Kentucky Derby Horse Profile: Litigate

Feb 13, 2023 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

Centennial
Farms’ Litigate earned 20 points on the 2023 Road to the Kentucky Derby challenge series after posting a 1 1/4-length victory in the $200,000 Sam F. Davis S. (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 11. The winner ran 1 1/16 miles on
the fast main surface in 1:44.83 under Luis Saez to notch his initial stakes
win.

'The game plan was trying to break
from the start and pick up some spots,' Saez said. 'He ran from there
pretty well and when he came to the top of the stretch, I felt like I had a lot
of horse and let him run free and keep going. I thought I had it. I had plenty
of horse and he was running pretty nice. That was magnificent.'

Groveland,
Classic Car Wash, Classic Legacy, and Zydeceaux came next and picked up
qualifying points on an 8-6-4-2 structure.

Trained
by Todd Pletcher, the colt began his career at Aqueduct on Nov. 19 and
registered a three-quarters of a length score in a 6 1/2-furlong maiden special
weight contest. He then finished runner-up in a Gulfstream Park allowance tilt that preceded his score at Tampa. The bay now sports a lifetime line of
3-2-1-0, $182,590.

Litigate was bred in the Bluegrass State by Nursery Place, Donaldson, and Broadbent, and
he brought the gavel down at $370,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling
Sale. The sophomore is the first stakes winner produced from the Mineshaft mare
Salsa Diavola, who counts herself as a half-sister to dual Grade 3 victor
Pacific Ocean. This is the same female line as excellent sire Private Account.

The son of Blame has posted Brisnet Speed figures of 90-92-87 from a trio of
performances to date. He must get a lot faster to compete with the best of his
generation in the spring, but the lightly raced three-year-old possesses a
pedigree that screams staying power both top and bottom, and he will only
improve as the distances increase throughout the season.

Litigate
is possible for the $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) on the oval on March 11.