The frozen tundra of Aqueduct's inner track is hardly a revered proving ground for Kentucky Derby royalty.
Since its opening in the mid 1970's, the only horse hardy enough to race over the inner track and then bask in the winner's circle on the first Saturday in May when the warm sun beats down on "My Old Kentucky Home" was 2004 Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones.
As spring approaches, the Derby dreams of inner track horses generally crumble like icicles on a warm day, as they did for the most part in Saturday's $250,000 Withers at the Big A.
El Kabeir seemed a worthy exception to the rule. He came into the Withers off two straight graded stakes wins. He captured the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Gold Cup in November at no less a venue than Churchill Downs. Then he ventured north to New York and romped to a 4 ¾-length victory in the Grade 3 Jerome in his first introduction to the inner track.
Those two wins accounted for most of the series-leading 25 points he has racked up in the Road to the Kentucky Derby point chase, a total that pretty much assures him of a spot in the Run for the Roses, if owner Ahmed Zayat decides to enter him.
Whether El Kabeir deserves to be there was subject to debate after a disappointing encore appearance on the inner track.
Sent off as a prohibitive 1-2 favorite over five mostly inexperienced rivals in the Withers, El Kabeir enjoyed a fine trip, pressing early leader Classy Class through moderate fractions of 47.95 seconds and 1:12.01. Yet in the stretch, he and Classy Class, the 7-2 second choice, had no answer when a horse with just one start under his belt charged up to them.
Far From Over, whose only other start was a maiden victory over the inner track, trailed after a stumbling start in the mile-and-a-sixteenth test. Yet the 6-1 shot ($14.40) drew clear in the final furlong to win by 1 ¾ lengths in a final time of 1:43.93, a performance that spoke volumes about him and left trainer John Terranova wondering what went wrong with El Kabeir, who checked in second.
"It's hard to say what happened just yet," Terranova said. "He came back fine. It looked like he had a great trip. He sat in a perfect spot. He just got beat. The winner is one of those 3-year-olds with just one start. He can be any kind."
The son of Blame is hardly the typical inner track runner. He was purchased for a hefty $550,000 as a yearling on behalf of Steven Marshall's Black Rock Thoroughbreds, yet he did not make his debut until Dec. 12 when he flashed early speed and posted a victory by a nose in a mile-and-70-yard maiden race over the inner track.
Since he's trained by Pletcher, who nominated 34 horses for the Kentucky Derby, the Withers was hardly a stretch for his next start.
"We knew he had talent," said assistant trainer Byron Hughes, who deputized for Pletcher in saddling Far From Over. His boss was a little preoccupied at Gulfstream Park on Saturday, winning a pair of Grade 1 stakes, the Donn Handicap with Constitution and Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap with Mshawish, plus the Grade 3 Suwannee River with Sandiva.
As for Far From Over, he surely has talent, and some heart, too.
Far From Over stumbled coming out of the gate, a turn of events that left him about five lengths behind the rest of the field and prompted a loud scream of anguish from Marshall as he watched the race in Aqueduct's crowded replay room.
Far From Over was still last at the quarter pole, but entering the stretch he began to gain ground on El Kabeir and Classy Class, who would wind up third.
"He had a bad step coming out of the gate and the game plan changed after that," jockey Manny Franco said. "At the three-eighths pole, I picked it up and went for the lead. I thought I would be able to get there."
Gaining ground quickly along the rail, Far From Over became a menacing presence when Franco steered him outside of the two leaders in mid-stretch. Meanwhile, a highly enthusiastic Marshall offered some emotional help in guiding his horse home. President of Western Energy, a gas and oil exploration and production company, Marshall bounded from his seat as Far From Over began his charge to the lead and rushed up in front of a large viewing screen, urging the 3-year-old home with cheers loud enough to drown out the planes landing at nearby Kennedy Airport and, for good measure, capping the win with an emphatic expletive.
"This is my life, man," said Marshall, who previously owned Grade 1 winner Violence, a colt who suffered a career-ending injury when he finished second to eventual Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the 2013 Fountain of Youth. "I know what can happen in horse racing, so you don't expect something like this."
Now Pletcher has to plot a course to Louisville that can net Far From Over more than the 10 points he picked up from the Withers in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series.
"Todd will find places to spread [all of his Derby prospects] out," Hughes said. "I thought we were in trouble coming out of the gate today. Ideally we would have been third behind the two leaders, but [Far From Over] had an awesome turn of foot and got up in time."
The next Derby prep in New York is the $400,000 Gotham on March 7, which is also on the inner track. It seems a natural spot for Far From Over, but after Saturday's triumph it might finally be time for him to strut his stuff on a more prominent stage.
He may have started on the inner track, but at this point his upward climb may very well be far from over.