Introducing The Dispatch Box

Since I often remember seeing an interesting news item, but not so much where it was reported (and sometimes even doubt my memory until searching for it again), I’ve decided to collect these international odds and ends in a new feature dubbed “The Dispatch Box.”

I’ll try to resist my medieval tendency to be encyclopedic – since that would become unworkable in pretty short order. The game plan is to be disciplined enough to select just those bulletins that I found most important for future reference. (And that I won't cover elsewhere, like my Dubai Carnival thoughts on Mondays. Analysis of Polar River and Reynaldothewizard, for example, will belong there.) Hopefully you’ll find this kind of round-up helpful too.

Blue Creek and Lani on the U.S. Triple Crown trail: Godolphin’s Blue Creek, who created a big impression in his career debut at Meydan January 1, and Japan-based Lani, who’s won two straight on the dirt at home, have designs on our Triple Crown. Both are bluebloods. Blue Creek, a Street Cry colt, is the first foal from Blue Bunting, the winner of the 1000 Guineas (G1), Irish Oaks (G1) and Yorkshire Oaks (G1) in 2011. According to the Dubai Racing Club release, trainer Charlie Appleby plans to skip the UAE 2000 Guineas (G3) because Blue Creek is already looking for a step up in trip. Hence the Al Bastakiya on Super Saturday, March 5, and the March 26 UAE Derby (G2) are likely ports of call. And although Blue Creek didn’t compete in an official race until he turned three January 1, he shouldn’t fall under the “Apollo curse” -- he previously won a trial at Meydan that doesn’t count on his race record.

 

With the UAE Derby being a major scoring race for the Kentucky Derby (G1), with a grand total of 170 points on offer, it’s no surprise that Lani is likewise looking to Dubai en route to Churchill Downs. Paca Paca Farm’s Kate Hunter tweeted his itinerary, beginning with the February 21 Hiyashinsu (Hyacinth) S. as his prep for the UAE Derby. The Hyacinth, held over a metric mile at Tokyo, was won by Golden Barows prior to his third in last year’s UAE Derby. In a Yahoo Japan report picked up by several American media outlets, trainer Mikio Matsunaga said that a top-two finish at Meydan would propel Lani into the Kentucky Derby. If he doesn’t make the exacta in Dubai, his fallback position is the May 14 Peter Pan (G2) and June 11 Belmont S. (G1). By Tapit and out of the Grade 1-winning Sunday Silence mare Heavenly Romance, who defeated males in the 2005 Tenno Sho Autumn (G1), Lani has won his past two on the dirt at Kyoto and Tokyo. The gray is a half-brother to two Japanese stakes winners on dirt, Grade 3 scorer Awardee and Amour Briller.