$250,000 Holy Bull Stakes, Feb. 4, 2023 (20 qualifying points for first, 8 for second, 6 for third, 4 for fourth, 2 for fifth) Winner: Rocket Can, by Into Mischief Trainer: Bill Mott Jockey: Junior Alvarado Owner: Frank Fletcher Racing Operations Distance / time: 1 1/16 miles / 1:44.97 Win margin: 3/4 Beyer: 82  The Holy Bull looked like a soft race on paper and played out in a similar fashion, especially when heavily favored CYCLONE MISCHIEF misfired badly. Instead, second choice ROCKET CAN, making first start since Nov. 26, worked hard for a commendable victory that was not exactly electric.   At Churchill Downs in his 2-year-old finale, Rocket Can stalked a quick pace set by eventual winner Confidence Game, headed that foe in upper stretch, but was turned away and appeared to be all out to hold second in a first-level allowance race. Confidence Game returned to finish a distant third in the Lecomte Stakes. The Holy Bull runner-up SHADOW DRAGON came into this, his third career start, with a New York-bred maiden win atop his resume and a peak Beyer of 59. Those are solid data points suggesting a subpar Derby prep, and the Holy Bull offered no visual evidence to the contrary, though Rocket Can did overcome significant ground loss.  :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Rocket Can, a gray colt with some serious heft to his frame, broke from post 8 and got away cleanly, but he lacks real speed and found himself six to seven paths wide going the first turn. His jockey, Junior Alvarado, neither took back nor asked for more pace, and Rocket Can, going with his ears laid back, eventually got into the No. 5 path while racing uncovered around the bend and onto the backstretch.  There was no cover to be found on the backstretch, either, with Rocket Can running fourth outside Cyclone Mischief while four to five paths wide behind a moderate tempo. Alvarado started moving his hands, asking for more run, at about the three-furlong marker, and while Rocket Can hardly is a push-button type horse, he forged forward, getting into the No. 3 path after clearing a struggling Cyclone Mischief. At the quarter pole, Rocket Can reached LEGACY ISLE, who’d inherited the lead, and went clear upon reaching the head of the homestretch. Rocket Can changed leads professionally and finished solidly to hold off Shadow Dragon in a race that ended at the sixteenth pole. Besides running farther than any of his rivals, we can credit Rocket Can for going straight and true to the wire and for a sustained gallop-out that showed off ample stamina reserves. He’s a grinder lacking elite skills but is in the barn of a master horsemen and obviously has a chance to develop further through the rest of the winter and into the spring.  Shadow Dragon was a rallying New York-bred maiden sprinter winner Sept. 29 but made no impact a month later in the Sleepy Hollow, a New York-bred one-turn mile. The Holy Bull was his first start in more than three months, and Shadow Dragon came back a vastly improved horse. Void of speed from post 3, Shadow Dragon was last by several lengths most of the race, with jockey Jose Ortiz guiding him to the outside approaching the half-mile pole. Ortiz shook the reins at his mount before going into the turn and got a good response, Shadow Dragon, four to five paths wide, looping the field with a 24.32 third quarter mile, easily best among the Holy Bull octet. Somewhat late to change leads, he failed to sustain his run all the way to the finish, understandable in a first route try following a long break, and if nothing else ought to prove useful in New York-bred ranks.  West Coast Cowboy, a 51-1 shot making his stakes debut in his third start, broke sharply from post 2 but was displaced on the lead by MR BOB, winding up in the pocket under a tight hold down the backstretch. He snuck through along the rail at about the quarter pole, going inside tiring Mr Bob, came under heavy pressure from his jockey, and stayed on decently along the inside for third in his first try around two turns.   Legacy Isle, disqualified winner of the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man, went about four wide into the first turn before clearing Cyclone Mischief and getting into a three-wide pressing position down the backstretch. He took the lead from fading Mr Bob at the five-sixteenths pole and initially fought back when Rocket Can came alongside him at the quarter pole, but failed to produce anything more after turning into the homestretch and finished tepidly while on the wrong lead.  IL MIRACULO, seventh in the Mucho Macho Man, broke from post 7 and got into a tight spot midway around the clubhouse turn, with his rider forced to take a hold and steady. Shuffled back third last onto the head of the backstretch, Il Miraculo wanted to go forward but had no room to operate and never did get into contention. He came under a ride at the seven-sixteenths marker but could only spin his wheels the rest of the way.  LORD MILES, a closing third in the Mucho Macho Man, was asked for some gate speed from post 1 that he failed to muster, falling to the rear of the pack and racing inside Il Miraculo on the backstretch. Lord Miles stuck to the inside before coming around Mr Bob past the quarter pole, finishing mildly. Even accounting for a less-than-ideal trip, his was a modest performance.   :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Cyclone Mischief, seventh in the Kentucky Jockey Club, had scored a sharp Gulfstream one-turn mile allowance win on Jan. 8. His performance there, which came with Lasix, produced a 91 Beyer and made him the heavy Holy Bull favorite, but with no Lasix and going round a second turn, Cyclone Mischief regressed badly. The colt has speed and broke sharply, but the jockey, for whatever reason, appeared intent on keeping his mount off the lead. Cyclone Mischief pulled for his head going onto the backstretch before winding up in a claustrophobic spot between rivals and just off the speed. Still right there at the quarter pole while under a ride, Cyclone Mischief already looked a beaten horse at the top of the homestretch and faded to the wire, beating just one home.  Mr Bob, who has a sprinter’s build, was tapped for speed into the first turn and led from midway round the clubhouse bend to midway round the far turn before throwing in the towel and bringing up the rear.  :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.