Mr Fillip local favourite for Derby

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This article was published 19/07/2024 (442 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mr Fillip stamped himself as the local horse to beat in the upcoming Manitoba Derby with a resounding victory in the Derby Trial, two more stakes winners benefitted from smart management, and a fourth helped vault trainer Lee Delaronde to the lead in the standings among active trainers.

Delaronde took over the conditioning of the Henry S. Witt, Jr. horses from trainer Jerry Gourneau, who was suspended indefinitely on June 21. While the final ruling on that suspension works its way through the appeals process, Delaronde is on his way to the training title with the largest stable on the grounds. He’s won 14 races so far, which puts him two ahead of runner-up Devon Gittens, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Delaronde won the 31st running of the $50,000 Jack Hardy Stakes for Witt on Monday with 6-1 shot Midnight Lady, who defeated two very tough favourites with a big rally under jockey Prayven Badrie, and increased Delaronde’s meet-leading purse earnings to US $169,200. Most of those earnings have been for six-time leading Downs owner Witt, who currently tops all owners again with purse earnings of US $243,005. The next closest owner to Witt in the standings is A2 Thoroughbreds with US $82,329.

On the same night that Delaronde won the Jack Hardy Stakes, an emerging star took the 30th running of the $50,000 Derby Trial for trainer Rick Wise. Mr Fillip rated kindly off the pacesetters for jockey Antonio Whitehall in the one-mile trial and ran away from the field in the stretch, winning by six lengths. Owned by former Manitoba Derby-winning owners Norman Tremblay and Randy Howg, Mr Fillip was sent to Canada by record-setting Manitoba Derby-winning trainer Robertino Diodoro with another Derby victory in mind.

Both Tremblay and Howg were part of Diodoro’s winning ownership teams, Tremblay winning in 2018 with Sky Promise, and Howg winning in 2016 with Inside Straight, and now Mr Fillip has established himself as the local favourite for the $125,000 Manitoba Derby on Monday, August 5.

Trained locally by Rick Wise, who has conditioned previous Derby winners for Diodoro, neither Wise nor jockey Antonio Whitehall would trade their horse for any other entrant in this year’s Derby, even though there may be some stellar shippers coming in for the race.

Mr Fillip has credentials south of the border to back him up too. Before winning the Golden Boy Stakes and Derby Trial here, he had finished fourth going a mile in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park, and won the $50,000 Golden Circle Stakes at Prairie Meadows going six-furlongs by a widening 13 ¼-lengths. In the Derby Trial he was probably only asked to run about 100 yards, and both Wise and Whitehall agreed, this is a professional racehorse now, and it will take a good one to beat him.

And while we’re on the subject of Derbies, Manitoba horse racing fans will be excited to learn that 2022 longshot Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, who is out of the Manitoba-bred mare Gold Strike, is back in training, but now with Hall of Famer Bill Mott. Rich Strike recently had his second workout after an extended layoff to recover from physical wear and tear. The layoff was no doubt recommended by Mott when he was selected as the new trainer of “our” Kentucky Derby winner over a year ago, and we wish him the very best!

Good management makes an enormous difference in the development of a racehorse, and 4-year-old gelding Blazing Bo is yet another poster child for that after winning the first stakes race of his life on Tuesday. Making just his 13th-lifetime start for trainer Mike Nault and owner A2 Thoroughbreds, Blazing Bo came with a powerful wide rally at 12-1 under jockey Prayven Badrie to win the 65th running of the $50,000 R. J. Speers Memorial.

“I told the owners he would win,” said Nault, who has done an excellent job developing his newest stakes winner over three years. He’s now pointing Blazing Bo towards the $50,000 Gold Cup, the most prestigious race for older horses at the Downs, and the toughest to win, on Tuesday, September 17.

The layoff may or may not work for Rich Strike, but it has definitely worked for local star Spitten Kitten, who is back in sharp form after a long vacation. Intelligently managed by trainer Marvin Buffalo for himself, his wife Deb, and partner Arnold Souster, the 4-year-old filly was given a holiday last July after winning three stakes in a row at Assiniboia Downs, and she has come back gangbusters.

Spitten Kitten returned from her layoff at Tampa Bay Downs this spring and finished fourth in a tough allowance optional claimer. She then shipped back to Assiniboia Downs, and after tuning up with a fourth place finish in an allowance race on May 21, she romped under jockey Renaldo Cumberbatch in both the $50,000 La Verendrye Stakes on June 25, and the $50,000 Canada Stakes on Tuesday. The hug between Marv and Deb Buffalo after the race spoke volumes as to how much this horse means to them.

Tears were close.