The 2018 portion of the European Road to the Kentucky Derby is off to a rocky start. The Patton Stakes scheduled for March 2 at Dundalk was postponed until March 9 owing to a wintry blast sweeping across England this week. Another race in the series, scheduled for Thursday at Kempton, could be in similar jeopardy.
A field of 10 3-year-olds, led by reigning juvenile champion Good Magic, was drawn on Wednesday for the 1 1/16-mile Fountain of Youth on Saturday at Gulfstream Park
Reride improved his record to 4 for 5 with his win in the $100,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park last Sunday, and the success he is having on the track is no surprise given his family tree.
Javier Castellano has gone from New Orleans to Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, with a final destination of Louisville.
2018 Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Marconi
There were no Kentucky Derby prep races last week, and fortunately, no one had a hiccup that forced him to the sidelines, so there are no changes to the Derby Watch top 20 this week in terms of the lineup and the future line of Daily Racing Form national handicapper Mike Watchmaker, who has Good Magic as the favorite at 6-1.
Justify, who earned a brilliant Beyer Speed Figure of 104 with his runaway debut win on Feb. 18, came back to work Monday, two days earlier than originally planned, owing to a forecast for rain in upcoming days.
Bolt d'Oro's workout Monday morning at Santa Anita, his main piece of work prior to his 3-year-old debut 12 days hence in the San Felipe Stakes, was a microcosm of his preparation this winter. He started off behind and finished well.
Trainer Ian Wilkes has another promising 3-year-old on his hands this season in Gotta Go, a son of Shanghai Bobby, who became a stakes winner at 2 when capturing the Street Sense at Churchill Downs on Oct. 29.
For people who grew up in Boston and are of a certain age, the 2018 Kentucky Derby will mark the 50th anniversary of a Derby that will always be steeped in controversy.
