Trainer Jason Servis’s decision to keep Florida Derby winner Maximum Security in South Florida to train up to the Kentucky Derby certainly paid dividends on Sunday.
Gray Magician, the runner-up in the Group 2 United Arab Emirates Derby in Dubai on March 30, worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in California on Saturday in preparation for the Kentucky Derby on May 4.
Shortly after Game Winner finished off a sharp drill on Saturday morning here at Santa Anita, his work coming a little more than an hour after Roadster also worked impressively, their trainer, Bob Baffert, turned to his wife, Jill, and said, "I'm having a good day, honey." Then he did a jig. He's dancing his way to the Kentucky Derby.
On May 4, trainer Todd Pletcher will have to beat 18 other 3-year-olds with Cutting Humor and Spinoff to win the Kentucky Derby. On Friday morning, he only needed them to beat Mother Nature, a feat the two Derby contenders narrowly pulled off when getting in important five-furlong works just as a moderate to heavy rain shower began to fall over the Palm Beach Downs training center shortly before dawn.
With the countdown toward Kentucky Derby day relentlessly ticking on, and poor weather looming on the radar, War of Will was one of the first horses on the track Friday morning at Keeneland to work a sharp five furlongs in company in 1:00.20.
Blaine Wright could have been forgiven if his mind had been 2,000 miles away in Kentucky, where his headline horse, Anothertwistafate, was in peaceful repose at Churchill Downs.
The Japan Racing Association will offer separate-pool wagering on the Kentucky Derby this year, provided that Master Fencer, a Japanese-bred colt, is entered in the race, officials of Churchill Downs said on Wednesday.
The decision by Mike Smith and his agent, Brad Pegram, to ride Omaha Beach in the Kentucky Derby instead of their other enticing choice, Roadster, was reached on Tuesday, three days after Omaha Beach won the Arkansas Derby.
Roadster is helping to continue the rapid ascent for sire Quality Road, currently North America's leading general sire. One day before Roadster starts in the Kentucky Derby, Quality Road will be represented by early Kentucky Oaks favorite Bellafina.
Country House earned enough points via his third-place finish in the Arkansas Derby to leap into the top 20 on points, earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby field, and thus return to the Derby Watch top 20. He is a 50-1 shot on the line set by Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper.
