Louisville, KY (WHAS11) - My Kroger store still has a few Justify Triple Crown T-shirts left on the rack. But the Churchill Downs Spring meet is now history and horse racing has shifted to its summer venues like Saratoga, Delmar, and Ellis Park. But, in barns that house a few promising two-year-olds, there are already whispers of Derby fever. A sudden spectacular performance by a two-year-old in a maiden race, has trainers thinking, "Is this the one?"
So we take you to the third race at Los Alamitos Race Track on June 29th. Los Al is the track mostly known for quarter horse racing in Orange County, California. But the thoroughbreds migrated south when Hollywood Park closed.
Los Alamitos is best known as the home base for Derby winner California Chrome and now people are wondering if they have another star in the making. His name is Instagrand, apparently inspired by social media.
And on a pretty ordinary Friday afternoon racing card, Instagrand suddenly had trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and his owners, dreaming about the Derby or at least a stakes race.
In a five-furlong maiden race, jockey Drayden Van Dyke guided the two-year-old to a ten length victory that was just slightly off the track record. It was five furlongs in 56 seconds.
Instagrand ran the first half mile in 44.8 and then pulled away from the other five horses. Of course, the Derby is twice as far, and maybe this is just a sprinter. But the sire, Into Mischief, has been producing horses that can run and run as two-year-olds. This is just the latest.
A lot was expected of Instagrand. He was a $1.2 million purchase at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Florida and he had been training great. But after last Friday, Hollendorfer was comparing his turn of foot to another of his great runners, Shared Belief.
The ownership group, OXO Equine, has already had a taste of Derby glory with Instilled Regard who finished fourth at 85 to 1 on May 5. Derby 145 is still ten months away, but in a six-horse maiden race in Southern California, hope was "springing eternal."
Put Instagrand on your Derby wish list. We know one thing, he's fast! It's always a question of how far they will run.
And speaking of wishing, another ownership group with Derby connections has named their latest two year old with visions of a championship.
You've probably heard about Phoenix Thoroughbreds, the group that shipped in a horse named Gronkowski that missed the Derby with a slight injury but then finished second in the Belmont Stakes.
Gronkowski qualified for the Derby by racing in Europe, but he was best known in this country because he was named after the New England Patriots tight end, who later bought an interest in his namesake.
It turned out to be a good investment, when Gronkowski, the horse, came flying at the end of the Belmont and finished a close second to a Triple Crown winner.
Now the same owners, have another two year old, and they've gone for another big sports name.
They've assigned their new horse LeBron J to trainer Doug O'Neill in Southern California at almost the same time that NBA superstar Lebron James signed a new contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. This is also a $1.2 million purchase and the pedigree is pretty sold.
Lebron is a Medaglia D'Oro colt out of a Tapit mare. He sold at the Keeneland yearling sale for a half million dollars and was flipped at the two-year-olds in training auction for over a million. Of course, nobody knows what he'll do on the race track but he already has two workouts on the books. On Monday, July 2, Lebron worked three furlongs in :37.4.
Doug O'Neill has won the Derby twice. Lebron James has won the NBA title three times. But, could he win the Kentucky Derby? His new NBA contract certainly gives him enough cash to buy a piece of the horse. Could we have two Lebrons at the Derby? At this point, it's still a long shot.
