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Ex Hughie Morrison trained and impressive fibresand performer Medici Code has his first US start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on Saturday
"worked a half-mile from the gate in 49 seconds on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita for trainer Darrell Vienna"
<br>Can’t wait to see how he gets on
Additionally, Love Dubai runs in the Illinois Derby for Mark Johnston.
An interesting weekend.
Looks like someone was impressed by him DJ
<br>Maybe thrown him in at deep end for it’s first start, but if yer not in it, you can’t win it
It’s not the strongest of Grade 1’s though and Medici Code can be viewed as an unknown quantity
(Edited by empty wallet at 1:26 am on April 5, 2007)
The astute Hughie Morrison paid only 12000 guineas for the gelding at Doncaster in April 2006 so the reported sale seems an offer not to be refused.<br>The horse showed zilch on turf in the UK but rattled up a h’cap hat trick inside 9 days once switched to AW.<br>It’s next task is a big step up from winning h’caps worth £2400 to the winner.<br>I don’t know too much about racing in its new home other than prize money is reported to be significantly better and there may be more opportunities on the dirt to which it seems suited.<br>Time will tell who got the best deal.
Love Dubai has left Johnston and will join M. Maker. Bit of a shame from a punting persepective as the horse remained on a winning mark judged on debut form despite having won 3 handicaps on the bounce.
Regarding the improvement Medici Code showed. Knowing the trainer, I think it was more a case of the switch to handicaps than the different surface that brought about dramatic improvement.
Indeed DJ – was effective on Fibresand and Polytrack which are hardly similar. Just went handicapping off the wrong mark.
Quote: from davidjohnson on 1:49 pm on April 5, 2007[br]Regarding the improvement Medici Code showed. Knowing the trainer, I think it was more a case of the switch to handicaps than the different surface that brought about dramatic improvement.<br>
<br>Quite probably DJ, <br>Presumably the revised procedures for reassessing h’cappers announced yesterday will enable the h’capper to get to grips with the sequence runners far quicker and make life tougher for the Prescotts and Morrisons.<br>Does seem a nonsense that Medeci Code won a h’cap at odds of 1/10!
(Edited by Lingfield at 2:21 pm on April 6, 2007)
<br>There’s a card for the race up on the Post website, it’s off at 10:30 our time and will be live on Racing World, Ch 433.
AP
Free Race Past Performance
<br>Here
Ex S Kirk trained Worldly wins a 55k(US) Allowance on it’s first US start at Santa Anita
Up soon (9.45) in the 100,000 Optional Claimer at Keenland is K Burkes Zarabad
Looking forward to the Santa Anita Derby tonight. Milk It Mick is also running on the card.
Having glanced through the form of the Derby, it doesn’t look a strong event (seemingly well short of Grade/Group 1 ‘standard’) and there is absolutely nothing bombproof here.
Whilst it seems unlikely that Medici Code will be up to winning a race of this nature given his humble form thus far, I can’t help feeling he might actually go pretty well.
Of the others, three are in first time blinkers. They should help Boutrous, but might not be of as much use to the genuine-looking prominent-racing grinder Level Red or the inconsistent Sam P.
Liquidity didn’t run a great race last time but there was plenty of (excessive) early pace there and his form generally looks the best and most reliable on offer here.
Bwana Bull doesn’t do anything too impressively but is game, improving and in tremendous form. In such a patchy race, these qualities give him a big shout.
Of the others, King Of The Roxy flopped in the Breeders Cup Juvenile and a comeback win over 7.5f whilst encouraging doesn’t convince regarding his stamina which has to be a major concern. The morning line prediction of 3/1 looks skinny.
Neither Court The King nor Black Seventeen look good enough or likely to stay well enough to get involved, whilst Triago loses his blinkers but has the lowest speed figures on show.
For me, I’ll be playing a few ‘exotics’ on Liquidity, Bwana Bull and Boutrous, and then speculatively throwing Medici Code into the mix for some smaller stake exotics with the same three horses.
(Edited by non vintage at 9:15 pm on April 7, 2007)
<br>Spoke to Hughie Morrison this afternoon at Kempton about Medici Code and he said that his new US connections were very bullish about their chances and delighted with the way the horse has been working.
AP
Cheers Alan – am only risking a few quid, and connections spending lots of money are bound to be bullish, but certainly sounds promising.
(And congratulations on another good run from Salute as well – showing all the right things even when faced with defeat…)
Congratulations on Salute Alan – great run :)
Smokey Stover should win on the undercard i’m just annoyed that the biggest bookmaker in the world – Ladcrooks aren’t taking bets on Santa Anita’s undercard tonight, instead they’ll be offering their usual skinny odds on the Derby relative to the PMU payouts likely (ala last weeks Florida Derby).
Great race over at Oaklawn too with some top fillies meeting in the Apple Blossom Handicap – Baghdaria, India, Round Pound etc
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