Weaver looking forward to second Derby starter with Blue Grass victor Vekoma

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Vekoma earned a 94 Beyer Speed Figure when securing a spot in the Kentucky Derby with his 3 1/2-length victory Saturday in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland and will return to light training here midweek, trainer George Weaver said Sunday.

“He is well and happy,” said Weaver, who left Sunday for South Florida but planned to return here within a few days.

Vekoma, with Javier Castellano riding, dominated the 95th Blue Grass, putting away Somelikeithotbrown when drawing off down the stretch to defeat 13 other 3-year-olds. It was the third victory in four career starts for the son of Candy Ride and marks him as a serious player in the May 4 Derby at Churchill Downs.

This will be the second Derby starter for Weaver, the former Todd Pletcher assistant who grew up in Louisville. His first starter, Tencendur, was 17th in 2015 after finishing second in the Wood Memorial.

“They’re two different horses,” said Weaver. “Tencendur was more of a stayer, and this horse has a lot of gears.”

Weaver said he was unsure when Vekoma will van the 70 miles from Keeneland to Churchill, saying “We’ll come up with a plan soon.”

Vekoma will be joined in the Derby lineup by the two-three finishers in the Blue Grass, Win Win Win and Signalman, both of whom earned 88 Beyers, and quite possibly by fourth-place finisher Somelikeithotbrown, whose cumulative 30 points put him on the cusp of making the 20-horse cutoff.

Win Win Win was scheduled to return Monday to trainer Mike Trombetta’s base at the Fair Hill Training Center in northern Maryland. Ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., the colt was at an immediate disadvantage when breaking a tad sluggishly, then finding himself behind a crush of horses going into the first turn. He was still far back when in midpack approaching the quarter pole, and only an eye-catching stretch run got him past Signalman in the final jump.

“At the quarter pole, I thought I was headed to the Preakness,” Trombetta said early Sunday before leaving for Maryland.

“Like I said before the race, they keep moving the goalposts farther down the field,” added Trombetta, referring to the longer distances of every race. “That might end up being to our advantage. There were some questions about his ability at two turns, but his two races going long [the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass] are making me feel better about the mile and a quarter” of the Derby.

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Trombetta said Win Win Win will train at Fair Hill until about a week before the Derby.

Signalman, whose effort was substantially improved over a seventh in the Fountain of Youth, “will stay at Keeneland another week or two,” said trainer Kenny McPeek.

Somelikeithotbrown, the Jeff Ruby Steaks winner who was unproven over dirt before Saturday, held well to finish 4 1/4 lengths behind Vekoma and another four lengths before fifth finisher Chess Chief. Co-owner Jimmy Shircliff said before the Blue Grass that “a good fourth” or better would probably lead him and his partners to lean toward running in the Derby.

“He was a good fourth today,” Shircliff said minutes after the race.

For Castellano, the Blue Grass capped a sensational opening week. The four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey also rode the winners in three other stakes – the Palisades, Transylvania, and Madison – helping him to meet highs in wins (7) and mount earnings ($1,170,706) through the first three programs.