The last stop on the road is within sight. After 44 points-scoring races over 11 months, those desirous of running at Churchill Downs in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and their rankings on the points list, are set. As of Wednesday, there were just 21 horses still under consideration for the Derby, with at least two of those not certain to run in the race, leading to the very real possibility that fewer than the maximum of 20 will enter, let alone run.
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WHO'S HOT
With the points-scoring races now completed, the order of preference is known for the prospective field for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5, and that will be the overriding factor on who moves onto the list. This week, Shirl’s Speight and Winning Impression are the two newcomers. Shirl’s Speight is a 30-1 shot on the line of Marty McGee of Daily Racing Form, with Winning Impression at 50-1, one of eight horses McGee has at that price.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With some two weeks to go before the 146th Kentucky Derby, fewer than half of the expected starters in the Sept. 5 race are on the grounds at Churchill Downs as travel plans begin to solidify for the balance of the field.
Listed, $155,000 Pegasus Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Monmouth Park, Aug. 15, 2020
(20 Derby qualifying points for first, 8 for second, 4 for third, 2 for fourth)
Winner: Pneumatic, by Uncle Mo
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Joe Bravo
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 99
After chasing some of the 3-year-old division's standouts in his two prior starts, Pneumatic found a spot to get the spotlight to himself on Saturday. The colt coasted to a 2 1/4-length victory in the $150,000 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, earning a spot in the Kentucky Derby should his connections desire.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Not since prior to the Santa Anita Derby had Mike Smith been able to get on Honor A. P. for a workout, something both he and trainer John Shirreffs believe is paramount to Honor A. P.’s development and progress.
The interruption was caused first by Smith’s travel in late June and early July to major races out of town, and once the Southern California circuit moved to Del Mar, jockeys were not allowed to work horses in the morning, a change of policy from Santa Anita, where horses were brought to the paddock pre-work when a jockey was employed.
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Both Irad Ortiz Jr. and his brother Jose Ortiz will not be heading to Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby week, according to their agents, electing to stay at Saratoga through the conclusion of the meet on Sept. 7.
Jose Ortiz did not have a Kentucky Derby mount, while Irad Ortiz Jr. has ridden Derby probable Dr Post in two of his three most recent starts.
:: DRF's Saratoga headquarters – Stakes schedule, previews, recaps, past performances, and more
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Dr Post worked five furlongs in 1:01.34 on Friday morning over Saratoga’s main track, after which trainer Todd Pletcher stopped just short of committing him to the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.
“I thought he worked great – steady breeze, strong gallop-out – the kind of work we’ve come to expect from him,” Pletcher said. “Right now, he’s training like a horse you’d have to strongly consider for the Derby.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jockeys who intend to ride in the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs in Louisville will be required to be on the grounds by Aug. 31, according to a document distributed by Churchill.