Tipsheet: 2022 El Camino Real Derby
Mackinnon and jockey Juan Hernandez win the Zuma Beach Stakes (Photo by Benoit Photo)
February 10th, 2022
A total of 11 three-year-olds will run in the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate on Saturday. The 1 1/8-mile event serves as a 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series contest with qualifying points (10-4-2-1) going to the top four finishers.
El Camino Real Derby Picks
- #2 Mackinnon
- #6 Boise
- #4 Blackadder
- #3 Unraptured
El Camino Real Derby Wagers
- $40 win 2
- $1 trifecta 2 with 3,4,6,10 with all
El Camino Real Derby Contenders
#1 STORMY SAMURAI defeated allowance foes in a dash on the oval last time and makes his stakes debut on this day. The Jack Steiner trainee has never been beyond six furlongs, and while he is bred to route, I will watch one before getting in his corner.
#2 MACKINNON is the class of the field and the one to beat for Doug O’Neill. The two-time stakes winning son of American Pharoah finished a solid fourth on the dirt in the Sham S. (G3) last time out, and his affinity for the turf leads me to believe he will thrive in his initial All-Weather try. Abel Cedillo picks up the ride.
#3 UNRAPTURED comes in with a two-for-three mark and a dominant allowance victory on the course most recently. The Florida-bred son of Uncaptured handled his route test with aplomb last out, and another move forward could make him an upset contender with Armando Ayuso in the silks.
#4 BLACKADDER ships in from Southern California for Bob Baffert following a nice maiden tally in his latest appearance. The $620,000 son of Quality Road has trained well in advance of his three-year-old bow, and I feel that he will really take to his first try on the synthetic. The win threat will be rallying from off the early pace.
#5 NUESTRO ENGREIDO graduated two back prior to a third-place allowance result in his most recent endeavor. The son of Cat Burglar would be a big surprise on the stretch out on Saturday.
#6 BOISE bagged a stakes race on the course in his lone prior run on the All-Weather for trainer Jonathan Wong. The son of Temple City has obvious ability, and the dark bay could challenge the field late with a career best under Evin Roman.
#7 DR PESCADO was a closing third in the Gold Rush S. on the oval last time out when making his stakes debut. The son of Fullbridled displayed a nice turn of foot in that contest, but he will need better to take down this cast beneath Pedro Terrero.
#8 MEETMEATTHECLUB is a maiden after two lifetime outings and seems overmatched at this stage of his development.
#9 C’MON MAN didn’t fire on the green at Santa Anita in his latest offering, but the Bill McLean pupil did show some ability on this course in his two-year-old campaign. The stalker is a dual winner on the strip, and he will be in the mix for a minor award late with his best showing.
#10 IL BELATOR showed marked improvement with the combination of going long and removing blinkers in his maiden win most recently. The bay son of Shackleford has worked steadily in preparation for his 2022 debut, and he could make the frame with a forward move off his latest try.
#11 DEL MO draws widest of all and faces a tall task on Saturday for O’Neill. The son of Uncle Mo did break through with a tally going long here most recently, but the $90,000 purchase would be a surprise under the guidance of Ruben Fuentes.
