After a failed experiment with blinkers on in the San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita, American Lion departs the synthetic shores of the California racing landscape for the chance to ply his trade over a good old-fashioned dirt track on the west side of Chicago.
American Lion has become a bit too aggressive early on in his recent races and as anyone who follows racing at Santa Anita knows, that often spells trouble in the final furlongs.
Hawthorne, on the other hand, has long been recognized as a surface, which often rewards free-running types despite the fact that at 1,320 feet, it has one of the longest stretches in North America.
To further aid his cause in the $500,000 Illinois Derby, the colt has drawn the inside post in an 8-runner field, which at first glance includes few horses that possess his kind of natural speed. Perhaps one who does is Yawanna Twist for trainer Rick Dutrow. The son of Yonaguska showed good tactical sprint speed in a pair of NY state-bred races before choosing to lay off a brisk pace when 2nd of 10 in the Gotham Stakes.
Smarty Jones’s son Backtalk worked a blazing 6 furlongs in 1:09.3 before leaving his winter base at Fair Grounds last week, but he’s always been more of a stalker. We’ll probably find out about 5 furlongs in-along with trainer Tom Amoss-whether that extraordinary drill helps or hinders this colt on Saturday.
With a fat purse of $500,000 up for grabs, a win or 2nd place finish virtually assures many of these a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.