Seven new names are in the 23-horse lineup for Pool 3 of the 2014 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Thursday at noon Eastern for a three-day run. Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia has listed the mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, as a lukewarm 6-1 morning-line favorite for Pool 3, followed by Cairo Prince (8-1), Top Billing (8-1), Honor Code (10-1), and Shared Belief (12-1).
After three straight third- or fourth-place finishes in Grade 2 stakes against the likes of Cairo Prince and Honor Code at Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct, Intense Holiday apparently got the class relief he needed here.
Intense Holiday wasted no time heading back to trainer Todd Pletcher’s base at the Palm Meadows Training Center in south Florida, leaving Fair Grounds on a Sunday-morning flight that departed well before dawn. By noon, the narrow winner of the Risen Star Stakes was bedded down in his regular stall, looking no worse for travel and racing, and Pletcher confirmed that Intense Holiday probably will be back at Fair Grounds for the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 29.
With 2-1 favorite Top Billing hindered by a strong front-running track bias, Wildcat Red and General a Rod dueled from start to finish to earn 50 and 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. Meanwhile, Top Billing made the strongest positive impression, finishing third for 10 points, as 72-1 shot East Hall mildly bucked the bias for fourth.
The top three finishers from the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Saturday were all reported to be in good condition Sunday morning, but a potential rematch between Wildcat Red, General a Rod, and Top Billing in the Florida Derby on March 29 isn’t certain since only Wildcat Red is definitely intended for that race at this point.
Proceed remained undefeated in three starts on Saturday, when he comfortably held off Rebranded for a two-length win in the $120,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park.
The connections of Intense Holiday sent their colt from Florida to run in the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Saturday rather than the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park to take advantage of the long stretch here, and Intense Holiday needed every inch of it.
Wildcat Red looks like a sprinter, and he certainly has brilliant sprinter’s speed. That speed, utilized to its fullest over a track kind to his style, helped propel him to victory at Gulfstream Park on Saturday in the Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes, whose thrilling stretch drive will be overshadowed by debate over how big a role the track played in the outcome.
Cairo Prince had his second work since winning the Holy Bull last month when he went a half-mile in 49.90 seconds at Palm Meadows on Saturday. Cairo Prince is awaiting next month’s Florida Derby.
California Chrome worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 at Los Alamitos on Saturday, his final major workout for the $300,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 8.
