Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Card Man graduates for Brown
Card Man breaking his maiden at Belmont Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/NYRA)
Trainer Chad Brown has come close to winning the Kentucky Derby (G1) on a few occasions, finishing second with Good Magic (2018) and Sierra Leone (2024) and third with Zandon (2022). But victory in the Run for the Roses has proven elusive.
Perhaps Card Man, a flashy maiden winner at Belmont Park last Friday, can succeed where others have fallen short and give Brown a triumph in the 2027 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
Card Man
On opening day of the new Belmont Park, Card Man proved much the best in a one-mile maiden special weight.
Card Man started as an odds-on favorite after debuting with a solid runner-up finish in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Aug. 15 at Saratoga. Stretching out to a route distance for his second start made all the difference as Card Man raced close to splits of :23.25 and :46.42 in third place before taking over and drawing clear to dominate by five lengths in 1:36.76.
Some may knock the fact that Card Man decelerated down the homestretch, running his final furlong in :13.16. But the early pace was more intense than it first appears. There was only 20 feet of run-up before the clock started, and the two pacesetters tired, finishing 19 lengths and 33 1/2 lengths behind Card Man. Under the circumstances, Card Man did well to stay on and pull away down the lane.
Card Man hails from the first crop of foals sired by Life Is Good, a decorated campaigner who won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Pegasus World Cup (G1), Whitney (G1), and Woodward (G1). Life Is Good excelled over distances from one mile to 1 1/8 miles, but Card Man may be capable of running farther. His dam sire, Arrogate, won the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), Dubai World Cup (G1), and Travers (G1) over the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby and sired U.S. classic winners Arcangelo and Seize the Grey.
In short, the future looks bright for Card Man, and a start at the stakes level is likely.
Mystic Ride
Six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert has already unveiled many potential contenders for the 2027 Kentucky Derby. His latest runner to follow is Mystic Ride, who debuted victorious in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Friday at Los Alamitos.
Purchased for $425,000 as a yearling, Mystic Ride is a son of Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide out of Dream Ride, who previously foaled the three-time graded stakes-winning sprinter St. Joe Bay.
Mystic Ride showed solid sprinting speed in his debut, securing a narrow lead through splits of :22.38 and :46.16 before pulling away through a :24.48 final quarter-mile to triumph by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:10.64. And yet, as a son of Mystic Guide, there’s a chance Mystic Ride may handle longer distances as well. The Road to the Kentucky Derby may be in his future.
Vukota
Another notable performance last week came from Vukota in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Churchill Downs, though he didn’t earn any purse money for his effort.
The race was declared “no contest” after six horses fell around the far turn. Only four runners continued to the finish line, including Vukota, who led all the way through fractions of :22.75 and :46.12 to cross the wire first by 4 1/4 lengths in 1:17.49.
Trained by Kinnon LaRose, Vukota is a son of top-notch sprinter/miler Vekoma. He debuted on Aug. 15 in the same six-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga as Card Man and finished fourth, beaten seven lengths by the winner and 5 1/4 lengths by Card Man.
Even though he faced little competition in his second start, Vukota ran well and appears to be progressing in the right direction.
Just for Pipa
A second 6 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on Saturday at Churchill saw first-time starter Just for Pipa spring a 19-1 upset for trainer Greg Foley.
The son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify rated as many as 2 1/2 lengths behind splits of :22.61 and :45.76 before taking over to score by 1 1/4 lengths. His winning time of 1:18.44 was nearly a second slower than the time clocked by Vukota's, but Just for Pipa’s pedigree suggests he’ll improve over longer distances, so keep an eye on how this bay colt progresses through autumn and winter.
