The Derby is becoming a bit like the NFL playoffs, with far more than 12 possibilities. The hot team, not necessarily the best team, has won the Super Bowl in recent years.
Trainer Dominick Schettino said he’s considering the options for his top 3-year-old prospect Always in a Tiz, a son of Tiznow who was stakes placed in his most recent start earlier this month at Aqueduct.
Like all trainers fortunate to have Kentucky Derby prospects in their barn this winter, Josie Carroll will spend plenty of time over the next few months plotting the best course to get her top 3-year-olds to the big dance.
Whichever horse wins the featured seventh race Wednesday at Fair Grounds will earn a map, a compass, and a chance to venture at least a little ways down the Triple Crown trail in a race like the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 19 at Fair Grounds.
The West Coast is clear for late developers to rise quickly to the top of the charts at the Santa Anita meeting that begins Wednesday.
Churchill Downs on Thursday announced the 2013 dates for its Kentucky Derby Future Wager and Kentucky Oaks Future Wager weekends.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby took his first baby step back toward his 3-year-old debut when he worked an easy half-mile in 52 seconds at the Palm Meadows training center on Monday.
Since August, owner Adam Wachtel has been scouring charts, watching videos, and interpreting speed figures in an effort to find an under-the-radar 2-year-old he could attempt to buy and point to next year’s Kentucky Derby.
Though he will practice in south Florida, Remsen Stakes winner Overanalyze will play in New York to begin his 3-year-old season.
Yes, the Kentucky Derby is still more than five months away, but it’s not too early for trainer Todd Pletcher to begin thinking about it. Given the depth of his crop, there may not be a race restricted to 3-year-olds run in the first part of 2013 in which Pletcher isn’t participating.
