Magnum Moon the big gun in contentious Arkansas Derby

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Magnum Moon can head into the Kentucky Derby undefeated if he clears one more hurdle Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn.

The competition will be keen.

There are 170 Kentucky Derby points at stake and eight other horses in the gate. Solomini, an Eclipse Award finalist at 2, is making his second start of the year. Quip is coming off a win in the Tampa Bay Derby. Oaklawn leading trainer Steve Asmussen sends out Combatant, Dream Baby Dream, and Tenfold, while Beautiful Shot tries to give trainer Keith Desormeaux a second prep win at the meet, following My Boy Jack in the Southwest.

Despite the deep cast, the spotlight is on Magnum Moon, who is 3 for 3 after winning a maiden special weight in January at Gulfstream, a first-level allowance at Tampa, and the Grade 2, $900,000 Rebel last month at Oaklawn.

“He’s a horse that’s always trained very well, but I think his two works since the Rebel have been as good as we’ve seen from him,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “He seems to be maintaining form and continuing to improve as the spring comes along. You love to see a horse continue to kind of fill out and grow, and he seems to have done that while maintaining his condition very well.”

The Arkansas Derby, at 1 1/8 miles, anchors a 12-race program that includes the Oaklawn Handicap, Count Fleet Sprint Handicap, and Northern Spur. Attendance could top 60,000 on a closing-day card forecast to be run under clear skies with temperatures in the 60s.

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Arkansas Derby (Race 11)

KEY CONTENDERS

Magnum Moon, by Malibu Moon
Last 3 Beyers: 97-88-95

◗ Magnum Moon’s 3 1/2-length win in the Rebel was significant from a development standpoint, Pletcher said.

“It was [his] first time in a graded stakes and stepping up against some more accomplished, more seasoned horses,” Pletcher said, “and for him to be able to do that in his third start was what we were hoping he was going to be able to do. But it’s always great to see one be able to tackle all those assignments, check off all the boxes of being able to ship to a new track, and get on an airplane, and step up into graded stakes in front of a bigger crowd – all those things that are sort of the X factors in some of these big prep races.”

◗ Magnum Moon breaks from post 6 under Luis Saez for owners Robert and Lawana Low.

“I think he’s versatile enough whatever scenario plays out,” Pletcher said. “He’s tactical enough that he’s not going to let anybody steal anything on the front end, but he’s kind enough that he doesn’t need the lead.”

Solomini, by Curlin
Last 3 Beyers: 92-93-93

◗ He rallied for second in the Rebel under Flavien Prat, who has the mount from post 5. The start was Solomini’s first since Dec. 9.

“I think he really needed that last race,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He’s doing well. He just needs to get away. Last time, he was standing a little flatfooted. I knew he wasn’t going to get away well.”

Solomini later encountered trouble.

“He was stopped numerous times on the far turn, couldn’t get through,” Baffert said. “It looked like he was hopelessly beaten, and he came out and ran second. He had every reason to quit running, and he didn’t.

“He’s a fighter. You’ve got to give him a chance, put him in a position to fight.”

Quip, by Distorted Humor
Last 3 Beyers: 94-68-77

◗ He was a one-length winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 10 in his first start since November.

“We have a race under our belts, so you can expect him to maybe run a couple of lengths better,” said trainer Rodolphe Brisset. “Now, you’re facing some good horses, too. It’s a Grade 1.

“If we can run one, two, three it means we really belong and we can focus on the next one.”

◗ Florent Geroux has the mount from post 8.

Combatant, by Scat Daddy
Last 3 Beyers: 92-85-94

◗ He has been knocking on the door all meet, running second in both the Smarty Jones and Southwest and third in the Rebel.

“He’s been honest, but we need a breakthrough race,” Asmussen said.

Dream Baby Dream, by Into Mischief
Last 3 Beyers: 81-80-83

◗ He enters off a runner-up finish in the Sunland Derby, a performance that was encouraging, said Asmussen.

“Like we were hoping, he’s a better horse going a mile and an eighth, and it was his first chance to do it,” he said. “I think that with these 3-year-olds, how far you’re going sorts a lot of the finishers out. Horses like him that are third, fourth, fifth at a mile and a sixteenth, that mile and an eighth sure comes in handy.”

◗ Asmussen also likes the added ground for Tenfold, who will be ridden by Victor Espinoza.

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