Seven new names are in the lineup for Pool 2 of the 2018 Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Friday at noon Eastern for the customary three-day run.
The mutuel field, the 24th or “all others” option, has been pegged as the 7-2 morning-line favorite in Pool 2 by Churchill Downs linemaker Mike Battaglia, with McKinzie the shortest individually listed interest at 8-1. Then come Bolt d’Oro and Good Magic, both at 10-1, and Audible and Mask, both at 12-1.
Good Magic
Curlin–Glinda the Good, by Hard Spun
Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Farm ($1 million Keeneland September yearling purchase by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds)
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Less than 24 hours after finishing second and third, respectively, with Free Drop Billy and Tiz Mischief in the Grade 2 Holy Bull, trainer Dale Romans may have found himself another Kentucky Derby candidate after Storm Runner outlasted odds-on favorite Mississippi to capture Sunday’s co-feature going 1 1/16 miles on the main track.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Untamed Domain could make his dirt debut in the March 10 Tampa Bay Derby as he attempts to enter the Kentucky Derby picture following a decent third-place finish as the 6-5 favorite Saturday in the Dania Beach Stakes on the Gulfstream turf.
“Right now, Tampa is our choice,” said Terry Finley, president of the colt’s ownership group, West Point Thoroughbreds.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Strike Power passed another test with flying colors by winning the Swale Stakes last weekend at Gulfstream Park. Now comes deeper water for a 3-year-old colt who has earned the right to give the Kentucky Derby trail a try.
Trainer Mark Hennig said the March 3 Fountain of Youth could be the next start for Strike Power after the chestnut Speightstown colt led all the way in a dominating 2 3/4-length victory here Saturday under leading jockey Luis Saez in the Grade 3 Swale at seven furlongs. The Grade 2, $400,000 Fountain of Youth goes at 1 1/16 miles.
Grade 2, $350,000 Holy Bull Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Gulfstream, Feb. 3, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Audible, by Into Mischief
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Javier Castellano
Owner: WinStar Farm LLC, China Horse Club International Ltd., and SF Racing LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 99
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Jockey Joe Bravo said Avery Island is a physically talented colt who still has more to learn. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he may give Avery Island two more starts to get the education necessary for the Kentucky Derby.
Avery Island made a successful 3-year-old debut Saturday at Aqueduct, winning the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes by two lengths over multiple stakes winner Firenze Fire. McLaughlin said Sunday morning that Avery Island came out of the race in good shape and would return to the Palm Meadows training center in south Florida on Tuesday.
Grade 3, $245,000 Withers Stakes, 1 1/8 miles, Aqueduct, Feb. 3, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Avery Island, by Street Sense
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Jockey: Joe Bravo
Owner: Godolphin Stable
Beyer Speed Figure: 87
Grade 3, $151,380 Robert B. Lewis Stakes, 1 1/16 miles, Santa Anita, Feb. 3, 2018
(10 Derby qualifying points for a win, 4 for second, 2 for third, 1 for fourth)
Winner: Lombo, by Graydar
Trainer: Mike Pender
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Owner: Michael V. Lombardi
Beyer Speed Figure: 86
