Kentucky Derby Dreams Coming True For Jinks Fires And Archarcharch

By Author: unknownmem
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Archarcharch came out of his upset win of the Arkansas Derby just fine, according to his trainer, who has the unlikely name of Jinks Fires. The 70-year-old trainer who has been training horses for 50 years now was all smiles after Jockey Jon Court, who also happens to be his son- in-law, guided his charge to a stunning upset.

The dark brown colt came from well off the pace and has the right sort of off-the-pace style that is often the best suited for the Kentucky Derby.

How strong was his Arkansas Derby win? Well, Nehro was coming at him near the end, with the wire coming just in time for him, and held that one off by a head. In Nehro’s previous race, he ran a 94 Beyer Speed Figure in the Louisiana Derby, and Dance City, who finished two lengths behind the winner, earned an 85 Beyer coming off a non-winner of one allowance race at Gulfstream. Early estimates from the Daily Racing Form’s Mike Watchmaker put the Beyer that will likely be assigned to Archarcharch at about a 94 - again a bit on the weak side for a Kentucky Derby contender.

The final time was 149.34, which is about the same time ...
... that last year’s Derby winner, Super Saver ran when finishing second by a nose.
Archarcharch came home his final furlong in about 12 and 4/5 seconds, which is respectable, though not outstanding.

Archarcharch will be coming into the Kentucky Derby with a solid two and three-year-old foundation, having raced twice as a two year old, and four times as a three-year-old. It should be noted that he does have experience over the Churchill Downs strip, having run his maiden race there, finishing second after steadying at the 5/8ths pole.

His trainer saw enough in that race to enter him straight into the $56,000 Sugar Bowl Stakes at The Fair Grounds, which he won convincingly. His next four races would come at Oaklawn Park. He was sent off as the even-money favorite in the $100,000 Smarty Jones, which was run amidst a fog so dense that the horses were not even visible running down the backstretch, and he didn’t run to form and faded badly to fourth.

He came back strongly in his first graded stakes, however, taking the G3 Southwest Stakes by a length despite a five-wide trip. His backers were not convinced he was in the same league as The Factor in the G2 Rebel Stakes, and they were proven right as he ran a respectable third, but The Factor was just too good that day.

Archarcharch has never lost two in a row – each time he has lost he has come back with a win in his next race. He has also never won two in a row either, which may not bode well for him in the Kentucky Derbyif this pattern holds.