Like many of the horses who will compete in Derby 141 May 2 at Churchill Downs, Dortmund and International Star are not only battle-tested, but also well-bred individuals. Unlike their 18 rivals, however, both colts are sons of former Kentucky Derby winners – a fact that might give pedigree players an added measure of confidence in projecting which horse is bred to handle the classic distance of a mile and a quarter.
Dortmund, a son of 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, enters the race in much the same way as his sire seven years before: undefeated, lightly-raced as a two-year old, and as one of the top betting choices. In fact, Dortmund’s credentials are more impressive. The strapping chestnut colt’s six wins are twice as many as Big Brown had entering the Derby, and the younger colts has four stakes wins compared to just one from the erstwhile winner. Another similarity between father and son is the natural and tactical speed possessed by both individuals – a trait that comes in handy while navigating a 20-horse field.
International Star swept the trio of Triple Crown prep races in Louisiana, winning the Grade 3 LeComte, Grade 2 Risen Star, and Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in succession. A son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus, International Star enters the race as the leader in qualifying points with 171 – one more than Dortmund in second. Although, a son of a Kentucky Derby winner has not won the roses since Grindstone in 1996 (as a son of 1990 winner Unbridled), Dortmund and International Star appear well-positioned to fulfill the legacy of their famous fathers.
The field is set for the $1 million Haskell, where Nyquist will be trying to re-stake his claim as the top three-year-old in the country.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $300,000 United Nations Stakes. Scheduled to be run at a mile and three-eighths on the turf, the Grade 1 event has drawn a field of ten colts and geldings.
On Sunday at Monmouth Park, the featured race is the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes, a key prep race for the Haskell Invitational (G1). The Grade 3 event will be contested at a mile and a sixteenth and has drawn a field of seven three-year-olds.
With five grade 1 races and a grade 2, the undercard for the June 11 Belmont stakes could be the best single day of racing on the calendar outside of the Breeders’ Cup.
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