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Good news, bad news and bombs. March was a month of mixed fortunes for horses on the Kentucky Derby trail.
Good News: FIRST SAMURAI, BROTHER DEREK and LAWYER RON all took another step forward with nice wins. (OK, FIRST SAMURAI was beaten to the wire by CORINTHIAN and only beat FLASHY BULL by a neck, but the DQ of CORINTHIAN was legitimate and FIRST SAMURAI did show a lot of heart coming on again after being passed and bothered by CORINTHIAN).
Bad News: ACHILLES OF TROY, KEYED ENTRY and BLUEGRASS CAT all failed to follow up their February victories with a win. (OK, KEYED ENTRY came home very gamely and only lost by a neck to LIKE NOW, who was able to set an easy pace on the lead).
The Bombs: Some of the upsets this month yielded big payoffs. LIKE NOW won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct at 36.25-1, WITH A CITY won the Lane's End Stakes at Turfway at 48.8-1 and OUR PEAK won the Private Terms Stakes at Laurel at 73.9-1.
FIRST SAMURAI's victory was in the mile and one eighth Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park. Also on that card, SHARP HUMOR won the 7 furlong Swale Stakes (G2).
BROTHER DEREK's win was at Santa Anita in the mile and one sixteenth Santa Catalina Stakes (G2). Also on that card, FIRST PARADE won the six and one half furlong Baldwin Stakes, which was moved off the turf and therefore does not count as a Grade 3 win.
LAWYER RON was the winner of the mile and one sixteenth Rebel Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn.
LIKE NOW's gate to wire win in the mile and one sixteenth Gotham Stakes (G3) was over the well regarded runners KEYED ENTRY, SWEETNORTHERNSAINT and ACHILLES OF TROY.
At Santa Anita, A. P. WARRIOR won the mile and one sixteenth San Felipe Stakes (G3).
DEPUTY GLITTERS avenged his loss in the Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and scored a decisive victory over BLUEGRASS CAT in the mile and one sixteenth Tampa Bay Derby (G3).
WITH A CITY's big score was in the mile and one eighth Lane's End Stakes (G2) at Turfway Park. Also at Turfway that day, SKELETON CREW won the six furlong Hansel Stakes and HIGH COTTON returned to the derby trail with a win in the mile and one sixteenth Rushaway Stakes.
In non-graded action, AH DAY won the six furlong Horatius Stakes and OUR PEAK scored in the one mile Private Terms Stakes (both at Laurel Park), LAITY won the mile and one sixteenth John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park and CAUSE TO BELIEVE won the mile and one sixteenth California Stakes at Golden Gate Fields.
On the turf in March, GO BETWEEN won the mile and one eighth Palm Beach Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park and TO SENDER (GB) won the one mile Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita.
An interesting development this month was the the victory by DISCREET CAT in the $2,000,000 U.A.E. Derby (G2) in Dubai. Purchased by Goldolphin after breaking his maiden at Saratoga, DISCREET CAT's victory in the mile and one eighth (about) race was very impressive considering he had only run twice before. Although Godolphin will give consideration to the Kentucky Derby, it would be a stretch run such a lightly-raced horse a mile and one quarter on the first Saturday in May.
The thinning of the herd continued this month with PEACE CHANT, BARBICAN, CATCOMINATCHA, LATENT HEAT, YOUR TENT OR MINE and CORINTHIAN all suffering injuries that will keep them from running in the Kentucky Derby. Also leaving the Triple Crown Trail is HENNY HUGHES, runner-up in the 2005 Breeder's Cup Juvenile (G1) at Belmont Park.
Only one trainer was able to win more that one three-year-old stakes race this month - Frank Brothers won the Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream with FIRST SAMURAI and the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes with LAITY at Turfway Park.
Edgar Prado and Alex Solis both won two stakes races for three-year-olds in March.
--- Thoroughbred Report Triple Crown Trail Awards - March 2006 ---
HORSE OF THE MONTH: BROTHER DEREK
TRAINER OF THE MONTH: Frank Brothers
JOCKEY OF THE MONTH: Edgar Prado