Breaking from the same post position that American Pharoah started his Triple Crown sweep from is a horse by the name of Long Range Toddy. But unlike American Pharoah, Long Range Toddy is a 30-1 longshot.
In 2012, Take Charge Indy won the Gr.1 Florida Derby and then finished second to last in the Kentucky Derby. Seven years later, his son Long Range Toddy is giving him a chance at redemption.
Long Range Toddy’s story began because of breeder Willis Thornton. He had paired Take Charge Indy with his mare Pleasant Song and the mare foaled her new colt on April 12th, 2016. The colt was athletic and good looking, but was not a standout at Three Chimneys Farm.
This feeling about him remained the same when he was being broken at Eddie Milgram’s farm in Texas. After he received his basic education, the colt was sent to Steve Asmussen to begin training for a real career on the racetrack.
Long Range Toddy made his debut on Aug. 31st, 2018 at Remington Park, finishing fourth. One month later he broke his maiden and continued a Remington Park winning streak in the Clever Trevor Stakes and Remington Springboard Mile.
2019 started for Long Range Toddy on Jan. 25th at Oaklawn Park. He would be racing in the Smarty Jones Stakes and had been posting great works in preparation for it. He went off as the third favorite. During the race, the colt set just off the pacesetter, put in a strong run on the rail, but was unable to defeat Gray Attempt.
Just one month later the colt was entered into the Gr.3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn. There he would have have a rematch with Gray Attempt and would also be facing horses such as Sueno and Cutting Humor. Things looked good for Long Range Toddy until he became trapped behind a wall of horses at the top of the stretch. He had to split through Gray Attempt and Jersey Agenda before he could begin to really run in the stretch. He was unable to catch the leaders and finished third.
The Gr.2 Rebel Stakes splitting landed Long Range Toddy in the second division of the race. He would be facing the favored Improbable as well as Galilean. In the stretch, it looked as if Improbable would surely be the winner. However, a fast closing Long Range Toddy swept past his chestnut foe to win by a head.
Long Range Toddy’s victory in the Gr.2 Rebel Stakes guaranteed him a spot in the Kentucky Derby. Despite this, Long Range Toddy was entered into the Gr.1 Arkansas Derby. There, Omaha Beach and Improbable loomed as the heavy favorites. Despite having a good trip, Long Range Toddy had nothing in the tank at the top of the stretch and faded into sixth.
This odd finish has many people wondering if Long Range Toddy is capable of winning the Kentucky Derby, hence the 30-1 odds. However, the colt has been posting some good workouts at Churchill Downs. Most recently he breezed four furlongs in 47.80 seconds, ranking 5/40.
Long Range Toddy will be piloted by Jon Court in the Derby. Court rode Long Range Toddy in both the Rebel Stakes and Arkansas Derby. Court has had rode ArchArchArch, Optimizer, and Will Take Charge in the Kentucky Derby. He hopes that Long Range Toddy will finally be his winner.
The last eight Kentucky Derby winners won their last prep race. Furthermore, most of them were favored to win the Kentucky Derby. Long Range Toddy looks to end this streak by becoming the first longshot in a while to stand in the winners circle.
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Sources: Tales from the Crib
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