Ten years ago Barclay Tagg was accused of showing dangerous signs of Kentucky Derby fever for having the gall to publicly suggest that a New York-bred gelding who had never won in open company and had lost every start as a 3-year-old still had the right stuff to be a contender on the first Saturday in May.
That Barclay, what a kidder.
The best all-around American sire of the first decade of the 21st century, especially on dirt, was 1992 Santa Anita Derby winner A.P. Indy. Seattle Slew’s best son led the North American sire list twice (2003 and 2006), sired two classic winners and nine champions, and established a thriving sire line.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Eight thousand miles is a long way to travel for 170 Kentucky Derby qualifying points. The math works out to about 47 miles per point. Still, the Derby points in great part compelled the connections of He’s Had Enough to ship the colt from California to Dubai for a start Saturday in the Group 2 UAE Derby. Yet another number – $2 million, the UAE Derby’s purse, equal to the Kentucky Derby itself – is another decent reason to show up.
As if Saturday wasn’t big enough with Dubai World Cup Day, it is also a huge day at both Gulfstream Park and Fair Grounds. The Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby tops a card at Gulfstream that also includes five other graded stakes, most notably the Grade 2, $300,000 Gulfstream Park Oaks. And the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby is the feature on a Fair Grounds program that also includes three other Grade 2 events, the richest of those being the $500,000 Fair Grounds Oaks.[bc_video_id:287848:]
Florida Derby
Here are the top 55 candidates for the Kentucky Derby listed in order of graded stakes earnings - the former qualifying system for the 20 starting positions - along with each horse's ranking under the new point system as of March 27, 2013. You can find the official point standings on our Road to the Kentucky Derby page.
WHO'S HOT
Black Onyx, who won the Spiral Stakes on Saturday, and Govenor Charlie, winner of the Sunland Derby on Sunday, both earned 50 points toward the May 4 Kentucky Derby, guaranteeing a berth in the 20-horse field and securing a spot in the top 20 of this week's Derby Watch. Govenor Charlie made the bigger impression with Mike Watchmaker, Daily Racing Form's national handicapper, who made him 15-1 on his future line. Watchmaker has Black Onyx at 30-1.
WHO'S NOT
It takes a heavy lift these days for any 3-year-old race not named the Kentucky Derby to stand out from the crowd. Two of them will try this weekend – three if you count the one taking place in a Middle Eastern principality governed by a hereditary emir – followed by two more next weekend and two more the weekend after that.
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Titletown Five is set for Saturday’s Louisiana Derby after breezing a half-mile in 48.80 seconds Wednesday at his Oaklawn base. He was scheduled to ship to Fair Grounds on Thursday, according to his trainer, D. Wayne Lukas.
NEW ORLEANS – When Churchill Downs announced last year that it was changing the format to determine eligibility to the 2013 Kentucky Derby, from many quarters, not the French, it was tantamount to having Mardi Gras end on a Monday, or removing the powdered sugar from the beignets at Café du Monde.
While trying to make sense of Saturday’s Florida Derby, I can’t get Florida Gulf Coast University out of my mind. Since I saw the university’s basketball team run two college basketball powers out of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia last weekend, I have been trying to think of something comparable I have seen in horse racing.
