Top 50 in Graded Stakes Earnings
The table below shows accumulated graded stakes earnings (for races in north America) for all three-year old colts as well as Triple Crown nominated fillies.Since Derby spots are based on graded stakes earnings, it’s an early look at which horses have booked enough money for a Derby shot and ones with more work to do.
Not all horses listed are being pointed to the Derby. And though fillies such as SHE BE WILD and BLIND LUCK are Triple Crown nominated, there’s no indication a start in the Derby, or other Triple Crown race, is in their future. But you never know . . .
The earnings list will be updated as the Derby prep season progresses.
Graded Stakes Money Leaders: March 20, 2010
| # | Horse | Earnings | Owner(s) | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lookin at Lucky | $1,390,000 | Weitman, Pegram, WatsonWeitman, Pegram, Watson | Bob Baffert | Garrett Gomez |
| 2 | She Be Wild(f) | $1,272,100 | Nancy Mazzoni | Wayne Catalano | Julien Leparoux |
| 3 | Vale of York | $1,114,784 | Godolphin | Saeed bin Suroor | Ahmed Ajtebi |
| 4 | Blind Luck(f) | $861,150 | Dedomenico, Carver, Hollendorfer | Jerry Hollendorfer | Tyler Baze |
| 5 | Noble's Promise | $708,000 | Chasing Dreams Racing | Ken McPeek | Rafael Bejarano |
| 6 | Rule | $645,000 | Winstar Farm | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez |
| 7 | Pounced* | $540,000 | Lady Serena Rothschild | John Gosden | Frankie Dettori |
| 8 | Ice Box | $457,500 | Robert Lapenta | Nick Zito | Jose Lezcano |
| 9 | D'Funnybone | $330,000 | Paul Pompa Jr. | Rick Dutrow | Edgar Prado |
| 10 | Devil May Care(f) | $360,000 | Glencrest Farm | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez |
| 11 | Bridgetown* | $354,732 | Melnyk Racing Stables, Inc. | Ken McPeek | Robert Landry |
| 12 | Discreetly Mine | $310,000 | Paul Robsham Stables | Todd Pletcher | Javier Castellano |
| 13 | Dublin | $273,208 | Robert Baker, William Mack | D. Wayne Lukas | Corey Nakatani |
| 14 | Interactif | $270,000 | Wertheimer & Frere | Todd Pletcher | Kent Desormeaux |
| 15 | Homeboykris | $250,500 | Lazzinnaro, Bulger, Mandato Diamond P | Rick Dutrow | Edgar Prado |
| 16 | Aikenite | $218,000 | Dogwood Stable | Todd Pletcher | Alan Garcia |
| 17 | Make Music for Me | $215,000 | Ellen & Peter Johnson | Alexis Barba | Mike Smith |
| T18 | Crisp(f) | $210,000 | Michael Talla | John Sadler | Joel Rosario |
| T18 | Awesome Act | $210,000 | Susan Roy & Vinery Stables | Jeremy Noseda | Julien Leparoux |
| T18 | Buddy's Saint | $210,000 | Kingfield Stables | Bruce Levine | Jose Lezcano |
| T18 | Conveyance | $210,000 | Zabeel Racing Int'l | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia |
| 22 | RADIOHEAD | $196,332 | IEAH | Dickey Dutrow | Edgar Prado |
| 23 | Uh Oh Bango | $187,952 | Triple Aaa Racing | Kory Owens | GW Corbett |
| T24 | Odysseus | $180,000 | Padua Stables | Tom Albertrani | Rajiv Maragh |
| T24 | Sidney's Candy | $180,000 | Sid & Jenny Craig | John Sadler | Joe Talamo |
| 26 | Backtalk | $172,566 | Mark Gold Farm | Thomas Amos | Robby Albarado |
| 27 | Super Saver | $163,832 | Winstar Farm | Todd Pletcher | Ramon Dominguez |
| 28 | Pleasant Prince | $162,500 | Ken & Sarah Ramsey | Wesley Ward | Julien Leparoux |
| 29 | Piscitelli | $151,170 | William Schettine | Richard Sacco | Kent Desormeaux |
| 30 | Eskendereya | $150,000 | Zayat Stables | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez |
| 31 | Bear Tough Guy* | $114,900 | Bear Stables Ltd. | Reade Baker | Eurico Rosa Da Silva |
| 32 | Caracortado | $108,000 | Blahut & Lo Hi Racing | Michael Machowsky | Paul Atkinson |
| 33 | Paddy 'O Prado | $100,950 | Donegal Racing | Dale Romans | J. L. Castanon |
| 34 | Aspire | $100,000 | Gary & Mary West Stables | Eddie Kenneally | Julien Leparoux |
| 35 | Schoolyard Dreams | $100,000 | Eric Fein and Anthony Mitola | Derek Ryan | Jeremy Rose |
| 36 | Thisky - hasnolimit | $99,064 | Wagner & Zollars | Steve Asmussen | Robby Albarado |
| 37 | Western Smoke* | $95,467 | Kirk and Judy Robison | Steve Asmussen | Elvis Trujillo |
| 38 | Dixie Band* | $93,811 | Darrell and Evelyn Yates | Wayne Catalano | Julien Leparoux |
| 39 | Oak Motte* | $91,320 | Bass Seeligson Partners & H. Fitzsimons | Thomas Amoss | Diego Saenz |
| T40 | Alphie's Bet | $90,000 | Johnson Sr., & mcWilliams | Alexis Barba | Alex Solis |
| T40 | Connemara | $90,000 | Tabor & Mangier | Todd Pletcher | Russell Baze |
| T40 | Winslow Homer | $90,000 | Fox Hill Farms | Anthony Dutrow | Ramon Dominguez |
| 43 | American Lion | $87,000 | Winstar Farm | Eoin Harty | Julien Leparoux |
| T44 | Jackson Bend | $80,000 | Jacks or Better Farm & Lapenta | Nick Zito | Calvin Borel |
| T44 | Pulsion | $80,000 | Flying Zee & Kona Stables | Patrick Biancone | Corey Nakatani |
| 46 | The Program | $68,000 | Thoroughbred Legends | Bob Baffert | Martin Garcia |
| 47 | Aegean* | $67,795 | Steven Michael Bell | Wesley Ward | TBD |
| 48 | Ailalea(f) | $66,900 | Starlight Partners | Todd Pletcher | Edgar Prado |
| 49 | Ron the Greek | $63,000 | Jack T. Hammer | Thomas Amoss | James Graham |
| T50 | Necessary Evil* | $60,000 | Glencrest Farm and Dapple Stable | Doug O'Neill | Joel Rosario |
| T50 | Tempted to Tapit | $60,000 | Gainesway Stable | Steve Klesaris | David Cohen |
| T50 | Who's Up | $60,000 | M Racing | Kathy Walsh | Victor Espinoza |
| 53 | Fly by Phil | $58,280 | Gilbert Campbell | Kathleen O'Connell | E. O. Nunez |
| 54 | Becky's Kitten* | $57,244 | Ken & Sarah Ramsey | Wesley Ward | Julien Leparoux |
| 55 | William's Kitten | $57,195 | Ken & Sarah Ramsey | Michael Maker | Julien Leparoux |
| T56 | Cardiff Giant | $54,000 | M Racing | Jorge Periban | RC Santiago |
| T56 | Smiling Tiger | $54,000 | Alan Klein & Philip Lebherz | Jeff Bonde | Martin Garcia |
| T58 | Marcello | $50,000 | Peachtree Venture | Bob Baffert | Jose Valdivia |
| T58 | Roman Invasion | $50,000 | George & Lori Hall | Kelly Breen | Jersey Joe Bravo |
| T58 | Zip Quick* | $50,000 | Imperio, Schettine, Flying Zee & Kona Stables | Patrick Biancone | Julien Leparoux |
* denotes horses that are not Triple Crown nominated
23 February 2010, 4:32 pm
I am really looking forward to seeing Backtalk get back to the races if they ever stop “bringing him back slowly”.
23 February 2010, 6:45 pm
I wish that only 3yo earnings counted towards the Derby slots.
23 February 2010, 8:36 pm
Graded stakes earnings is a lousy system for determining the 20 Derby starters. Even the point system the Road to the Roses contest uses would be better (for wins: Grade I, 15 points; Grade II, 12 points; Grade III, 8 points; Listed stakes, 4 points). The most prestigious races carry the most points, as they should and the horse’s connections would be rewarded accordingly with a few more points. This would guard against a single, big purse Grade I win or the Delta Jackpot winner necessarily getting you into the Derby starting gate as it does now. A point system would also reward greater consistency across the two and three-year-old seasons. (If you can even call three or four races a season?) A tight, controlled point system might even force trainers and owners to race their horses – a novel idea.
23 February 2010, 11:44 pm
I agree Tony, a points system would be better than graded earnings. Especially because a race with a huge purse can blow the scale. Many of the top earners made the bulk of their money on Breeders’ Cup day. And as noted, Rule won the G3 Delta Jackpot with a $750K purse which is higher than many G1s. The points system you explained seems to be a fair and consistent way to measure & reward ability.
Perhaps a points system that weights 3 year old races more heavily than 2 year old races would be a good idea. This might address John’s issue with horses that do nothing as a three year old, but make the Derby based on stakes earnings won as a two year old.
24 February 2010, 4:35 pm
Tony Bada Bing, you must be off your rocker!
Ask race horses to race? Crazy idea. Don’t you understand that not losing is more important the winning? [smile]
I think that horses should run (win) their win into the Derby rather than buy their way in. I’ve never seen this LOOKIN AT LUCKY. Technically, I don’t believe that he would have to show his head before the Derby. He probably already has enough earnings.
I hear guys whine about horse racing losing its popularity. They toss out facts, figures, excuses . . . they miss (in my mnd) the obvious. The “stars” don’t compete enough to establish any mainstream notoriety
How popular would the NFL be if its stars came out to play four or five times a year on an unannounced schedule? Duh?
For me the “big dogs” are boring, and impossible to handicap – my heroes are those claimers that roll out every couple weeks.
24 February 2010, 10:02 pm
John,
I love horses that run, and I get they are fragile creatures. But I also fear running Thoroughbreds every six to eight weeks (allowing them time to recover and not bounce) is worse than rolling them out every two or three weeks.
Allow me to make a baseball analogy – 25 years ago starting pitchers pitched more innings, completed more games and had far fewer injuries than they do now. In 1985, Bert Blyleven led both leagues with 24 complete games from 37 starts…10th place was Ron Guidry 11 complete games from 33 starts. Last season Ron Halladay led both leagues with 9 complete games from 32 starts, 10 from him was Cris Carpenter who had 3 complete games from 28 starts. Yet in the age of specialization and one inning closers, starters are hurt a lot more, work a lot less and I doubt we can blame the breeding of such pitchers for their injuries as we do for the horses. (By the way I’m tired of that excuse).
Let ‘em run.
Tony
25 February 2010, 11:39 pm
Gib, loved the crack about Lookin at Lucky. He seems to have tons of talent, but doubt he’ll have the conditioning for a grueling Triple Crown run.
Tony, great baseball analogy. But remember, back in ’85, they played on only “hay, oats, and water.”
26 February 2010, 7:56 am
Steve,
Hay, oats, water and steroids…