Virginia Derby loses its star power: Nicanor scratched

The Virginia Derby lost a bit of its luster yesterday when morning-line favorite Nicanor, brother of famed Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, was scratched.

Reached by phone, trainer Michael Matz said the horse injured his left hind leg while working out. During a workout Thursday in Maryland, it became evident that he would not be able to make his stakes race debut today.

"He pulled something in his left hind leg," Matz said.

The news has created a wide-open field for a packed house at Colonial Downs. Racing starts at 1 p.m., the Derby is at 5:59 p.m. and general admission tickets are $5.

The new favorite, though at 4-1 odds not an overwhelming one, is Battle of Hastings, which won the Colonial Turf Cup --the first leg of the Grand Slam of Grass -- almost a month ago at Colonial Downs.

Assistant trainer Ral Ayers said that British-born Battle of Hastings is part of a field that sets up in his favor.

"I think there's a little more speed, which helps out with the pace," he said.

He's looking to speed things up after a sluggish Turf Cup, which Battle of Hastings won by a head. With a win at the $750,000 Derby, the team would be halfway to the $5 million Grand Slam of Grass. A lofty prize, but not one that Ayers is counting on.

"Honestly, we weren't even aware of it," he said. "It's such a long shot, but obviously if he runs well we'll have to think about it."

Tyler Baze, who rode Battle of Hastings to victory in June, will take his sixth consecutive ride on that horse.

Another favorite is sure to be Hold Me Back, who got squeezed out during his last run at the Kentucky Derby, but has the services of jockey Kent Desormeaux for today's race.

The Virginia Derby isn't the only reason to head to Colonial Downs today. Aside from the "fancy hat contest," there are two other stakes races on a 12-race card, the Kitten's Joy and the Virginia Oaks.

One intriguing subplot in those will be the continued battle for track dominance between jockeys Rosemary Homeister and Sheldon Russell. The two have been neck and neck all season in the battle for victories.

They'll both step aside, though, for the Derby, scheduled as the 11th race of the day. When fans head to the betting window for that one, there will be no shortage of options among the wide-open field.

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or .

WOOD'S WINNERS

NINTH RACE: $50,000 KITTEN'S JOY STAKES
This race kicks off an all-stakes Pick-3 wager, which this year offers 50-cent combinations. No. 7 Independent George is the second early choice in a classy field, and this 6-year-old gelding finishes in the money two-thirds of the time in grass efforts. In August, he had a splendid showing in the Grade I United Nations at Monmouth Park and will be making just his third start of '09. No. 3 Vanquisher is the early pick, and with more than $186,000 in turf earnings, that status is justified. The 5-year-old Gulch gelding gets rider Alan Garcia, who captured the '08 Turf Cup at Colonial Downs. No. 10 Rockaby Baby is better on turf, and local trainer Ham Smith gets Big Brown's jockey, Kent Desormeaux, today. Smith's 6-year-old faces a stiff test, but his recent efforts show promise. Try No. 7 to win and use the top two in your first-leg Pick-3 wagers. 1

0th RACE: $150,000 VIRGINIA OAKS
When we last saw jockey Edgar Prado in the Colonial Downs winner's circle, it was a year ago in the Virginia Oaks. Today, he will guide No. 11 Shared Account in the '09 edition, and we could see Prado back for an encore. The Graham Motion trainee has tried turf just once, and that was over a yielding surface last time out at Belmont Park. The filly had a couple rough Grade II stakes outings this spring, but she fits nicely in this wide-open Grade III race. No. 4 Excelente had a solid runner-up finish in an Arlington stakes event two months ago. Though winless in three U.S. starts after a first and second in Ireland, she could take the next step forward today. No. 3 Oh So Nice is a Jonathan Sheppard trainee that will be trying stakes competition for the first time. She will be in the chase. No. 11 to win.

11TH RACE: $750,000 VIRGINIA DERBY
Even with early favorite Nicanor's scratch, there still are nine high-quality horses that make this perhaps the most wide open Derby field yet. No. 6 Straight Story lost by a head in the Colonial Turf Cup here four weeks ago, and if you saw the race or simply peek at the horse's comment line in the program, you'll see he was carried eight-wide. If that doesn't happen, he'll get his picture taken in the winner's circle. No. 8 El Crespo comes in from Churchill Downs, where he most recently finished second in a Grade II stakes to Florentino, who also is in today's race. Leading money-winning rider Julien Lepareaux is up top, and this horse's running style fits today's race. If he stays off the early pace, he could finish strong. No. 9 Battle of Hastings is the favorite, and the West Coast shipper has Tyler Baze astride again. The Derby is 1/16th of a mile longer than the Turf Cup. Can Battle of Hastings get the extra distance? That is the key question. Let's try No. 6 to win and place, and use this trio in an exacta box.