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General Quarters Staking His Derby Claim

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By RICK HARMON

Tribune correspondent

Published: March 14, 2009

OLDSMAR - Owner-trainer Thomas McCarthy didn't expect General Quarters to be in position to make a run at the Kentucky Derby when he claimed him for $20,000 last May at Churchill Downs.

Because of his size, McCarthy thought the grey colt wouldn't come into his own until he was a 4-year-old. But a fourth-place finish in a 2-year-old race at Keeneland in October, followed by a second-place run two weeks later had McCarthy, 75, thinking Triple Crown.

General Quarters will start today's 29th running of the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs as the second favorite at 4-1. The morning-line favorite is Hello Broadway at 3-1.

"Oh no, I never dreamed we would be looking at this horse for the Derby," McCarthy said. "He's a big horse. Usually bigger horses take more time to develop."

McCarthy tried to buy General Quarters at the 2007 Keeneland yearling sale. McCarthy said there were two colts he was looking at that he thought he could afford. Both were by the sire Sky Mesa. The first was General Quarters, although not named at that time. But McCarthy saw something physical he didn't like and passed on the horse. The second colt ended up to be more than McCarthy could afford so he left with none.

"But I was still looking for a horse and I saw this horse in the Daily Racing Form," McCarthy said. "I didn't know what General Quarters name was but I recognized the bloodline. I went to Churchill Downs and claimed the horse."

General Quarters will have James Lopez up when he starts from the No. 8 gate in the 11-horse field. Lopez has been the jockey for General Quarters since his arrival at Tampa, guiding the horse to second-place finishes in the $65,000 Inaugural Stakes and $75,000 Pasco Stakes and to the Winner's Circle in the Grade III $225,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Valentine's Day.

General Quarters has $121,645 in graded-race earnings, 18th on the graded list. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 horses and if more are entered, entrance is based on graded-race earnings. A win in today's race would add $180,000 in graded earnings. A good run could seal his trip to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby.

"If he runs well today, we'll take him to Keeneland and then to Churchill Downs," McCarthy said.

The horse also is getting some national attention. The Daily Racing Form has General Quarters on its Derby Watch list and he is on the Steve Haskin's Report on Bloodhorse.com.

Hello Broadway will be General Quarters' fiercest competition. The horse finished second to Capt. Candyman Can in the Grade II Hutcheson Stakes on Jan. 30 at Gulfstream Park. Also in the mix will be California horse Justdontcallmejeri, who will make his stakes debut and first start on a traditional dirt surface today. Justdontcallmejeri is coming off a third-place finish in an allowance race on Feb. 22 at Santa Anita.

Two other graded stakes races will highlight the 29th Festival Day. Rock Candy looks for her third straight stakes win in the Grade III $200,000 Florida Oaks for fillies. Rock Candy is undefeated at Tampa Bay Downs, including wins in the Gasparilla Stakes on Jan. 17 and the Suncoast Stakes on Feb. 14.

In the Grade III $175,000 Hillsborough Stakes, Backseat Rhythm heads the field of 11 fillies and mares 4-year-olds.

Information from dailyracingform.com was used in this report.

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