08/10/09

Soul Warrior Surges To West Virginia Derby Upset

By Bill Mooney

As easy as horse races sometimes seem to figure out on paper, they can offer a dose of astonishment when they’re actually run. That was the case on Saturday, as Soul Warrior registered a stunning upset in the 40th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Casino Racetrack & Resort.

Ridden by Dale V. Beckner (who was a late substitute for the originally-named jockey, Miguel Mena), Soul Warrior surged by Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird in mid-stretch, and then out-gamed the weary pace-setter Big Drama to prevail by a neck.
Big Drama, sent off as the somewhat surprising favorite at odds of 4-5, drew off to a ten-length lead through the opening half-mile, but had only fumes in the tank as the wire approached. Mine That Bird, second in the wagering at odds of 9-10, failed to find the strong closing foot that had served him so well at Churchill Downs, and finished third.

Soul Warrior’s final time for the 1 1/8-mile event was 1:51.46 – not particularly fast in comparison to other recent editions of the West Virginia Derby, but good enough to gain a $450,000 winner’s share of the purse. The son of Lion Heart returned $48, $8 and $2.60 across the board. It was the fourth highest return for a two-dollar win wager in West Virginia Derby history.
“This is the greatest win in my (16) years of riding,” said Beckner, who currently ranks fourth in the jockey standings at Mountaineer’s sister track, Presque Isle Downs. To beat horses of this caliber – wow!”

Awesome Rhythm, a multiple stakes winner from Canada, finished fourth. Sunday Sunrise, coupled in the wagering with stablemate Soul Warrior, was fifth. Monty’s Best finished sixth. It was the smallest West Virginia Derby field since Chargertown prevailed in a field of five in 1968.

Soul Warrior, who was purchased for $250,000 at a Florida auction at age two, campaigns for the beverage magnate Ahmed Zayat, a native of Egypt. Asmussen’s assistant, Darren Fleming, handled saddling chores for Soul Warrior, as he did for the trainer’s prior West Virginia Derby winners, Real Dandy in 2005 and Zanjero in 2007.

“I was concerned with how far (Big Drama) was in front by himself,” said Fleming of the early stages of the race. “But I don’t think the track has been that speed-favoring. At the eighth-pole, I didn’t think we’d get by him. But at the sixteenth-pole, I thought there was a chance. With about two jumps left, (Soul Warrior) was in front, so I was happy.”

“When my horse was leaving the gate, he got bothered, bumped on both sides, and that really made him take off,” said Eibar Coa, who rode Big Drama. “It was the game plan to go to the front, but not that fast.”

Hall of Famer Mike Smith, aboard Mine That Bird, was highly critical of his own effort, and suggested strongly that he moved the gelding too early. “It was just total rider error,” said Smith. “I thought I had to give myself a chance going down the backside when I saw how far in front the other horse was. Mine That Bird just needs that one short run, and I used too much of him too soon.”

Bennie L. “Chip” Woolley, Mine That Bird’s trainer, agreed. “My horse did kind of the same thing he did in the Belmont Stakes,” said Woolley, the disappointment written powerfully on his face. “When he’s got daylight to run, he tries to run. What worked so well for us in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness was getting him behind horses, which prevents him from moving too soon. Until we do that again, I think we’re going to have problems.”

Soul Warrior came to the West Virginia Derby having made only a half-dozen prior career starts. He broke his maiden at second asking at Fair Grounds in New Orleans last December, failed to place in a pair of graded events, then won in allowance company at Churchill Downs in June. A good second-place effort in the $250,000 Iowa Derby at Prairie Meadows on June 26 earned him a trip to Mountaineer.

Mine That Bird made history by being the first Kentucky Derby winner to ever race in the Mountaineer State. But, now, Soul Warrior has earned a permanent niche in the history books as well, be defeating a Kentucky Derby winner. Strength to them both.  

West Virginia Derby Notes: Mountaineer announced a crowd of 21,218. Wagering from all sources on the nine-stakes West Virginia Derby card totaled $3,600,116, an all-time Mountaineer record.