Omaha Beach
War Front – Charming, by Seeking the Gold
Bred in Kentucky by The Charming Syndicate
Top-flight racemare and broodmare Take Charge Lady had connections to the winners of both divisions of the Rebel Stakes last month at Oaklawn Park. Those winners are expected to meet in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, as Omaha Beach ships back in from California to face Long Range Toddy in this final major Kentucky Derby prep.
Q. How does a faster race throughout like the Blue Grass get a lower Beyer than the Santa Anita Derby? Always seems like there is a Santa Anita bias?
—Mark Foss
A. Different tracks may have very different racing surfaces. And the inherent speed of a racing surface can change from day to day. That is why the most important part of making speed figures is to determine the speed of the track.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark.– Galilean will be bidding to send West Point Thoroughbreds back to the Kentucky Derby this year when he runs Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
“We’re hoping he takes us there,” said the group’s president, Terry Finley.
West Point Thoroughbreds won the Kentucky Derby in partnership in 2017 with Always Dreaming. The group also raced Commanding Curve, who was second to California Chrome in the 2014 Kentucky Derby, and was partners in My Boy Jack, who was fifth in last year’s Derby, won by Justify.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The fourth and final pool in the 2019 Kentucky Derby Future Wager was reflective indeed of the outlook for the May 4 race, with Roadster a narrow favorite over a cluster of others when the customary three-day wagering window closed Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern.
Roadster closed at 6-1 and was followed closely by Maximum Security (7-1), Game Winner (7-1), Tacitus (8-1), Improbable (8-1), Omaha Beach (10-1), and Vekoma (15-1). The lowest $2 exacta will-pay was Roadster over Game Winner (17-8), worth $72.80.
Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Santa Anita, April 6, 2019
(100 Derby qualifying points for a win, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: Roadster, by Quality Road
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Jockey: Mike Smith
Owner: Speedway Stable LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 98
Roadster and Game Winner are in. On the Kentucky Derby front Sunday morning, that literally was yesterday’s news for trainer Bob Baffert, who now has his sights set on Saturday, when he’ll attempt to get his third starter in the May 4 Derby if Improbable can run well enough in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
“Like Belichick would say,” Baffert said, mimicking Bill Belichick, the coach of the National Football League’s New England Patriots, “it’s on to Hot Springs.”
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.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – It was with a tempered enthusiasm gleaned from a lifelong existence in racing that Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott spoke about Tacitus and the Kentucky Derby the morning following the colt’s impressive victory in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
Despite the fact Tacitus established himself as a leading contender for the $3 million Derby on May 4 by overcoming trouble on the first turn to win the Wood by 1 1/4 lengths, Mott knows there’s a ways to go between now and the first Saturday in May.
In the view of this corner, Game Winner was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby going into Saturday’s three major final prep races, even though he lost for the first time in his 3-year-old bow when nosed in the second division of the Rebel Stakes. And after Saturday’s preps, and despite the fact that he finished second yet again, in the view of this corner, Game Winner remains the favorite for the Derby, albeit a tepid one.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Tacitus displayed toughness as well as talent at Aqueduct on Saturday, overcoming significant trouble early on to win the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial and nail down his spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate in four weeks.
Tacitus outfinished a stubborn Tax by 1 1/4 lengths, with Haikal another 3 3/4 lengths back in third. All three horses accrued enough points to go on to the Kentucky Derby on May 4.
