It remains to be seen how long it might continue, but it appears Gulfstream’s Fountain of Youth Stakes sparked a trend in Kentucky Derby prep races.
The Fountain of Youth made news in part because of its insanely fast early pace. One week later all three of Saturday’s Derby points races – the Tampa Bay Derby, the Gotham at Aqueduct, and, yes, even the Jeff Ruby at Turfway – also featured wickedly fast early paces.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Same time, next year.
In 2018, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct with Enticed. The horse would finish second in the Wood Memorial, but end up 14th in the Kentucky Derby and has not run since.
On Saturday McLaughlin again won the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct with Haikal. He hopes the similarities end there.
With his victory in the Gotham Haikal earned 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points, more than enough to secure a spot in the starting gate for the $3 million race at Churchill Downs on May 4.
FLORENCE, Ky. – Somelikeithotbrown was not error free in Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, losing focus in the stretch when on the lead and drifting away from urging from jockey Tyler Gaffalione. Regardless, his class and speed propelled him to a 3 1/4-length victory, keeping him on the Kentucky Derby trail.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has run a horse in the Kentucky Derby in three of the last four years. If he was going to be represented in this year’s Run for the Roses, he needed Haikal to step up in Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes.
“We were only able to nominate one horse to the Derby, and that’s him,” McLaughlin said.
In this new feature, Andrew Beyer and his associates will answer selected readers’ questions about Beyer Speed Figures. Questions of general interest will be preferred for publication. You may submit questions to askbeyer@drf.com or through the Beyer information page on the DRF website at drf.com/beyer.
Q: In your opinion, why have the Beyer Figures for 3-year-olds headed to the Derby dropped so far in the past decade to 15 years?
OLDSMAR, Fla. – Mike Trombetta would like nothing more than to return to Churchill Downs with a Kentucky Derby contender. He’ll have a prime opportunity to do so Saturday when he sends out Win Win Win as the favorite in the Tampa Bay Derby, the annual showcase race at Tampa Bay Downs.
“Once you’ve been to the Derby, you want to go back,” said Trombetta, whose lone starter, Sweetnorthernsaint, finished seventh as the betting favorite behind Barbaro in the 2006 Derby. “It’s a privilege and a fun time. You always want to go there with one that tells you he belongs there.”
Trainer Mark Casse already has one talented 3-year-old targeted for the Kentucky Derby in Risen Star winner War of Will. And if dreams are made this Saturday, he could have more joining that colt, with Casse starting Dream Maker and Sir Winston in the Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby and Skywire in the Grade 3, $200,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The manner in which Instagrand won his first two starts had the racing world abuzz and observers believing they were possibly witnessing racing’s next big thing.
Instagrand won his career debut by 10 lengths in June at Los Alamitos and six weeks later he galloped by 10 1/4 lengths in the Grade 2 Best Pal at Del Mar.
However, as rapidly as Instagrand rose to prominence he was whisked away to the farm for a break, owing to nothing more than owner’s prerogative.
Among the numerous impacts of the unprecedented suspension of racing at Santa Anita is that trainers of top Kentucky Derby prospects who were scheduled to run in the Grade 2, $500,000 San Felipe Stakes on Saturday are sorting through options while flying blind as to when racing will resume at Santa Anita.
