Derby Trainer in Trouble?

Ed DeRosa at Thoroughbred Times wrote a story on trainer Jeff Mullins (pictured on far right) Sunday afternoon which alleges that Mullins attempted to administer an over-the-counter cough suppressant called Air Power to Gato Go Win. The horse was slated to run in the Bay Shore Stakes, part of the Wood Memorial Day card on Saturday at Aqueduct.

Giving a horse cough medicine certainly seems fairly innocuous and the story might be a little overblown. But if proved true by the New York Racing Stewards, shame on Mullins for being stupid enough to walk into a barn under surveillance with a syringe.

The Thoroughbred Times story was clear to point out that I Want Revenge, the likely Kentucky Derby favorite after winning the Wood Memorial, was not administered any medication on race day so he would appear to be in the clear.

The simple fact is that the last thing Thoroughbred Racing needs is another black eye. Racing has had a knack over the last few years to "take one step forward and then two steps back."

Mullins may have simply tried to give Gato Go Win cough medicine if he came down with an ailment. Let's hope that's the case.

The Derby is less than a month away and it's the one time of year where non-racing fans pay attention to the sport and a chance to garner more fans which the sport desperately needs. The last thing you want in the days and weeks leading up to the "Run for the Roses" are more and more questions about illegal medication and the perception that most trainers in the game cheat to win.

Those questions hounded Richard Dutrow, Jr. through the Triple Crown run of Big Brown last year as he's had a checkered reputation over the years. Now it appears that Mullins maybe in the media bulls eye if the allegations prove true.

Mullins, who has been busted in the past for equine drug positives needs to come out and tackle the issue head on. Anything short of that will leave a potential black cloud hanging over one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

(photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)

Sunday Follow-up

The racing world is abuzz about I Want Revenge's win in Saturday's Wood Memorial. The visually impressive performance will make him the Kentucky Derby favorite pending a blowout by someone in next week's Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland or the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.

I Want Revenge (shown on far right) will get plenty of time to adjust to life under the Twin Spires as he leaves for Churchill Downs on Monday. Not that spending nearly a month training at Churchill Downs guarantees a victory but trainer Jeff Mullins is doing the right thing.

I Want Revenge has already made two round trips from Los Angeles to New York so limiting his travel is a smart move for a young horse. Be curious how many days trainer Jeff Mullins will spend in Louisville but he is not a Derby rookie.

"He came out of the race real well," Mullins said from Aqueduct this mornning. "We had him out this morning, went over him from head to toe and everything looks good."

For those who love numbers (like me), the Daily Racing Form has their trademarked Beyer Speed Figures. There haven't been many 3-year-olds on the Road the Derby with Beyer Figures over 100.

I Want Revenge ran a 113 in the Gotham last month so I wondered if he could top that lofty figure. Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile, who won Saturday's Santa Anita Derby, had never broken 100 in any race. After going to drf.com, here are the Beyer numbers for yesterday.

I Want Revenge's - 103
Pioneerof the Nile - 96

That's good news for both horses. The 96 for Pioneerof the Nile is his career best and I Want Revenge dropped 10 points from his Gotham victory but that should bode well for him in the Derby.

The interesting part to keep in mind is that Pioneerof the Nile and I Want Revenge went head-to-head twice in California and Pioneerof the Nile won both matchups. Keep in mind the racetracks in California are the artificial kind while Aqueduct and Churchill Downs have the
"traditional dirt."

When Pioneerof the Nile starts in the Derby, it will be his first start on "traditional dirt." That will bear close watching.

The mystery race of Saturday was Musket Man in the Illinois Derby. He is getting hot at the right time and quietly has posted an impressive career record of five wins in six starts. Win or lose in the Kentucky Derby, their owners got a bargain when they bought the colt at auction at Keeneland for just $17,000.

(Photo Courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)

Super Impressive Win For I Want Revenge

Every once in a while at the track, you see a performance that takes your breath away and leaves you shaking your head saying to yourself "how did he do that?" Saturday at Aqueduct, I saw one of those incredible feats in horse racing.

I Want Revenge, the big favorite in the Wood Memorial, gave the field a nice head start as the race began but overcame the adversity at the starting gate (on the far right) and through a rough stretch run to win the $750,000 Kentucky Derby prep race in New York.

Most times when a horse is "left at the gate", the horse gets discouraged and doesn't run or the horse make his or her run and then tires. I Want Revenge's trainer, Jeff Mullins, summed it up perfectly.

"When he missed the break, I was already heading back to the barn at that point....I thought we were done. I didn't know we had a chance."

When you see the final margin of victory of 1 1/2 lengths and the final time of 1:49.49, it doesn't seem very impressive. But, much like a box score of a basketball game when a player doesn't score a lot of points but did all the intangibles to help the team win, jockey Joe Talamo and I Want Revenge did what they had to do to win and then some.

After falling behind at the start, Talamo guided I Want To Revenge along the inside and started to make up ground slowly and steadily. Then, as the field began its turn for home, I Want Revenge made his way to fifth and then had to wait for the wall of horses in front of him to clear. Once the hole opened, Talamo bulled his way through and took the lead just before the finish line.

An impressive win to be sure.

"He had every trouble you could have in a race and still overcome it," Mullins said. "It tells me he's a pretty nice horse. That's as good as it gets right there. We've got one more show to go and if he can win that one, he's a pretty special animal."

Also smiling after the race were owners David Lanzman and IEAH Stables. IEAH just purchased 50% of the horse earlier in the week and must have had a little "deja vu." IEAH was one of the owners of 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown when the colt overcame starting in the 20th position in the gate to post one of the most impressive wins in the Derby.

Oh by the way, in case you care, the complete order of finish for the Wood was: I Want Revenge, West Side Bernie, Just a Conicidence, Atomic Rain, Imperial Council, Cellar Dweller, Lord Justice and Lime Rickey.

The biggest disappointment of the day was Imperial Council's fifth place finish. Although the horse flipped over in the paddock before the race, trainer Shug McGaughey made no excuses and said "There's no chance he's going to the Kentucky Derby."

Looking at the overall Kentucky Derby picture, the list of legitimate contenders is shrinking rapidly. Pioneerof the Nile won the Santa Anita Derby but was not impressive. Musket Man captured the Illinois Derby but beat a very, very weak field.

This day belonged to I Want Revenge and he will be your Kentucky Derby favorite and my choice for the "Run for the Roses."

(photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire)