Seven horses added to Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2
Seven new names are in the lineup for Pool 2 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run.
Marty McGeeFeb 07, 2018
Seven new names are in the lineup for Pool 2 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run.
Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Good Magic
Less than 24 hours after finishing second and third, respectively, with Free Drop Billy and Tiz Mischief in the Grade 2 Holy Bull, trainer Dale Romans may have found himself another Kentucky Derby candidate.
Untamed Domain could make his dirt debut in the March 10 Tampa Bay Derby as he attempts to enter the Kentucky Derby picture following a decent third-place finish as the 6-5 favorite Saturday in the Dania Beach Stakes on the Gulfstream turf.
Strike Power passed another test with flying colors by winning the Swale Stakes last weekend at Gulfstream Park. Now comes deeper water for a 3-year-old colt who has earned the right to give the Kentucky Derby trail a try.
In his first start around two turns, first start outside of New York, and in his stakes debut, Audible stepped up his game with a runaway victory while producing a strong 99 Beyer Speed Figure three months out from the Derby.
Jockey Joe Bravo said Avery Island is a physically talented colt who still has more to learn. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he may give Avery Island two more starts to get the education necessary for the Kentucky Derby.
AVERY ISLAND made his 3-year-old debut a winning one and now has won three times in his last four starts, but for me, this race confirmed two opinions held dear for months – Catholic Boy is one of the best Derby prospects, and FIRENZE FIRE is not cut out for the Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles.
On paper, this looked like a subpar Derby prep – seven of the nine runners were eligible for a first-level allowance race, and the other two were maidens – and it played out that way, with the race receiving a figure suitable to a first-level allowance as LOMBO, making his first try around two turns after three sprints, led from start to finish.
What you think of Saturday’s developments on the road to the Kentucky Derby probably depends on what you make of Audible’s big score in the Holy Bull Stakes.