Caldera will be in the middle of the field of ten horses in this start in his first graded stakes win, and his bid to add to his Kentucky Derby points.
His workout times have been looking really good among the Derby contenders. We know he has the talent and the monster stride to do big things, but in only his sixth start it's yet to be determined if he possesses the "killer instinct" to drive him to the line first over a group of top 3YOs.
His record, to date, is looking pretty darn good, with only his debut being off the board, but he arguably had his shot to beat Getaway Car in his last start and only stake race, the Sunland Derby, but after overtaking him off the 2nd turn, he relaxed and let his rival nearly overtake him. Getaway Car got the nose bob on that one, but was subsequently soundly beaten in the Virginia Derby, with that Derby prep victory going to Caldera's stablemate, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained American Promise (Justify).
His next start in the Louisiana Derby will tell us if we have the fierce kind of competitor who can summon all his strengths and hit the wire first to capture 50 Kentucky Derby points, and a shoe-in to the Run for the Roses. If anyone can get him there, it's the Coach.
Fingers crossed and holding our breaths until Saturday, hoping for a huge step up in the Grade 2 $1 million Louisiana Derby. I guess St. Patrick's Day is a good day to muse about big dreams. :)
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