An ankle issue, presumably the result of an incident that occurred in the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, will keep High Oak from running in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial on April 9 and eliminate any hope of him making to the Kentucky Derby
Trainer Kenny McPeek could put himself in position to pull off an unprecedented, intercontinental double. He has top 3-year-olds like Rattle N Roll and Smile Happy, and Dash Attack will get a chance, too, to prove he belongs in the Kentucky Derby. Tiz the Bomb also will run in a Derby prep but his major objectives are the English 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby.
Kentucky Derby: Who's hot, who's not for March 23, 2022.
2022 Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Rattle N Roll
In Due Time, the runner-up in an eventful running of the March 5 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park, will bypass the April 2 Florida Derby in favor of a later Kentucky Derby prep, according to trainer Kelly Breen.
Smile Happy, the top-ranked 3-year-old on Daily Racing Form's Derby Watch top 20, will have his final prep for the May 7 Kentucky Derby in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 9
Simplification didn't have the fastest five-furlong work on Saturday's tab at Gulfstream Park, not even close to it. But Simplification's 1:01.81 clocking doesn't accurately describe just how impressive he looked working back for the first time since his 4 1/2-length victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth two weeks ago.
Nine horses, headed by Risen Star Stakes winner Epicenter, were entered Saturday for the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 26 at Fair Grounds. The Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, carrying 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, will be the last of 12 races next Saturday on an eight-stakes card that also features the 2022 debut of Echo Zulu, the champion 2-year-old filly of 2021.
Arkansas Derby candidates Un Ojo and Barber Road put in works toward the April 2 race at Oaklawn Park at separate locales on Saturday.
Forbidden Kingdom, the winner of two Grade 2 races this year who is rated as one of the nation’s leading 3-year-olds, will not have a timed workout this weekend after he was diagnosed with an elevated temperature in recent days.
