Another Derby Try for 'Z'

The omnipresent Mr. Z (Malibu Moon) looks to build on a breakthrough win in Thistledown's June 20 Ohio Derby in Saturday night's GII Indiana Derby. Five times graded stakes-placed as a juvenile–including twice at the highest level–the D. Wayne Lukas pupil hit the board three more times on the Triple Crown trail, including a third behind then-fellow Zayat Stables colorbearer American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) and Far Right (Notional) in the Apr. 11 GI Arkansas Derby. He could only manage 13th with some trouble again in back of American Pharoah in the GI Kentucky Derby, and was a last-minute purchase by Brad Kelley's Calumet Farm before settling for fifth in the GI Preakness S. May 16. Let go at nearly 7-1 in the Ohio Derby, the chestnut went right to the front and refused to lose, holding on by a game nose. Third that day–by just a head–was Roy and Gretchen Jackson homebred Divining Rod (Tapit), who filled the same slot in the Preakness and in the GII Tampa Bay Derby in March. Second by a neck at long odds in January's GIII Sam F. Davis S., the son of MGISW Precious Kitten (Catienus) was a good-looking winner of Keeneland's GIII Coolmore Lexington S. in April. Far Right, winner of the Smarty Jones S. and GIII Southwest S. over Mr. Z at Oaklawn in the winter, was 15th in the Kentucky Derby and sixth in the Ohio Derby. Island Town (Hard Spun) won a second-straight race in Churchill's GIII Matt Winn S. June 13, but will likely need to run faster than he ever has before–he earned just an 88 Beyer Speed Figure for his last-out score.