A West Virginia Derby Victory for Toby Keith?
WEST VIRGINIA – The general public know Toby Keith for his good fortune as a rustic song singer-songwriter, and for just right explanation why. The 50-year-old Keith has had 19 Quantity One singles, and this yr marks the discharge of his 15th studio album.
However Keith may be a Thoroughbred racehorse proprietor. And considered one of his horses, a three- year-old colt with the misspelled identify of Sherriff Cogburn, will move to the put up this Saturday within the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer On line casino Racetrack & Hotel.
Keith – who campaigns horses below the nom de direction Dream Walkin’ Farms – is going through the identify Toby Covel for his racing ventures. (His complete identify is Toby Keith Covel, as many if now not maximum of his enthusiasts know.) Thoroughbreds don’t represent a minor pursuit for Keith. Dream Walkin’ Farms is a 260-acre breeding and coaching operation located close to town of Pauls Valley in south central Oklahoma. Horses he owns have made a couple of begins this yr at such tracks as Santa Anita, Hollywood Park, Oaklawn Park, Arlington Park and Prairie Meadows.
Guess at the West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Race Observe at Off Observe Having a bet on-line racebook
He purchases a few of his racing inventory at Keeneland auctions, and that is the reason the place Keith acquired Sherriff Cogburn, for $50,000 on the 2009 September Yearling Sale. The instructor of document for Sherriff Cogburn is 77-year-old Don Von Hemel, even supposing many of the conditioning chores are treated through assistant Bridget Lambert, who is delivery with the colt to Mountaineer.
“We are coming through van from Prairie Meadows – we think to reach on Tuesday morning,” Lambert mentioned. “My mum and dad used to race at Mountaineer again when it used to be Waterford Park. This would be the first time I have been there since then.”
Sherriff Cogburn has a lightly-race profession document that incorporates 5 profession begins, two victories and trio of placings (notice – he hasn’t ever completed off the board) and handbag income of $120,800. He received his profession debut, on July 1 of final yr in maiden particular weight corporate at Arlington Park through seven lengths. Since then, Sherriff Cogburn has completed all of his racing at Prairie Meadows, which is within the the town of Altoona, a suburb of Des Moines, Iowa. In August of final yr, he used to be a 9 1/4 – period winner of the Prairie Meadows Juvenile Mile.
His preliminary effort as a three-year-old got here on April 23 within the six-furlong Golden Circle Stakes., the place Sherriff Cogburn completed a forged 2d because the even-money favourite. Subsequent got here the Prairie Meadows Mile on June 4, the place Sherriff Cogburn used to be preferred once more, this time at 5-2.
However the race used to be seriously marred when one horse, Arcadian, suffered a deadly damage. “And that brought about a pile-up of 3 different horses,” mentioned Lambert. “Sherriff Cogburn did not move down, however used to be knocked sideways. We completed 3rd.”
In his most up-to-date effort, Sherriff Cogburn completed 2d, crushed two lengths through fellow West Virginia Derby contender Prayer for Aid within the Grade 3 Iowa Derby on June 25. Inside a head of the lead on the eighth-pole, Sherriff Cogburn used to be at the rail, with Prayer for Aid to his outdoor. Merit Prayer for Aid.
A Kentucky-bred, Sherriff Cogburn is through the overdue sire Vindication, who used to be North The us’s two-year-old male champion in 2002. (Vindication used to be additionally the final son of Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew to go into stud accountability.) Sherriff Cogburn’s dam, Candy Nanette, received a quartet of dash stakes all over her personal racing days. She has been offered 4 instances at public sale – as a yearling, as a two-year-old and two times for breeding functions, maximum particularly fetching a value of $575,000 as a broodmare at Keeneland in November, 2004.
Keith to start with were given concerned within the Thoroughbred trade in 1996 (he additionally owns Quarter Horses). His two-year-old Cactus Ridge received the Grade 2 Arlington-Washington Futurity at Arlington Park in 2003. Running shoes he engages additional come with Corridor of Famers Bob Baffert and Jack Van Berg.
Perry Compton, who has ridden Sherriff Cogburn in all of his three-year-old efforts thus far, will once more be aboard for the West Virginia Derby. Compton, a South Dakota local, is 59 years outdated and stands 5 toes, 8 inches – which makes him significantly older than maximum jockeys, and taller, too. However Compton’s abilities have won him 28 wins at Prairie Meadows this yr, just right sufficient for 8th place within the rider standings. He is had over 40 years of driving revel in, and all over the previous 35 of them has been credited with 3,502 wins. Must Sherriff Cogburn triumph on Saturday, it’s going to be Compton’s richest ranking thus far. The similar for Von Hemel. And the similar for Toby Keith.
