Express Kid will run in Santa Anita Derby
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ARCADIA, Calif. - Express Kid, second by a nose in the Sunland Park Derby in February in his lone start this year, will be sent to Santa Anita later this week for a scheduled start in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 4.
Trainer Justin Evans said the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby at 1 1/8 miles is preferred over the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes, a $750,000 race at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on April 4.
“It’s an easier ship than going back to New York,” Evans said on Sunday from Sunland Park in New Mexico. “I know it’s going to be tough.
“There are some good horses in there. Hopefully we can come with an ‘A’ game.”
Express Kid is booked to work six furlongs on Tuesday at Sunland Park, near El Paso, and be shipped to California in the following days.
“We can have a good week of training over the track,” Evans said.
Express Kid breezed a half-mile in 47.40 seconds at Sunland Park on March 17, the fastest of 25 recorded works at the distance.
Owned by Bradley and Sharon Klevon, Express Kid has won 3 of 6 starts and earned $345,802. In the Sunland Park Derby at 1 1/16 miles, Express Kid was the 11-10 favorite in a field of six. He disputed the pace throughout and was edged by Pavlovian, who returned to finish second by a head in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on Saturday.
Last year, Express Kid raced throughout the Midwest, finishing the year with a win by 6 1/4 lengths in the Springboard Mile at Remington Park in December. A California-bred by Bodexpress, Express Kid will start in his longest race in the Santa Anita Derby.
Evans said Cristian Torres, who through Saturday was the leading rider at Oaklawn Park, will have the mount. Torres will be the seventh different rider on Express Kid in as many races.
The Santa Anita Derby field is led by Potente, Robusta and So Happy, the first three finishers of the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 7; Cherokee Nation, a maiden race winner by 10 lengths on Feb. 27; and Intrepido, the winner of the Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes last October who finished second by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Feb. 7.
Start the Ride, winner of the California Cup Derby for statebreds on Jan. 17 but sixth in the San Felipe Stakes, and Vitruvian Man, third in an allowance race at Turfway Park in December in his last start, are two other probable starters. Vitruvian Man is trained by Doug O’Neill, who also plans to run Robusta.
Secured Freedom, third in the Lewis and fourth in the San Felipe, will not start in the Santa Anita Derby. Trainer Tim Yakteen said on Sunday that Secured Freedom was recently diagnosed with an elevated temperature.
“I don’t think I’m running,” Yakteen said. “We’ll figure something out in the next week.”
Intrepido worked six furlongs in 1:14.40 at Santa Anita on Saturday under jockey Hector Berrios.
“He did his job,” trainer Jeff Mullins said of the workout. “It’s the same we’ve seen every time. He’s pretty straightforward.
“He wasn’t all-out. His works never really are.”
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