ARCADIA, Calif. – Mike Smith, genuine awe in his voice, kept coming back to the same phrase as he walked down the tunnel and past the walking ring after he rode Justify to a victory on Saturday in the Santa Anita Derby.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Vino Rosso finally showed everybody in the afternoon the ability he had been showing his connections in the morning. And while he is far from a finished product, Vino Rosso earned his spot in the Kentucky Derby with a three-length victory over Enticed in Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.
The victory was not without controversy. Vino Rosso, ridden by John Velazquez, and Enticed bumped twice in the stretch, prompting a steward’s inquiry and an objection from Junior Alvarado, the rider of Enticed.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Good Magic returned to the form that made him a champion when edging away Saturday to a 1 1/2-length victory as the favorite in the 94th running of the Grade 2, $1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
Ridden by Jose Ortiz, Good Magic now will head to the Kentucky Derby as one of the favorites after rebounding from a third-place finish in the March 3 Fountain of Youth in his only prior start as a 3-year-old. His victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November earned the colt the Eclipse Award for top 2-year-old of 2017.
Santa Anita | Race 9 | Post Time 3:30 p.m. (PT) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Friday was a busy morning for trainer Todd Pletcher at his winter home at the Palm Beach Downs training center, starting just before dawn with the first of three full sets of workers that included one of his three Kentucky Derby hopefuls, Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy.
Aqueduct | Race 10 | Post Time 5:55 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
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OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Though Enticed already has enough points to make it into the field for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin isn’t viewing the colt’s participation in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct as a mere prep race.
“We’re there to win,” McLaughlin said Thursday from South Florida. “It’s a very important race. The Derby is the Derby and it’s hard to win it no matter what. This becomes a million-dollar important race, not just a prep race.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A disappointing effort in the Fountain of Youth by Good Magic helped muddle the Kentucky Derby picture, but all is not lost for his camp. The reigning divisional champion, he will have every opportunity to regain his lost stature when he goes postward as a solid favorite Saturday in the annual spring showcase at Keeneland, the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes.
Keeneland | Race 10 | Post Time 6:23 p.m. (ET) | Go to the TimeformUS PPs
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Expectations will meet reality at Santa Anita on Saturday, when the colts currently adjudged as the top two choices in ante-post betting for the Kentucky Derby, Bolt d’Oro and Justify, square off in the Grade 1, $1 million Santa Anita Derby. The result could very well determine who goes off the favorite May 5 at Churchill Downs.
