HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Champion Essential Quality solidified his position as the early Kentucky Derby favorite – and remained undefeated – when he overcame a layoff, a sloppy track, a wide trip and some talented foes to win his 3-year-old debut in the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday. He rolled by 4 1/4 lengths over Spielberg, the runner-up who was 4 1/4 lengths clear of third-place finisher Jackie’s Warrior, Woodhouse finished fourth, and each earned Kentucky Derby points on a sliding scale of 10-4-2-1. Essential Quality ($3.80) was making his first start since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 and his first start on a wet track in a Southwest Stakes that was delayed nearly two weeks due to a winter storm system. The champion shipped into Oaklawn from his Fair Grounds base Wednesday, and the rains hit mid-card Saturday, downgrading the Oaklawn surface from good to sloppy. Essential Quality, who broke from the rail, was deftly guided off the fence by jockey Luis Saez and settled into a stalking position as Jackie’s Warrior set fractions of 23.52 seconds for the opening quarter, 48.11 for the half-mile and 1:13.59 for six furlongs. Essential Quality advanced on the final turn, came wide into the stretch, withstood a bid from Southern California shipper Spielberg, then asserted himself in the later stages. He covered the 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.48. :: Bet horse racing on DRF Bets. Double Your First Deposit Up to $250. Join Now. “What a nice horse,” Saez said. Essential Quality won the Eclipse Award as 2-year-old male champion of 2020 after going 3 for 3 last year - among his wins was the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland. The victory Saturday was satisfying for trainer Brad Cox, who had the task of bringing out a champion - and early favorite for the Kentucky  Derby - for a new season of racing.     “With him accomplishing as much as he had, there’s pressure,” Cox said. “I don’t want to say that there’s not. There’s pressure and, you know, with the weather, I think that just added to it. I’d have loved for it to have been on a fast, dry track. But look, it’s all good. He’s able to win on fast dirt and we learned he’ll handle an offtrack - and it’s been known to rain the first Saturday in May.” Cox said Essential Quality’s final prep for the Kentucky Derby will likely be determined in the next week after discussions with the team of the champion’s breeder and owner, Godolpin. The races in play include the Blue Grass at Keeneland, the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, and the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.  Saez has now been aboard Essential Quality for his three graded stakes victories. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2021: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more “I’m so excited,” he told publicity at Oaklawn. “I was very happy to be riding this horse. What a talented horse. We knew the speed was to our outside. The plan was to try to follow [Jackie’s Warrior] the whole way. Everything came together. “He broke pretty well and at the five-eighths pole he took the bridle and was really pulling me, but I was waiting, just trying to wait with him. We came to the stretch just so easy. He switched leads and just took off. He finished very strong and I still had a lot of horse.” Essential Quality earned $450,000 for the win to improve his career record to 4 for 4 for earnings of $1.7 million. He is a son of Tapit. Handle on the 11-race card from all sources was $9.4 million. The program included the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap won by the Godolphin-owned Mystic Guide. The winner was ridden by Saez, who was aboard for trainer Michael Stidham. Essential Quality now has a total of 40 points for the Kentucky Derby and sits third on the leaderboard issued by Churchill Downs.