WinStar ‘Charge’ Looking ‘OK’

WinStar stallion Super Saver (Maria’s Mon) has shot to the head of the class, with progeny earnings approaching $1 million and a Grade I winner to his credit, and his half-brother Charge Now (Tiznow) will try to do the family proud in today’s GIII Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park. 

While not quite as precocious as Super Saver, Charge Now graduated at second asking at Gulfstream Park Mar. 29 and added an entry-level allowance victory at Belmont May 30, but failed to handle a sloppy Prairie Meadows main track and beat two home in the GIII Iowa Derby June 28. He endured a nightmarish trip when finishing just behind V. E. Day (English Channel) and just ahead of next-out GIII Smarty Jones S. winner Protonico (Giant’s Causeway) in the restricted Curlin S. July 25, but could do no better than a non-factor seventh to V. E. Day in the Travers last time out Aug. 23.

The gutsy Wildcat Red (D’wildcat) is pegged as the 5-2 morning line favorite and his class could see him through at a distance which remains something of a query. Front-running winner of the GII Fountain of Youth S., he was just touched off by Constitution (Tapit) in the GI Florida Derby, but was well up the track in the GI Kentucky Derby May 3. He defeated subsequent Ohio Derby hero East Hall (Graeme Hall) by better than 10 lengths in the June 28 Quality Road S. at Gulfstream, but was a well-beaten third to Bayern (Offlee Wild) in the GI Haskell S. July 27 and stretches back out off a fifth in the GI King’s Bishop S. Aug. 23.

Away Game (Lemon Drop Kid) is undefeated in his last three tries around two turns on the main track, including a defeat of Bay of Biscay (Giant’s Causeway) at Saratoga July 26 and a handy success upstate Aug. 22. Former Todd Pletcher inmate Edison (Bernardini) tries to follow in the footsteps of stablemate Broadway Empire (Empire Maker), who won last year’s Derby on the heels of the GIII Canadian Derby. Though he won the race by 11 1/2 lengths, he’ll have to do much better than the 76 Beyer he earned on that occasion.