| |
On the road again Nafzger follows familiar path to Derby with Vicar
Posted: Wednesday April 07, 1999 12:25 AM
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- They have different styles, but Vicar, Carl Nafzger's 1999 Kentucky Derby hopeful, and Unbridled, the trainer's 1990 Derby winner, have many similarities, including the paths they've traveled. "Unbridled and Vicar are exactly alike in personality, health and soundness," Nafzger said Tuesday on a conference call from Churchill Downs, where Vicar is stabled. "But they have entirely different running styles." Unbridled liked to come off the pace. Vicar likes to stay close to it. "We raced Unbridled in the Tropical Park Derby, the Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby and the Blue Grass," Nafzger recalled. He won the Florida Derby and was third in each of the other three races. Vicar goes into the 1 1/8-mile Toyota Blue Grass Saturday at Keeneland off a fifth-place in the Holy Bull and victories in the Fountain of Youth and the Florida Derby. Nafzger would settle for an Unbridled-kind of Blue Grass performance for Vicar. "A nice consistent fourth would be enough," Nafzger said. "He's already proved he can run in the Derby. If he can't, then we're only going to have six or seven horses in the Derby [May 1 at Churchill Downs]." The Derby field could easily reach the 20-horse limit. Eight 3-year-olds are expected to be entered in the Blue Grass on Thursday. While Nafzger doesn't want to use up Vicar in an all-out bid for victory, with the 1 1/4-mile Derby only three weeks away, he also said, "The basic thing is he's ready to win Saturday. I'd being doing him a disservice if I took him over there not ready to win." Nafzger thinks the four top horses in the Blue Grass will be Vicar, Wondertross and Cat Thief, second and third in the Florida Derby, and Kimberlite Pipe, the Louisiana Derby winner. "They just have to run consistent races and then go on to Churchill Downs," he said. "The other four have some questions to answer." They are Lemon Drop Kid, who has raced only once this year; Pineaff, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby; Menifee, second in the Tropical Park Derby, and Prado's Landing, who has been shipped in from Dubai, but who won one of three races last year at Laurel in Maryland, none farther than 5 1/2 furlongs. "I think the Blue Grass will move him real good in the Derby," Nafzger said of Vicar, The colt will be ridden by Shane Sellers, who not committed to riding him beyond Saturday. Nafzger would have no problem replacing Sellers on Vicar in what would be the trainer's first Derby since 1990.
| |||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||
