West Memorial

An interval of 136 years between Apollo and Justify, followed by one of just five to Mage, tells us all we need to know about the way modern trainers can (and increasingly prefer to) prepare their Derby prospects. So these remain very early days for the freshmen sires, nowadays responsible for such a large portion of every juvenile crop. In this era of monster books, especially, even the rookie with most action to date has barely scratched the surface. At the moment that's Vekoma, who lies second in the freshman...

The storylines of "Thurby" can oftentimes get lost in the hubbub of the ensuing weekend of racing at Churchill Downs, but for trainer John Hancock, the Thursday before this year's Kentucky Derby was a day he won't soon forget. Not feeling the greatest that afternoon, the veteran conditioner decided to stay back at the barn and let his family head to the paddock to saddle West Memorial (Caracaro) and Strummin (Flameaway) for the Kentucky Juvenile S. Meanwhile Hancock drove over to a spot on the backside where he had a...

West Memorial became the first winner for freshman sire Caracaro (by Uncle Mo) with an upset win over the boys in the Kentucky Juvenile S. at Churchill Downs on Thursday. The John Hancock trainee was a close second on debut at Keeneland Apr. 7. Overlooked at 17-1 here, the bay watched as the Wesley Ward-trained 'TDN Rising Star' Shoot It True (Munnings), a runaway Keeneland debut winner Apr. 5, and Resolute Racing acquisition Mensa (Complexity), a $740,000 purchase earlier this week via the Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale platform, battled for command...

1st-Keeneland, $74,144, Msw, 4-7, 2yo, f, 4 1/2f, :52.44, ft, head. THE QUEENS M G (f, 2, Thousand Words--Show Queen, by Grindstone) became her freshman sire's first winner Sunday. One of the longest shots on the board at 45-1, she flashed early speed from the far outside gate but was quickly confronted by West Memorial (Caracaro) to her inside on the run around the far turn. That pair opened up a sizable gap to the rest of the field with The Queens M G just getting the better of the...