Reincarnate, third in last Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby, remains pointed to the Kentucky Derby, Tom Ryan, managing partner of SF Racing, part-owner of the colt, said this week.
Ryan said he was “proud” of Reincarnate’s effort and suggested a weather-interrupted training schedule in California may have hampered him some. Ryan said the horse has returned to trainer Tim Yakteen’s California stable and has emerged from the race in good order.
Sunland Park Derby winner Wild On Ice is scheduled to have his first work since that victory on Friday, trainer Joel Marr said Tuesday.
The drill will come at the horse's base of Sunland Park, which wrapped up its meet Sunday. Marr said no decision has been made on whether Wild On Ice will advance to the Kentucky Derby.
“He’s doing well,” Marr said. “We’re planning on a little breeze on Friday. We’re going to determine what’s going on after that. We have a possible flight on Sunday, so we’ll just see how it goes and how he comes back.”
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Rocket Can is being considered for a start in the Kentucky Derby, but no firm plans have been made for the horse, trainer Bill Mott said Tuesday.
Rocket Can shipped to Oaklawn Park from Florida for last Saturday's Arkansas Derby and finished fourth as the favorite. He now has 60 points for the Kentucky Derby, which ranks seventh.
“He’s making the trip to Churchill Downs tonight,” Mott said. “That doesn’t mean we’re running in the Derby. We’ll be there in case we decided to do that.
$1 million Florida Derby, Gulfstream Park, April 1, 2023
[100 qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 30 for third, 20 for fourth, and 10 for fifth]
Winner: Forte, by Violence
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Irad Ortiz
Owner: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable
Distance/time: 1 1/8 miles, 1:49.37 (corrected timing from originally posted 1:48.51)
Win margin: 1 length
Beyer Speed Figure: 95
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. - The countdown until Kentucky Derby day officially began in trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn on Sunday, the morning after Forte solidified his position as this year’s Derby favorite with a gritty and hard-fought one-length victory over the ever-improving Mage in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby.
“Four weeks and six days to go,” Pletcher said after confirming that all was well with Forte, who returned to his regular stall at the Palm Beach Downs training center earlier that morning.
$1.25 million Arkansas Derby, April 1, 2023
[100 qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 30 for third, 20 for fourth, and 10 for fifth]
Winner: Angel of Empire, by Classic Empire
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Flavien Prat
Owner: Albaugh Family Stable
Distance / time: 1 1/8 miles / 1:49.68
Win margin: 4 1/4 lengths
Beyer: 94
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Angel of Empire will head to Churchill Downs on Tuesday to begin preparations for the Kentucky Derby, trainer Brad Cox said Sunday, a day after the horse won his second straight qualifying points race in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby.
Angel of Empire, who also captured the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds, has compiled 154 points for the Kentucky Derby, second on the list behind champion Forte with 190.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Angel of Empire’s dominant win in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby put an exclamation point on a perfect afternoon of stakes racing for trainer Brad Cox on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.
Cox won the three stakes in which he had starters, with Wet Paint notching 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Oaks in the Grade 3, $600,000 Fantasy and Eyeing Clover becoming a stakes winner in the $200,000 Hot Springs Stakes.
The wins came before an estimated ontrack crowd of 65,000.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – He only won by a length, but owner Vinnie Viola may have summed up Forte’s eye-catching victory over Mage in Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park best in the post-race press conference when saying “All things given, the horse was not supposed to win that race.”
It was a statement any knowledgeable racing fan would find hard to dispute.
The sixth and final pool in the 2023 Kentucky Derby Future Wager closed Saturday evening with Forte as a 5-2 favorite – and that was before the champion colt closed with a flourish to win the Florida Derby.
In a twist on the usual format used by Churchill Downs wherein all or most Derby preps are run before a futures pool closes, wagering into Pool 6 was cut off at 6 p.m. Eastern Saturday – or about 45 minutes before the Florida Derby was run at Gulfstream Park. The Arkansas Derby also was run Saturday after Pool 6 was closed.
