BLUE GRASS WINNER TO RUN IN WEST VIRGINIA DERBY

By Bill Mooney

Zanjero is a colt who keeps knocking on the door. To date, he has finished either second or third in five graded stakes. And Zanjero has yet to achieve victory in graded company, he'll be trying to change that situation when he goes postward in this Saturday's Grade 3, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at The Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort.

The 3-1 favorite in the West Virginia Derby morning line, Zanjero has drawn post number nine in the ten-horse field. He is trained by Steven M. Asmussen, who won the West Virginia Derby with Real Dandy in 2005. The 1 1/8-mile distance of the race harbored no problems for Real Dandy, and it should not for Zanjero, who has already proven that nine furlongs is well within the boundaries of his stamina.

Real Dandy, who went off at odds of 7-1 in an 11-horse field, was a powerful closer. Last by nearly ten lengths through the opening half-mile, he made a huge move on the outside approaching the top of the stretch, took the lead inside the eighth-pole and was clear by 1 ¼ lengths at the wire.

Late foot is also a key weapon in Zanjero's arsenal, although he usually tends to run nearer the pace in the early going. Zanjero graduated from maiden company at Keeneland in mid-October of last year He followed that effort with an allowance victory at Churchill Downs in early November and then finished second in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct in New York on Thanksgiving weekend.

At age three, Zanjero has finished third in both the Grade 3 Risen Star Stakes and the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, third in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and, in his most recent effort, second in the Grade 3 Northern Dancer Stakes at Churchill on June 16. He missed winning the Blue Grass and Northern Dancer by a head and a neck, respectively. Zanjero is a maturing horse, and the possibility seems strong that his best efforts await him.

The career record for Zanjero currently includes ten starts, two victories, six placings (a "placing" in horse racing is regarded to be either a second- or third-place finish), and purse earnings of $322,016. He is owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC, which is the racing stable of the mother-and-son team of Joan and Ron Winchell, who live in Las Vegas.

Pedigrees are of prime importance among graded stakes horses, and Zanjero's family bears considerable quality. His sire, Cherokee Run, received the Eclipse Award as North America's sprint champion in 1994. Zanjero's dam, Checkered Flag, is a daughter of the 1992 Horse of the Year, A. P. Indy, and a granddaughter of the 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew.

Speed on the sire's side of the pedigree, distance and durability on the dam's side - this is a combination that thoroughbred breeders seek when purchasing horses at auction. The Winchells spent $700,000 to buy Zanjero at the 2005 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. They anticipate big returns from this colt, and are aware that the West Virginia Derby winner's share is a lucrative $450,000.

Shaun Bridgmohan, a 28-year-old jockey originally from Jamaica, rode Zanjero in his Northern Dancer effort, and will again be aboard the colt in the West Virginia Derby. Bridgmohan rode the 11-1 shot, More Than Regal, to a third-place finish in the race last year. More Than Regal was also from Asmussen's barn, and was saddled at Mountaineer by his assistant, Scott Blasi.

Certainly, the fact that Asmussen conditions Zanjero is one of the reasons why the colt is the early West Virginia Derby favorite. In 2004, Asmussen set an all-time single season record for North American trainers with 555 victories. This year, he is leading the standings again, having recorded 283 wins through July 30.

On May 19, Asmussen achieved his first victory in a Triple Crown event, when he sent out Curlin to defeat Street Sense by a head in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. Asmussen has a career total of 65 graded stakes victories. He has won 3,712 races all told, and his career strike rate is an exceptionally high 21%. At age 41, Asmussen has emerged as one of racing's stars, and another West Virginia Derby win for his portfolio wouldn't really surprise anybody.

This summer, Asmussen has been training Zanjero at Saratoga. On July 24, the colt recorded a six-furlong workout of 1:14 at the upstate New York track. It was a move that should put Zanjero in prime condition for this Saturday. In racing parlance, he'll be a loaded gun ready to be fired.

NOTES: The on-site broadcast crew for the live ESPN telecast of the West Virginia Derby will include Randy Moss, Jay Privman and Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey. Twice, Bailey rode in the West Virginia Derby. He finished seventh on Outofthebox in 2001 and second on The Judge Sez Who in 2002. . . Asmussen has requested and received a complement of stalls at Presque Isle Downs, the new MTR Gaming track in the Erie, Pennsylvania, area that will begin racing on September 1.

WEST VIRGINIA DERBY POST POSITIONS AND MORNING LINE ODDS