Papa Clem Outfinishes Old Fashioned In 73rd Arkansas Derby; Old Fashioned Injured

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Bo Hirsch's homebred three-year-old colt Papa Clem, stormed to the front at the head of the stretch and outdueled the game frontrunner, Fox Hill Farm's Old Fashioned, to score a half-length victory in the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday afternoon.  The bay son of Smart Strike responded gamely under jockey Rafael Bejarano in front of the season's largest crowd of 55,193 gathered in near-perfect spring weather.  Drs. K.K. and Devi Jayaraman's Summer Bird finished another three-quarters of a length back in third, two lengths in front of Win Willy.

The results were marred somewhat by news late in the evening that Old Fashioned turned up lame after a cooling out period.  By Sunday morning the diagnosis was a displaced slab fracture of the right knee, the kind of injury likely to end a racing career, though not life-threatening.
"He's going back with our horses to Kentucky and we'll look to having him surgically treated once we get there.  Horses with that kind of injury sometimes come back, but rarely at the level at which he competed," noted trainer Larry Jones at the barn on Sunday morning." 

Sent postward as the 4-1 second choice, Papa Clem sat in fifth position, just a short distance behind the even-money favorite, Old Fashioned, as the popular gray runner cut out lively fractions of :22.3, :46 and 1:11 to the final turn in the 73rd running of the annual closing day feature.  Once asked by Bejarano, the Gary Stute trainee made a quick move to engage the leader, but was under a drive to hold sway in a thrilling stretch drive.  He complete the mile-and-an-eighth in 1:49 over the fast going, the fastest Derby since Afleet Alex raced in 1:48.4, winning by eight lengths in 2005.  The time is the same posted by Smarty Jones in winning the 2004 Arkansas Derby. 

Trainer Gary Stute was understandably excited.  "When I saw Old Fashioned get beat in the Rebel, I knew we had a shot.  I was oing to go to the Illinois Derby, but why go for $500,000 when ytou might get a million?  My dad (trainer Mel Stute) trained Snow Chief, who I thought could do anything.  When he went to the Kentucky Derby I thought he had a legitimate shot, but he disappointed.  The he went to the Preakness and did so well.Up until today the Preakness was the happiest day of my life.  He (Papa Clem) has done everything so perfect here at Oaklawn.  He just doesn't want to get beat.  He has a ton of heart."