Kid’ ‘Cruzes’ Towards the Wood

By Christie DeBernardis
    Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) hopes to throw his hat into the ring for the GI Kentucky Derby Saturday in the GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial S. at Aqueduct. 
    Purchased for $80,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, the bay failed to factor in his turf unveiling for Black Swan Stable and conditioner Bill Mott in Ozone Park Nov. 3. He returned to earn a six-length graduation there Nov. 22 and was claimed out of that start for $50,000 by current trainer Linda Rice and Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds. 
    “My client Steven Brandt [owner of Vina Del Mar Thoroughbreds] liked the pedigree and brought it to my attention,” Rice said. “He and I shop a lot of pedigrees and we both liked the horse’s pedigree. Steven had said [Kid Cruz] never looked comfortable on the grass when he watched the replay. I just really liked the horse’s conformation when he came into the paddock and thought he was worth a shot. He struck me more as a dirt horse than a grass horse.” 
    A little over a week after Kid Cruz’s graduation, Black Swan Stables approached Rice about buying back into the colt. 
    “They were disappointed that they had lost the horse, so they wanted to see if they could come back in as a minority partner,” Rice commented. “Steven and I discussed it and decided to let them back in.” 
    The bay made his first start for his new connections in a 1 1/16-mile allowance over the Aqueduct inner Jan. 26, where he finished a close second. 
    “He ran well, finished second on a very speed-biased racetrack,” the conditioner said. “I was very happy with his performance.” 
    Rice decided to send Kid Cruz to Laurel to make his next start in the Private Term S. Mar. 8 after bad weather in New York led to changes in Aqueduct’s schedule. 
    “I wanted to get him back in another race in four or five weeks,” she said. “The first race came up too soon and the second disappeared due to bad weather. It was rescheduled for late March and I didn’t want to wait that long. The horse looked to me like he would like the 1 1/8-mile distance and I really needed to get a race into him. He has been training very well, so I took him to Maryland.” 
    That proved to be the right decision, as Kid Cruz came charging from 20 lengths out of it to win going away by four lengths over multiple stakes winning Maryland-bred Joint Custody (Outflanker). 
    “It was a thriller to come from 20 lengths out of it,” Rice commented. “We were a little concerned down the backside when he was so far back, especially with a slow pace, but he really came running. It was quite a remarkable performance and we were thrilled.” 
    Rice entered Kid Cruz in the Wood yesterday after he worked five furlongs in 1:02.02 over the Belmont training track earlier that morning. 
    “He had come out of the race in Maryland with a little bit of a sore shoulder, so I wasn’t sure if we would go to the Wood or give him more time and opt for the [GI] Arkansas Derby [Apr. 12] or [GIII] Illinois Derby [Apr. 19],” she said. “I wanted to get a breeze into him a few days ago, but the weather got in our way, so I worked him this morning. He trained so nicely that I talked to Steven and we just wanted to keep the door open for the Wood.” 
    Given the amount of speed signed on for the Wood, Rice feels the race may set up perfectly for her late running charge. 
    “There looks to be a lot of speed in the race, so it may set up well for him,” Rice remarked. “Plus, it is in our backyard, so he wouldn’t have to ship. I want to make sure he comes out of that work well. If I think that he is still struggling with his shoulder a little bit, I may opt to give him a little bit more time. But right now, I think it is worth entering.” 
    Kid Cruz will train today and Friday and Rice will make an official decision on the Wood Friday. If she decides to skip the Wood, Rice will most likely point the bay towards the Illinois Derby as a prep for the GI Preakness S. 
    “How many times do you get to run in the Kentucky Derby with a horse you are excited about,” Rice asked. “The only way we would have the option to run in the Derby would be to run in the Wood or Arkansas Derby, as far as points go. If we elect to run and run big, we could find ourselves in Kentucky. My gut feeling was if we didn’t run in the Wood, we would go the Illinois Derby/Preakness route.” 
    Kid Cruz drew post one in the 11-horse Wood Memorial field and is 20-1 on the morning line.