ARCADIA, Calif. – Skinner bounced out of his Santa Anita Derby third-place finish in such good shape he has already returned to work. Just nine days after missing by a half-length in the Santa Anita Derby, Skinner worked a half-mile Monday to stay on target for the Kentucky Derby. Only one problem. As of Wednesday morning, Skinner ranked 22nd on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 45 points. He needs two defections to make the field. For trainer John Shirreffs, who won the 2005 Derby with Giacomo, it is déjà vu all over again. In 2017, Shirreffs entered two in the Kentucky Derby – Santa Anita Derby winner Gormley and third-place finisher Royal Mo, a Grade 3 winner. But the 30 qualifying points earned by Royal Mo merely tied him for 20th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with Sonneteer, a maiden who finished second in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes. Sonneteer had more graded earnings than Royal Mo and made the cut. Royal Mo, first preference on the also-eligible list, did not scratch in. “The horse that kept Royal Mo out of the Derby was a maiden,” Shirreffs said, noting the oddity. Referring to Royal Mo, Shirreffs said, “Here’s a horse that won a Grade 3, finished third in the Santa Anita Derby, and he doesn’t get in because a maiden won more money.” :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. Skinner currently is on the outside looking in, but Shirreffs will train the colt as if his next start is the first Saturday in May. The improving son of Curlin has dropped hints he has another forward move in him following the Santa Anita Derby, in which he covered more ground than one-two finishers Practical Move and Mandarin Hero. After the race, Shirreffs said Skinner “came back to the barn, and he wasn’t the least bit tired. That makes me think he still has more to give.” Shirreffs typically waits 10 to 11 days after a race before he works a horse, but he worked Skinner back in nine. A forward move by Skinner next out is likely. Whether it will happen in the Kentucky Derby remains uncertain. Mandarin Hero in limbo Mandarin Hero, the Japanese colt who finished second in the Santa Anita Derby, is mired 25th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 40 points. Although he needs five defections to make the field, the colt’s connections are laying the groundwork for a potential Derby start. “All we can do is plan for it,” said Sean Toriumi, liaison for Mandarin Hero’s trainer Terunobu Fujita. “We have a flight booked April 27 [from California]. We’re going to wait to see what happens with Kentucky, and holding out hope.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2023: Derby Watch, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Mandarin Hero has resumed light training at Santa Anita. If he does not make the Kentucky Derby, Mandarin Hero is likely to aim to the Preakness Stakes on May 20. Depending on Derby developments, Fujita is expected to make a scouting trip to Churchill Downs next week, similar to the Santa Anita scouting trip he took days before the Santa Anita Derby in which Mandarin Hero finished second by a nose. ◗ Reincarnate, who is in the Kentucky Derby field, worked five furlongs in company April 26 at Santa Anita. He was timed in 1:00 working with Tim Yakteen-trained stablemate American Admiral. Practical Move, the Santa Anita Derby winner trained by Yakteen, typically works about two weeks after he runs. He won the Santa Anita Derby on April 8. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.