- I was looking back at the Woodward to see if I could find an explanation for the result. Premium Tap, the 31-1 winner, had run some decent races, and in fact beat Sun King (at .25 - 1) in a four horse Belmont overnight stakes in July that served as a prep for the Whitney. But he had the lowest Beyers in the field other than Naughty New Yorker. And he ran 5th, beaten by 7 lengths in the Whitney. He seemed like the type that you'd wonder why his connections would bring him back in the Woodward, but we're not wondering anymore.
John Kimmel said that the horse missed some training prior to the Whitney, and added "I just felt, hey, this horse is going to be a lot tighter this time." [Louisville Courier-Journal] He's not nominated, however, to the Classic, and it would take $150,000 to do so.
Premium Tap is by Pleasant Tap, currently standing for $10,000 at Lane's End. The sire was the champion older male in 1992, and on this page, you can see him literally sprint away from the likes of AP Indy, Strike the Gold, Sultry Song, and Devil His Due in a most impressive Jockey Club Gold Cupwin during his championship year.
Pleasant Tap has three stakes winners this year, including David Junior, who is expected to run in the Classic. He and Premium Tap are bred similarly, in addition to sharing the same sire; they are both inbred to Never Bend, and while Premuim Tap is inbred to Stage Door Johnny, David Junior is inbred to that one's sire Prince John, through Stage Door Johnny once. Premium Tap has some grass in his blood too; his second dam is a half-sister to the champion turf horse Tight Spot.
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Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Premium Price on Premium Tap
Posted by Alan Mann at 10:54 PM
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4 Comments:
I thought Premium Tap's effort in the Whitney was better than it looked on paper. He ran strongly until the 1/8 pole then tired. Considering that was his third race after a long layoff against G1 competition and Invasor, it wasn't a bad effort. Without Invasor in the Woodward, I figured he had to move up a bit. Of course he moved up a bit more than I thought too :-)
John, you didn't have him with your beloved Kent aboard??
I boxed him in the exacta with Flower Alley and Suave; I guess I should have spent the extra two bucks on a win ticket. . .
I'm still kicking myself a bit over Premium Tap. Kimmel was very live at the end of the meet and his horses are generally well meant (and well placed). He was a step below fig. wise but definitely worth a flyer at the price (sort of like Friends Lake in the 2004 Florida Derby). Kimmel may have to become an automatic bet in Gr. 1's.
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