SUNLAND PARK, N.M. — Daddy Nose Best waited for racing room on the far turn late Sunday afternoon at Sunland Park Racetrack, then jockey Julien Leparoux asked him to run.
And the 3-year-old son of Scat Daddy did, right into the Kentucky Derby picture.
Daddy Nose Best, trained by Steve Asmussen, overtook Isn’t He Clever in deep stretch to win the Grade III $800,000 Sunland Derby by three-quarters of a length.
Daddy Nose Best covered the 1 1/8-mile mile distance in 1:48.59 on a fast track. It was Daddy Nose Best’s first race on a conventional dirt surface since last summer.
Most important to trainer Asmussen and owners Bob and Cathy Zollars was the $400,000 in graded money earned, easily qualifying Daddy Nose Best for a starting spot in the May 5 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Doiwns.
“We came here trying to earn our way into the Kentucky Derby,” Asmussen said.
Daddy Nose Best, the third betting choice in the field of eight, returned $9.40, $4.20 and $2.80. Isn’t He Clever paid $4.20 and $3.20, and Stirred Up paid $3.40 to show.
Castaway, the 8-5 favorite after winning a division of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs on Feb. 20, dueled with Ender Knievel through sizzling fractions of 22.48 and 46.24 before Isn’t He Clever pounced as the leaders hit the 6-furlong mark in 1:10.93.
Castaway faded to finish seventh, beaten by 25 1/2 lengths. Ender Knievel, trained by Todd Pletcher, finished fifth, 13 lengths back.
It looked like Isn’t He Clever’s race when he opened a 21/2-length lead with a furlong to run, but Daddy Nose Best kept coming, overtaking Isn’t He Clever near the wire.
Stirred Up, one of two horses entered by Hall of Famer trainer Bob Baffert, came in 7 1/4 lengths behind the top two. NoSpin, who finished 10th in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park and sixth behind Castaway in the Southwest, was fourth, 1 1/4 lengths behind Stirred up.
It was the second consecutive Grade III victory at 1 1/8 miles for Daddy Nose Best, who won the 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate by a nose on Feb. 18.
Daddy Nose Best has won 4 of 10 starts and $633,623.
Isn’t He Clever earned $176,000 in graded money, but he is not currently nominated to the Triple Crown.
Road to the 2012 Kentucky Derby
2012
JANUARY
7 Sham (III) $100,000 1 1/16 M Santa Anita Out of Bounds
16 Smarty Jones (NG) $100,000 1 M Oaklawn Junebugred
21 Lecomte (III) $175,000 1 M, 40 Y Fair Grounds Mr. Bowling
29 Holy Bull (III) $400,000 1 M Gulfstream Algorithms
FEBRUARY
4 Robert B. Lewis (II) $250,000 1 1/8 M Santa Anita I’ll Have Another
18 El Camino Real (III) $200,000 1 1/8 M* Golden Gate Daddy Nose Best
19 San Vicente (II) $150,000 7 F Santa Anita Drill
20 Southwest I (III) $250,000 1 M Oaklawn Castaway
20 Southwest II (III) $250,000 1 M Oaklawn Secret Circle
25 Risen Star (II) $300,000 1 1/16 M Fair Grounds El Padrino
26 Fountain of Youth (II) $400,000 1 1/16 M Gulfstream Union Rags
MARCH
3 Gotham (III) $250,000 1 1/16 M Aqueduct Hansen
10 Tampa Bay Derby (II) $350,000 1 1/8 M Tampa Bay Prospective
10 San Felipe (II) $250,000 1 1/16 M Santa Anita Creative Cause
17 Rebel (II) $500,000 1 1/16 M Oaklawn Secret Circle
24 Vinery Spiral (III) $500,000 1 1/8 M* Turfway Went the Day Well
25 Sunland Derby (III) $800,000 1 1/8 M Sunland Daddy Nose Best
31 Florida Derby (I) $1,000,000 1 1/8 M Gulfstream
31 UAE Derby (II) $2,000,000 9.5 F Meydan
APRIL
1 Louisiana Derby (II) $1,000,000 1 1/8 M Fair Grounds
7 Wood Memorial (I) $750,000 1 1/8 M Aqueduct
7 Illinois Derby (III) $250,000 1 1/8 M Hawthorne
7 Santa Anita Derby (I) $1,000,000 1 1/8 M Santa Anita
14 Blue Grass Stakes (I) $750,000 1 1/8 M* Keeneland
14 Arkansas Derby (I) $1,000,000 1 1/8 M Oaklawn
21 Lexington (III) $200,000 1 1/16 M* Keeneland
*Polyturf
Sports, Pages 15 on 03/26/2012