HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Nadal won a dogfight of a Rebel on Saturday at Oaklawn Park and on Sunday, his trainer, Bob Baffert, was pleased with how the undefeated colt has emerged from the Grade 2, $1 million race.
Nadal withstood significant pace pressure for a three-quarter length win, picking up 50 points for the Kentucky Derby. The start was his first at two turns, his first on a wet track, and his first outside of his base of Southern California. He earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 96.
Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Oaklawn Park, March 14, 2020
(50 Derby qualifying points for a win, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth)
Winner: Nadal, by Blame
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Joel Rosario
Owners: George Bolton, Arthur Hoyeau, Barry Lipman, and Mark Mathiesen
Beyer Speed Figure: 96
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Game. Set. Match.
Nadal cleared three important hurdles Saturday at Oaklawn Park when he won the Grade 2, $1 million Rebel Stakes. The undefeated colt won on a wet track for the first time. He won at two turns for the first time. And he picked up his first points for the Kentucky Derby.
Nadal also gave his trainer, Bob Baffert, an unprecedented seventh win in the Rebel.
Churchill Downs has stepped up its timetable for determining when – or if – to hold the Kentucky Derby this year in the wake of nationwide cancellations of large events due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to an alert the company posted on its website on Saturday.
The alert says that Churchill expects “to have an update about the Kentucky Derby and additional information on our spring meet in the coming week.” Earlier this week, the company had only said that it would make a decision about “postponing” the race “closer to the date.”
Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes, one mile, Aqueduct, March 7, 2020
(50 Derby qualifying points for a win, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth)
Winner: Mischevious Alex, by Into Mischief
Trainer: John Servis
Jockey: Kendrick Carmouche
Owners: Cash Is King LLC and LC Racing
Beyer Speed Figure: 90
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Like everyone else, trainer Mark Hennig doesn’t know what impact the coronavirus outbreak will have on the immediate future of the racing industry or the status of this year’s Kentucky Derby. What he does know for certain is that he has a horse in Americanus who has earned himself a shot at an upcoming Derby prep, although he does not know just where that race will be.
Grade 2, $351,500 Tampa Bay Derby, 1 1/16 miles, Tampa Bay Downs, March 7, 2020
(50 Derby qualifying points for a win, 20 for second, 10 for third, 5 for fourth)
Winner: King Guillermo, by Uncle Mo
Trainer: Juan Avila
Jockey: Samy Camacho
Owners: Victoria’s Ranch
Beyer Speed Figure: 99
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Grade 2, $1 million Rebel on Saturday at Oaklawn Park is a pivotal race for Derby Watch members Nadal and Basin.
Both are stretching out around two turns for the first time and making their first appearance in a Kentucky Derby prep race. The Rebel, which drew eight, including Silver Prospector, American Theorem and No Parole, doles out Derby qualifying points to the first four finishers on a scale of 50-20-10-5.
Most of the entrants in the Grade 3, $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks on Saturday at Turfway Park are stepping into the arena of the Kentucky Derby trail for the first time. Not so for Finnick the Fierce. The one-eyed gelding will be making his fourth straight start in a graded stakes race offering Derby qualifying points as he takes to the Polytrack.
