Oaklawn Park: The GIII, $500,000 Southwest at 1 1/16 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10-4-2-1) #3 Collected (5-2): Son of City Zip represents another Santa Anita invader for Baffert, who has won about 15 of these OP 3yo prep over the past decade or so, including a pair last year with Triple Crown hero American…
Golden Gate Field: The GIII, $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at 1 1/8 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10-4-2-1) With synthetic racing going out of flavor in recent years, there’s little doubt that Golden Gate’s signature Kentucky Derby prep has followed suit, but if nothing else, this year’s renewal offers a deep, competitive and robust…
Santa Anita: The GIII, $150,000 Robert B. Lewis at 1 1/16 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10-4-2-1) #1 Let’s Meet in Rio (6-1): The first of two from Baffert may get ignored a bit with his more heralded stablemate Mor Spirit taking all the money, but he was a solid second in the local GIII…
On the day that the Holy Bull Stakes was run at Gulfstream Park, a son of that 1994 Horse of the Year added to his Kentucky Derby points total with a win in the Grade III Withers at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York. Sunny Ridge earned 10 Derby points with his Withers win, adding…
Gulfstream Park: The GII, $350,000 Holy Bull at 1 1/16 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10-4-2-1) #1 Perfect Saint (20-1): Romans charge was 5-1 in a local optional claimer 21 days ago but didn’t run an inch behind his impressive stablemate Cherry Wine, who passed on this to await the GII Fountain of Youth here…
Aqueduct: The GIII, $250,000 Withers at 1 1/16 miles (Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 10-4-2-1) #1 Donegal Moon (15-1): It’s rare you get a longshot from Pletcher in a 3yo graded stakes, but this son of Malibu Moon certainly fits the bill, as he was well-beaten by today’s favorite Flexibility in the GII Remsen to end…
With great pleasure I post the first of Brian Nadeau’s analyses of this year’s Kentucky Derby preps. We started this way back in 2009, and I am thrilled that Brian is back for another year. Brian handicaps at Horseplayer Now, is a regular on Capital OTB TV in upstate New York, and writes a weekly Breeders’ Cup…
Brooklyn Backstretch 