Kentucky Derby points race winding down
HOT SPRINGS — A few Oaklawn-raced horses had their Kentucky Derby plans modified to different degrees in prep races Saturday for the May 6 classic at Churchill Downs.
In short, if the cut had been Sunday, Verifying and Jace’s Road would be in and Red Route One out of the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, according to a points system based on Derby prep outcomes. Three 100-point preps over the weekend leaves only the Grade 3 Lexington on Saturday at Keeneland, which with 20 points to the winner means it cannot produce an addition to the Derby field.
The “only impact on the leaderboard,” said Bloodhorse writer Bob Ehalt, could affect Lexington starter Confidence Game, making his first start since scoring 50 points in winning Oaklawn’s Grade 2 Rebel Feb. 25. That “could come from attrition,” he said, “if Confidence Game turns in a clunker and his connections lose, well, confidence in him.”
Trainer Keith Desormeaux shipped the colt from New Orleans for the Rebel Stakes, for which the colt earned 50 points, and passed on the Grade 1 $1.25 million Arkansas Derby April 1, a 100-point prep.
With overseas connections of Continuar accepting an invitation for the 20th spot through the Japanese Road to the Triple Crown series, only 19 spots remain for the Louisville classic, with that last berth currently belonging to Jace’s Road with 45 points. Trainer Brad Cox’s Quality Road colt placed third in Oaklawn’s Grade 3 Southwest Jan. 28 and third in Fair Grounds’ G2 Louisiana Derby March 5.
A close second in two preps Saturday, Cox holds a strong hand for the Derby, held in his hometown. Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire is third with 154 points, Hit Show 11th with 60 and Oaklawn winner Verifying 13th with 54, Jace’s Road following. (Arkansas-owned Victory Formation, the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones winner at Oaklawn for Cox and Arkansas owner Frank Fletcher, is entered in the Lexington. Tapwrit dropped off the Derby trail after running third behind stablemate Angel of Empire in a Fair Grounds prep. Fletcher looks primed for a Derby start with Florida graded winner and Oaklawn-raced Rocket Can, trained by Bill Mott.)
Hit Show held second in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial after an inquiry and objections involving the top three finishers. Lord Miles’ number stayed up after what an Arkansas handicapper likened to a “demolition derby” at Aqueduct in New York.
Verifying, a winning Justify
colt Jan. 14 at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort before fourth in the Rebel, placed second to favored Tapit Trice in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Owned by Florida-based Mandy Pope, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt has paired victories in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass. Pletcher also trains champion and probable Derby favorite Forte, a Violence colt owned by Mike Repole with a gutty last-out victory from an outside post in the Grade 1 Florida Derby.
Steve Asmussen’s hopes of a first Derby victory have dipped with two-time Oaklawn stakes runner-up Red Route One in 28th place with 33 points. Disarm, at 25th with 40 points, is the trainer’s top Derby hopeful off a Louisiana Derby second. Both are Gun Runner colts trained by Ron Winchell, Disarm placing second in an Oaklawn allowance Feb. 19.