Like the King ran himself right into the Kentucky Derby with a one-length victory Saturday in the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky.
Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, Like the King rallied from eighth in a field of 11 3-year-olds to earn the 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points awarded to the Jeff Ruby winner. The chestnut Palace Malice colt is trained by Wesley Ward for the M Racing Group of Mickey Gonzalez.
Since Dream Shake finished third in his stakes debut in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on March 6, the promising 3-year-old colt has spent the last two Saturdays zipping through fast workouts.
On March 20, Dream Shake worked five furlongs in 58.20 seconds, the fastest of 75 recorded works for the morning. On Saturday, Dream Shake worked five furlongs in 59.80 seconds, his last major exercise before the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3.
Trainer Peter Eurton timed Dream Shake galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.60.
The Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby will have one of its larger fields in recent years on April 3, and a rare shipper from an out-of-state stable.
As of Friday, there were eight probable runners in Defunded, Dream Shake, Medina Spirit, Ottothelegend, Parnelli, Rock Your World, Roman Centurian, and The Great One. The stakes winners Get Her Number and Rombauer also are being considered.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Eight years after Orb took no prisoners marching through South Florida en route to victory in the 2013 Kentucky Derby, trainer Shug McGaughey will look to duplicate those exploits when he sends out Greatest Honour as the solid favorite over 10 other 3-year-olds in Saturday’s $750,000 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park.
The likelihood of a contested pace that should help his late run, and the hope that he can’t possibly get in as much trouble as he did in his last start, makes Hard Rye Guy an appealing prospect to score a mild upset in the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday at Turfway Park.
Parnelli, well beaten in two graded stakes for 3-year-olds in January, will start in the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 3, joining a field that has increased in size in recent days following the defection of race favorite Life Is Good.
Parnelli worked five furlongs in 1:01 on Wednesday at Santa Anita.
“He was very strong and into the bridle,” trainer John Shirreffs said. “He galloped out nicely.”
Shirreffs said the absence of Life Is Good due to injury has influenced the decision to start Parnelli, who will be a longshot.
Collaborate is trying to go from an unstarted maiden at the beginning of February to a prominent Kentucky Derby contender in less than three months, a meteoric rise that’s a microcosm of that of his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – There was one sure thing when it came to Wednesday’s all-important post-position draw for Saturday’s $750,000 Florida Derby. When Spielberg’s name was called, it marked the first time a horse trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert had ever been drawn for Gulfstream Park’s cornerstone event for 3-year-olds, which offers 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby on May 1.
Greatest Honour
Tapit – Tiffany’s Honour, by Street Cry
Bred in Kentucky by Courtlandt Farm
Greatest Honour, who is seeking his third consecutive graded stakes win at Gulfstream Park in Saturday’s Grade 1 Florida Derby, has established himself as a standout contender for the Kentucky Derby. He has a pedigree suited to the 1 1/4-mile Derby – but perhaps even more tailor-made for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes.
