablemate Coaltown on his way to a signature Triple Crown. Coaltown was no slouch. He won Horse of the Year honors from Turf & Sport Digest in 1949.

History tells us that this year’s story is not yet as interest-ing, unless, of course, American Pharoah or Dortmund win the elusive Triple Crown for trainer Bob Baffert, breaking a 37-year drought that goes back to Affirmed in 1978 when Triple Crowns appeared to be a dime a dozen.

Baffert has come as close as any trainer, finishing second with Silver Charm in New York in 1997, then losing the Belmont by a nose the following year with Real Quiet. He won the first two legs of the Triple Crown again in 2002 with War Emblem.

But in 1948, trainers Ben Jones and his son Jimmy Jones were having a not so “real quiet” battle of their own. They both eventually made the Hall of Fame, but back then Ben was trying to become the second trainer to win four Der-bies and Calumet was odds-on to win it either with Coal-town or Citation.

Jimmy had been campaigning Citation anywhere he could find a race for him and was listed as the “trainer.” But when it came time for the Derby, Jimmy’s name came down and up went ole Ben’s, though Jimmy did get to sad-dle the winner.

“Sonofagun,” said Jimmy to Heywood Hale Broun when they were both still hale and hearty, “he just stole him from me.” I was standing next to the cameraman as the CBS News producer of their interview and Jimmy appeared to be getting hot under the collar over something that had happened 50 years before. It was almost as if he was let-ting out the hurt he had felt for all those years. Citation had 45 career starts, finishing out of the money only once, and Jimmy was there for every one of them. He really loved Citation like no other campaigner he had ever trained and he kept trumpeting that brilliance until the day he died.

According to an obituary in the Los Angeles Times when Jimmy Jones died in 2001, this conversation took place in the saddling area of Churchill Downs just before the 1948 Derby. “Are you sure I’m on the right horse,” jockey Ed-

This Year’s Race Conjures Shadows Of 1948

By Bud Lamoreaux

SPECIALApril 28, 2015 www.PaulickReport.com

die Arcaro asked Jones. Arcaro apparently wasn’t sure if Coaltown didn’t stand a better chance of taking the roses. “Just don’t get in a speed duel with my other horse,” Jones replied. Coaltown was in front by six lengths after a half mile. Citation won by 3 1/2.

It’s usually not a ticklish situation when a trainer has more than one Derby entry, but in the case of near co-favorites it has to make it a little bit dicey. Bob Baffert is a wonder-fully entertaining guy, and I’d like to be a fly on his shoulder when he gives his jockeys their final instructions on the first Saturday in May.

Racing certainly has more intrigue and, imagined or not,

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Pedigree SpotlightMubtaahij’s International Intrigue

By Frank Mitchell

PRS

Flying the flag of international competition as a prospect for this year’s Kentucky Derby, Mubtaahij won three of his four starts in 2015, including the UAE Derby in impressive style. Racing for Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa of Dubai, Mubtaahij is the son and grandson of important racehors-es bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, and raced by Godolphin, Sheikh Moham-med’s international racing operation.

Most importantly, Mubtaahij is a grandson of the marvelous Dubai Millennium, a son of Seeking the Gold and the Shareef Dancer mare Colorado Dancer. A racehorse with a piercing turn of foot, Dubai Mil-lennium won nine of his 10 starts, losing only the English Derby. The bay won four times at the G1 level, twice at a mile in the Prix Jacques le Marois and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and twice at 10 furlongs in the Dubai World Cup and the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

Dubai Millennium appeared ready to extend his dominance to the 12-furlong races in Europe when a fracture to a hind cannon ended his career. Re-tired to stud at Dalham Hall in England, Dubai Millennium attracted an extraordinary book of mares before tragedy struck and the horse fell victim to grass sickness part way through his first season at stud.

From 56 foals, Dubai Millennium sired some good horses, including one who was almost as good as himself in Dubawi, the winner in five of his eight starts at 2 and 3. Dubawi won G1 races both seasons that he raced, accounting for the

National Stakes at the Curragh as a juvenile, then the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Prix Jacques le Marois at 3. Dubawi was also third in the Derby.

All said, however, what has made Dubawi such an impor-tant sire? Because he is, without much doubt, the most important stallion in Europe not from the Northern Dancer line. Perhaps the extra touch of precocity to win a G1 at 2? Or the extra touch of class to land third in the Derby when

it wasn’t really his distance?

Whatever the reason, Dubawi has made a serious name for himself in Europe and has gone a long way toward entrenching the male line of Mr. Prospector through Seeking the Gold as a major force in Euro-pean breeding for the future.

Dubawi is the sire of 87 stakes win-ners, including 58 group stakes winners and 17 G1 winners. That is breathtaking for a sire who is only 13 and who has six crops to race age 3 and older. In addition to

Mubtaahij, Dubawi has sired the English 2,000 Guineas winners Makfi and Night of Thunder, plus Dubai World Cup winners Monterosso and 2015 winner Prince Bishop, a gelding from his sire’s first crop.

A further point of interest is that the Dubawi’s G1 winners have won around the world from England and France to Italy, Germany, South Africa, Hong Kong, Australia, Cana-da, and the U.S., where Dubawi Heights won a pair of G1 stakes in California.

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Misplaced Vowels And The Road To The Tripel Crown

(Sorry, We Had To)By Natalie Voss

RANDOM FACTS by Ray Paulick

More than 7,800 liters of bourbon (about 175,000 “shots”) will be needed as the major ingredient for Mint Juleps on

Saturday. Churchill Downs will go through 475,000 pounds of shaved ice for Oaks and Derby day.

Ever since American Pharoah emerged a star juvenile last year, English majors everywhere began scratching their heads over the placement of the last two vowels in the colt’s name.

Although there are many rules about the length and con-tent of a horse’s Jockey Club-registered name, Merriam Webster’s blessing is not required. Approved name re-quests are sent back to owners, providing them another opportunity to notice any mistakes, but Jockey Club officials are used to seeing odd spellings.

“Normal course of business is to check the names as presented to the Registry Office,” said Rick Bailey, Jockey Club registrar. “Anecdotally, a good number of misspelled names are submitted that way intentionally, sometimes because of the way a name is spelled/misspelled in the pedigree.”

Although that doesn’t appear to have been the case here, American Pharoah’s connections are certainly not the first on the trail of a Triple Crown race to misplace a few letters on their horse’s registration papers.

In 2009, a horse called Friesan Fire swept the Le Comte, the Risen Star, and the Louisiana Derby for Larry Jones and Vinery Stables/Fox Hill Farm. The A.P. Indy colt was 18th in the Kentucky Derby and 10th in the Preakness. Since Friesan isn’t recognized as a word, it’s likely the horse was named for the medieval ethnic group inhabiting the German and Dutch coasts, or perhaps the drafty-type breed of black horses originating from that area. Both the people and the horse are called ‘Friesians’ (or sometimes Frisians).

One year earlier, Icabad Crane finished third in the Preak-ness for owner Earle Mack and trainer Graham Motion.

The gelded son of Jump Start has gone on to achieve at least as much attention as an eventer, if not more, with 3,300 Facebook fans as he has progressed to the prelimi-nary level under Olympian Phillip Dutton. The horse was in fact named for the fictional school teacher Ichabod Crane in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

“I went to school in Sleepy Hollow, so I know just where the headless horseman rode,” Earle Mack said after Evan Ship-man Stakes.

‘Icabad’ was phonetically correct, anyway, as was Govenor Charlie, the Bob Baffert trainee who won the Grade 3 Sun-land Derby then finished eighth in the 2013 Preakness. The Govenor is still in training at Baffert’s home base at Santa Anita.

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Spelling errors have not been restricted to also-rans in the Triple Crown races, however. The 1983 Preakness winner was a horse called Deputed Testamony. Although ‘deputed’ is a thing (it means appointed or instructed), many people were caught up with the notion that the first word was meant to have been ‘Disputed,’ evidently ignoring the mis-spelling of ‘testimony’ altogether.

The horse’s success was undisputed, as he went on to col-lect three more stakes wins, including the Haskell.

The 1980 Belmont Stakes winner was named for Temper-ance Hill -- in owner John Ed Anthony’s home base of Arkan-sas. The ‘a’ was inadvertently replaced with another ‘e’ on the horse’s Jockey Club application, however, and the swap carried over, likely to the frustration of Arkansas turf writ-ers. Temperence Hill picked up four more graded stakes wins after the Belmont and collected the Eclipse Award for Champion 3-Year-Old Colt in 1980.

Earlier the same year, a horse named Plugged Nickle was seventh in the Kentucky Derby. The misspelling of ‘nickel’ was blamed on an unidentified clerk (though it’s not clear whose clerk), but it seems clear the connections were mak-ing a play for the coin, as the horse was the son of Key to

the Mint and Toll Booth. The John Schiff homebred retired to Gainesway Farm before shipping to South Africa.

2002 Preakness run-ner-up Magic Weisner nearly didn’t make it to the races after a severe ankle infection almost killed him at three months old. One-woman operation Nan-cy Alberts wanted to name the horse for the veterinarian who saved him, Dr. Allen Wisner, but added an extra ‘e’ on the horse’s paperwork.

Then there are the misspellings that are a little harder to forgive. A horse named Rhoman Rule (not to be confused with Roman Ruler, who came along later), was ninth in the 1985 Kentucky Derby. There is nothing in the horse’s pedi-gree to suggest the extra ‘h’ was carrying on a family tradi-tion, though Los Angeles Times sportswriter Jim Murray stated in 1991 that the error was somehow intentional, to Murray’s frustration. A bigger crime, in his opinion? The combination of a pun and a spelling mistake in Esops Foibles, who ran fifth in the 1978 Kentucky Derby. Fortu-nately, most of the racing world’s attention was focused on the race’s first two finishers.

None of these is as memorable as a 1700’s racehorse named Potoooooooo, who got his name from a misunder-standing (or practical joke, it remains unclear) between an owner and a groom. The owner told the boy to write the horse’s name, ‘Potato’ on his stall, and what appeared there was “Pot” followed by eight ‘o’s. The result amused breeder Willoughby Bertie so much, he kept it. Pot-8-0s, as he was often referred to, won 30-odd races in seven years.

Continued from Page 3

Govenor Charlie

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There’s no debating that power and majesty of a Thoroughbred can’t be distilled into numbers and bar graphs. After 140 years of Kentucky Derby his-tory however, there is a lot of data out there to put this year’s field into context.

Here are a few statistics behind this year’s Derby hopefuls:

• Two-year-old starts: The average number of starts among this year’s field is 3.1. One horse, Materiality, will try to become the first Derby winner since Apollo in 1882 to win the roses without having raced as a 2-year-old. Since 1937, 58 horses have tried and failed to overcome the curse; three of tem finished second, with the most recent being Bodemeister in 2012. Three horses in this year’s field, Itsaknockout, War Story, and Tencendur had one juvenile start.

• Birth Month: Astrology buffs may be interested to know that most of this year’s field was born in the month of March. The oldest horses in te field are Mr. Z and Firing Line, both January babies, while foreign shipper Mubtaahij is the youngest—he will be just four days past his foaling date when he enters the Derby starting gate. Over the past 20 years, the most common birth month for Derby winners is Feb-ruary. February foals in this year’s field include Dort-mund, Carpe Diem, American Pharoah, and Bolo.

• Undefeated: Since 1915, 24 horses have entered the Derby with undefeated records (15 of them bet-ting favorites). Seven of them have left undefeated, most recently 2008 winner Big Brown.

• Millionaires: Only two horses—Street Sense in 2007 and California Chrome last year—have ever entered the race millionaires and won. Five contend-ers this year—International Star, Dortmund, Carpe Diem, and American Pharoah, Mubtaahij—are all mil-lionaires.

• Million-dollar baby: Carpe Diem was the most ex-pensive out of this year’s group, having raised $1.6 million at the OBS March sale as a 2-year-old. The least expensive horse was Far Right at $2,500 as a short yearling at the Keeneland January sale. All but two horses in the field--Frosted and Tencendur--went through the sales ring.

• Three-year-old debut: Most of this year’s field start-ed their 3-year-old season as soon as possible—12 of them began in January, four in February, and four in March. Since 1929, just 15 winners have made

By Natalie Voss

The Derby Field By The Numbers

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their 3-year-old debut in March.

• Running style: 22 Derbies have been won wire-to-wire. Three horses in this year’s field have won races wire-to-wire so far. Only two, Dortmund and American Pharoah, have won more than one race in this style.

Two horses in this field—War Story and Far Right—have won races after having been last at one point of call in the race. The last-to-first strategy has succeeded just eight times in Derby history, with the most recent performance being Mine That Bird in 2009.

• Pilot success: It’s not often that the national leading rider by money or by races won also wins the Derby in the same year they sit atop the lead-erboard. Per-haps there’s only so much racing luck to go around. The last one was Jerry Bailey in 1996 (leader by earnings, rider of Grind-stone). This year’s leaders: Javier Castel-lano by wins and Victor Es-

pinoza by earnings.

• Was that a drop? Nine of the 20 starters have had experience on off racetracks. Eight of the nine have hit the board on an off surface.

• Place of origin: Unsurprisingly, more horses in this year’s field have been bred in Kentucky (14) than any-where else. Three hail from New York, one from Flori-da, one from Ontario, and one from Ireland.

• Kings of the road: New York and Louisiana proved the most popular place for this year’s field to get their last preps in, with four Derby starters having wrapped up their spring 3-year-old campaigns in each place. In all, the field will hail from six different states (based on last start) and one foreign country. The first seven points-holders each finished their Derby campaigns in different states.

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1. Name the only U.S. President to attend the Kentucky Derby while in office.2. The Kentucky Derby was originally run at the distance of 1 ½ miles. In what year was it changed to its1 ¼-mile?3. In 1895, this iconic landmark made its first appearance at Churchill Downs. What was it? 4. Sixteen female trainers have saddled Derby starters. Name the trio that finished in the top three.5. Only one trainer has more Derby victories than D. Wayne Lukas. Who is it?6. At age 52, Gary Stevens (Firing Line) could become the 2nd-oldest jockey to win the Derby. Who’s the oldest?7. Who is the only jockey to have won both the Kentucky and Epsom Derbys?8. Who is the only jockey to win the KY Derby that also went on to train a winner of the race?9. Historic Calumet Farm has bred nine KY Derby winners, eight of which they owned. Name the one that did not race in the devil’s red and blue silks.10. Who was the last Derby winner inducted into the rac-ing Hall of Fame?

Machiavellian plots than those other sports soap operas that go on endlessly about deflatable balls or juiced-up play-ers who can’t wait for the next hit. Racing has its own juice problems, but it also allows us to dream.

Heywood Hale Broun once wrote, “unfinished dreams are the best kind and the moving ceremony in my fantasy in which I accept the elaborate cup is more wonderful than the more likely reality; someday a silver mug for winning the secondary feature at Oaklawn Park. But looking back, would I change it? I don’t think so. I would miss out on so much mirth, peace and amity.”

E. S. (Bud) Lamoreaux III is the former Executive Producer of CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt who won four Eclipse Awards for his backstretch profiles.

PRS

PR Trivia: Know Your Kentucky Derby History?

By Mary Schweitzer

Continued from Page 1

1. Richard M. Nixon, 1968; 2. 1896; 3. The Twin Spires; 4. Shelley Riley (Casual Lies, second, 1992), Kristin Mulhall (Imperialism, third 2004), Kathy Ritvo (Mucho Macho Man, third 2011); 5. Ben “Plain Ben” Jones; 6. Bill Shoemaker, 54 (Ferdinand, 1986); 7. Steve Cau-then, Affirmed 1978 and Slip Anchor, 1985, Reference Point 1987; 8. Johnny Longden (1943, Count Fleet, 1969 Majestic Prince); 9. Strike the Gold, 1991; 10. Silver Charm, 1997

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Five Longshots to Watch

The post-time favorite has won the last two Kentucky Der-bies, but we all know that doesn’t happen often on the first Saturday in May. A look at some horses that could surprise at long odds:

Will the last-second surge in the Santa Anita Derby that gave Bolo just enough points to make the Derby field be for-tuitous? He traveled the equivalent of almost eight lengths farther than the winner and Derby favorite Dortmund, and the son of Temple City came into his previous prep short on training. This colt obviously likes the grass, but several turf-pedigreed runners have won or come close in the Derby in recent memory.

Plenty of Kentucky Derbies have been won by horses that failed to win their final prep but took a step forward in that race. Danzig Moon showed significant improvement in the Blue Grass, finishing a fast-closing second to Carpe Diem. His pedigree suggests he’ll like the distance, and the son of Malibu Moon is at least a threat to sweep past the handy types exhausted by a swift pace.

El Kabeir’s pedigree doesn’t scream 1 1/4 miles, but his determination and consistency make a loud statement.

While soundly beaten in the Wood Memorial, the Scat Dad-dy colt didn’t get going until late, on a flying-dirt track chal-lenging to closers. He picks up three-time Derby winning rider Calvin Borel, who rode him at Churchill Downs last fall. Based on his nine-start foundation and never-worse-than-fourth record, leaving this colt off your wagers is a mistake.

Far Right may not be the Mine That Bird of this Kentucky Derby, but he’s close. From the barn of under-the-radar trainer Ron Moquette, the $2,500 yearling doesn’t ap-pear to match up with this field’s heavy hitters, but he’s got things going for him. To be ridden by veteran big-race jockey Mike Smith, who stunned the 2005 Derby field aboard 50-1 Giacomo, Far Right has more seasoning than many of his rivals, having raced nine times since getting an early start to his career a year ago. He’s also shown the ability to ma-neuver in traffic, and his pedigree has back class for getting the distance.

International Star is speed-challenged on paper but has several positive intangibles. By Derby winner Fusaichi Pega-sus, this guy has shown the kind of moxie and maneuverabil-ity that’ll give him an edge late in the crowded, tiring Derby field. Also note that three of the last four Kentucky runner-

PRS

By Scott Jagow