Social Inclusion now prepping for Kentucky Derby

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Hallandale Beach, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Wednesday's surprising victory by Social Inclusion over Honor Code has put the winner on the road to the Kentucky Derby.

Owned by Ron Sanchez, Social Inclusion defeated Honor Code by 10 lengths in the 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park. While Honor Code was the 1-2 favorite in the five-horse field, Social Inclusion was the 7-5 second pick.

"He was training extremely good, but he was still a little immature and we wanted to give him time because he's a May foal," Sanchez said. "We wanted to take our time because if you give a horse the time, it will pay off and now it is paying off. We brought him back to Florida because this is the Championship meet and if you think you've got a good horse, you've got to try with the best ones."

Social Inclusion, trained by Manny Azpurua, broke the track record of 1:41 by going the 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.97. It was just the second career start for the 3-year-old colt. He won his debut effort by 7 1/2 lengths at Gulfstream on Feb. 22, going six furlongs in 1:09.35.

Now the colt is being pointed toward a possible start in the Run for the Roses on May 3.

"Our original goal was the Preakness, but now we are thinking about the Derby," Sanchez said. "The main goal is the Wood Memorial, but we may want to not travel and stay here for the Florida Derby. We'll know soon about everything, maybe in just a couple days."

Sanchez also reports that inquiries have been made about selling Social Inclusion.

"I've had maybe eight or 10 offers. We're going to sit down and analyze everything and do what's best for the horse," Sanchez said. "I know this is a business, but we're going to make a decision that is going to be the best one for the horse. We're going to take our time and see what happens. If I sell, it has to be for big money. I want to keep a piece of the horse, because this is the horse of a lifetime. It's a dream for every horseman."