Uncertainty causes reshuffling of the deck for Kentucky Derby

The uncertainty in coming months regarding racing in general, and preps to the Kentucky Derby specifically, has caused a number of trainers to tweak their approaches with their top 3-year-olds in coming weeks. Other factors are at play in their decisions, including rules regarding shipping imposed by the owners of Gulfstream Park, and where horses stand on the current points list.

Gouverneur Morris now will be given strong consideration for the Arkansas Derby on May 2, trainer Todd Pletcher said, but Modernist will bypass the race, trainer Bill Mott said, and Sole Volante is increasingly unlikely to participate, according to trainer Patrick Biancone.

Bob Baffert is still pointing Nadal and Charlatan to the Arkansas Derby, but he has decided to back off on Authentic, who had been pointing to the Santa Anita Derby, which has been postponed from its original April 4 date; there is no re-scheduled date yet known owing to the suspension of racing at Santa Anita.

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As of Wednesday, the only remaining points-scoring race for the Kentucky Derby, now Sept. 5, is the Arkansas Derby, which is worth 170 points overall, with 100 for first. Churchill Downs has announced there will be additional points-scoring races for the Derby added at a later date. But with the resumption of racing in California, Kentucky, and New York on hold owing to the coronavirus pandemic, making plans beyond May 2 is utter guesswork at the moment.

That’s one reason the connections of Gouverneur Morris, most recently fourth in the Florida Derby, are now considering the Arkansas Derby. Gouverneur Morris has a mere 14 points on the system used by Churchill Downs to determine the Derby field.

“I think we have to consider it,” said Pletcher, who said he would confer with the colt’s owners on how to proceed. “He came out of the Florida Derby well.”

The Arkansas Derby is “the only thing on the radar at the moment,” said Pletcher, who said he was “on hold with everything” regarding his other 3-year-olds.

Modernist, who won a division of the Risen Star and was third most recently in the Louisiana Derby, placing him fourth on the Derby points list with 70, “is just jogging and hacking” at Payson Park, Mott said.

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“You don’t know whether to push through or back down or leave the throttle halfway,” Mott said. “We’re not doing any serious training with him now. The horse is doing fine. If we knew where he was going he’d have breezed five-eighths last Saturday.

“But we,” Mott said, referring to he and owner Marty Wygod, “just didn’t feel right pressing on to the next one.”

Sole Volante has been pointing to the Arkansas Derby, but Biancone is apprehensive to ship owing to current rules regarding returning horses to South Florida. Horses that ship out of state and return are required to “quarantine at a facility in Florida other than GP, GPW, PM” – referring to Gulfstream Park, Gulfstream Park West, and Palm Meadows, where Biancone is based – according to a notice on Gulfstream’s overnight for Friday. In addition, the notice says, “no humans may return with the horse.”

“Because of the rules put in place here, if nothing changes, I don’t think we will go,” said Biancone, who said not having his daughter Andie accompany Sole Volante home would be an issue in addition to the quarantine requirements. Andie Biancone, an assistant trainer to and exercise rider for her father, is a co-owner of Sole Volante.

Palm Beach Downs, where Pletcher is based, and Payson Park, where Mott is based, are not subject to the notice on the Gulfstream overnight as those are private training facilities. The notice only references the two tracks and the training center in South Florida that belong to The Stronach Group.

In California, Baffert is preparing the unbeaten colts Nadal and Charlatan for the Arkansas Derby. Nadal, who has 50 points, always has been ticketed for that race following his win in the Rebel. Charlatan, who would be making his stakes debut, has zero points.

Charlatan has a similar ownership group to Authentic, who has 60 points following victories in the Sham and San Felipe.

Authentic “was ready for the Santa Anita Derby,” Baffert said.

“Now, I’m just going to go easy with him,” Baffert said.

Authentic was born May 5, 2017, so the original date of the Derby, May 2, would have fallen before his actual third birthday. Baffert said the postponement of the Derby and sizable points total means he doesn’t have to rush Authentic.

“He’s a late foal,” said Baffert, who said he hoped to run Authentic next in June. “He’s the kind of horse who can get ready in three weeks. The whole thing now is Sept. 5.”

Baffert also had been pointing Thousand Words, who has 25 points, to the Santa Anita Derby. He wants that colt to get more experience, among the reasons he was sent to Arkansas for the Oaklawn Stakes on Saturday, even though that race offers no Derby points.

The Oaklawn Stakes drew 13 horses. The field from the rail is: Basin, Coach Bahe, Mr. Big News, Thousand Words, Sir Rick, Shoplifted, Flap Jack, Taishan, Digital, Something Natural, Background, Farmington Road, and Gold Street.

– additional reporting by Mary Rampellini