Posted: Monday, February 16, 2009, 9:08 PM | 6 comments |
 

An Old Fashioned Derby Horse
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Mike Jensen and I sneaked away from the office Monday afternoon to watch Old Fashioned, the local Kentucky Derby hopeful, take his next step toward Churchill Downs in the $250,000 Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

We had put in a long day and felt we deserved it. Plus, it could be marked down as research and mileage to the Turf Club in Brandywine is no small thing.

The dark grey colt, owned by Rick Porter's Wilmington-based Fox Hill Farms and trained at Delaware Park by Larry Jones, is trying to take the same Arkansas path to the Derby that was previously trod by Smarty Jones, Afleet Alex, Curlin and Eight Belles.

The Porter/Jones partnership has come close to glory before, sometimes tantalizingly, sometimes tragically. Hard Spun was second in the Derby and second in the Breeders Cup Classic in 2007. Eight Belles was runner-up in last year's Derby, but broke down just past the finish and was lost.

Old Fashioned is a handsome horse, but far from a monster. He is more of a lean whippet, with speed to burn and a nice pedigree (Unbridled's Song-Collect Call) for the distances that lie ahead.

On Monday, he hooked up in an early speed duel with Silver City, another colt sired by Unbridled's Song who is trained by Oaklawn-based Bret Calhoun. The early fractions were blazing: 22.2 for the quarter and 45.4 for the half-mile. (By comparison, the next-best race on the card was a sprinter's race -- albeit fillies and mares -- and they bettered those fractions.)

Detractors can pick apart the race and say the two colts backed up a bit in the final half-mile and weren't chased by much. True and true. But Old Fashioned, with Ramon Dominguez up, went past Silver City on the second turn and opened up what became a finishing gap of 3 1/4 lengths. The final time for the mile was 1:37.2 and that's a pretty good tuneup.

Old Fashioned is now 4-0 and will stay at Oaklawn in preparation for the March 14 Rebel Stakes. If all goes well there, he will take on the Arkansas Derby and then move to Kentucky. The colt remains one of the top choices among early Derby candidates and maybe Porter and Jones will get luckier this time.

Jensen and I weren't that lucky, but at least we didn't have to go back to the office. And we got mileage.
Posted by BOB FORD @ 9:08 PM  Permalink | 6 comments
6
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:19 AM, 02/17/2009
    Congratulations Rick Porter and Larry Jones on Old Fashioned's Win !! I pray all goes well this Spring & hope to see ya'll at the Derby in May! May God Bless the Fox Hill Farm's Team with Love.
    — MyBigRed
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:24 AM, 02/18/2009
    Thanks for posting this, Bob. As I have mentioned to Mr. Jerardi, any horse racing coverage we can get between the two papers is much appreciated.
    — phillydad
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:52 PM, 02/18/2009
    Did you know I went to college with Mr. Jerardi? We called him something different back then. I'll tell you next time I see you.
    — Bob Ford
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:47 PM, 02/18/2009
    Bob, you need to do a column about the joys of ditching work and going to the track. Why doesn't anyone write about that any more? A 3-1 winner feels so much better when you catch one when you should be at work... Mr. Jerardi, by the way (and I'd love to hear what his nickname was in college), is a treasure. We're lucky to have him at the Daily News. He's a crack handicapper, too -- he's one of the guys who computes the Beyer Speed Figures.
    — Chris Garrity
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:00 PM, 02/20/2009
    See the problem is that if I do a column about ditching work and going to the track, it won't really be a secret any more. I've got to mull that one over.
    — Bob Ford
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:03 PM, 02/21/2009
    Thank you, Mr Ford, for this article. I was pleased also to see Mr Jensen's write up in my print copy of the Inquirer.....an honest-to-goodness article about horse racing, right in the center of the sports section-- not just a 1" blurb on the last page! How exciting to have yet another "local" horse to root for! I met Larry Jones back in Sept at Phila Park and asked him about any promising 2 yr olds. He mentioned both Old Fashioned and Friesan Fire. I've had them on my radar since and they've not disappointed! How cool would it be if Eight Belle's "team" won the Derby with her half-brother?
    — crazymomof4


6 comments
About Bob Ford
Bob Ford has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 1981, and is still trying to figure it all out. A former beat writer covering the Phillies and the 76ers, Ford became a general sports columnist for the Inquirer in 2003, following in and occasionally falling in the deep footsteps of Bill Lyon, Frank Dolson and many distinguished others. He comes to the Philly.com blogosphere after award-winning success as designer/editor of the fabulous Pen & Pencil Club softball blog. Likes: Palestra, inside-the-park home runs, sunny days. Dislikes: phony people, cloudy days, rewrites.
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