Magic Grant hopes to add more Derby points in Southwest Stakes

Magic Grant, who won his maiden in the Clever Trevor at Remington Park before running a close third in the track’s $300,000 Springboard Mile on Dec. 15, is being pointed toward the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn, trainer Eddie Milligan Jr. said Thursday.

The Grade 3, $800,000 race is Jan. 27. It carries points for the Kentucky Derby.

Magic Grant earned three points for his effort in the Springboard Mile, a race in which he closed for third. He finished two lengths behind winner Otto the Conqueror.

“I thought he ran a great race,” Milligan said. “He was closing really well on a speed-biased track and the effort he put in, I can’t knock it much. He’s still a little green. Each race, he runs a little better.”

Milligan trains Magic Grant for the Willis Horton Racing operation of Kevin Horton.

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Plans pending for ‘Otto’

Otto the Conqueror, who picked up 10 points for the Kentucky Derby with his win in the Springboard Mile, is now based at Oaklawn, trainer Steve Asmussen said Thursday.

Otto the Conqueror battled with the previously undefeated Glengarry for a three-quarter-length victory over that one earlier this month. It was the third consecutive win for Otto the Conqueror, who had captured a maiden special weight and a first-level allowance at Churchill before the start at Remington.

Plans going forward are to be determined.

“He came out of the Springboard Mile really well,” Asmussen said. “We’re obviously excited about him. We’ll let his training dictate where he runs and when.”

Otto the Conqueror is a son of Street Sense who races for Three Chimneys Farm. He was the seventh Springboard Mile winner for Asmussen, who has secured the North American title for trainer wins in 2023.

“We’ve been blessed with unbelievable opportunities,” he said. “When you get as good of horses as we do, you expect results.”

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