OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Put aside the fact the winner of Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct essentially earns a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. The one-mile race is simply a logical spot for the development of probable race favorites Freedom Fighter and Highly Motivated, whose futures may include high-profile, albeit shorter, races in the 3-year-old division.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Last Sunday morning, when Life Is Good had his final workout at Santa Anita in preparation for the Grade 2, $300,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday, his jockey, Mike Smith, watched the drill from the stands and remarked that as smooth as Life Is Good looks to an observer from that vantage point, it’s even better on his back.

“His balance is that of an extreme athlete,” Smith said. “If he was an NBA player, he’d have a crossover that would break your ankles, like Allen Iverson. He moves incredible.”

OLDSMAR, Fla. – Rain and unseasonable chill are in the Saturday forecast at Tampa Bay Downs, but somebody’s day will get much brighter as the sun is lowering itself onto a dreary Gulf Coast horizon.

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – An equipment change helped Wipe the Slate achieve his first career victory. Trainer Doug O’Neill hopes another change will help the 3-year-old get his second one.

O’Neill will remove the blinkers from Wipe the Slate’s equipment when he runs in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. Wipe the Slate will attempt to rebound from a last-place finish in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis on Jan. 30 at Santa Anita.

There is no trainer more focused on winning the Kentucky Derby, or with clientele who share the same goal, as Bob Baffert.

In the years since he first won the Derby back in 1997 with Silver Charm, his stable size has grown, and Derby stock has become the biggest part of the portfolio. The combination of choice horses and a Hall of Fame trainer has resulted in three Derby victories and two Triple Crowns in the last six years. With six Derby victories overall, Baffert is tied with the legendary Ben Jones for the lead among trainers.

OLDSMAR, Fla. – A busy weekend of Kentucky Derby prep races is liable to uncover a surprise or two. Vicki Oliver hereby volunteers to provide the surprise with Big Blue Nation.

Oliver is the trainer of Hidden Stash, one of the live contenders Saturday in the Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs. A late-closing third in the Sam F. Davis here Feb. 6 after winning back-to-back races in Kentucky to end his 2-year-old season, Hidden Stash stands to improve enough to enter the Derby discussion with a big finish in the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby.

Or so Oliver is hoping.

Life Is Good

Into Mischief – Beach Walk, by Distorted Humor

Bred in Kentucky by Gary and Mary West ($525,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by China Horse Club and Maverick Racing)

WHO’S HOT

$82,830 John Battaglia Memorial, 1 1/16 miles, Turfway Park, Feb. 26, 2021
(10 Derby qualifying points for first, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Hush of a Storm, by Creative Cause
Trainer: Billy Morey
Jockey: Santiago Gonzalez
Owner: Joseph P. Morey Jr. Revocable Trust
Beyer Speed Figure: 86

Essential Quality, a decisive winner last Saturday in his 3-year-old debut, is the morning-line favorite in Pool 4 of the 2021 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens for the customary three-day run Friday at noon Eastern.

Pool 4 coincides with the only Kentucky Oaks futures and Oaks-Derby double to be offered by Churchill Downs prior to both classics. Pool 4 will close Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, and the Oaks pool a half-hour later at 6:30. Win and exacta wagering are offered for both pools.