LEXINGTON, Ky. – This is what it comes to. A long winter of waiting and thinking and planning and hoping will boil down to a critical span of less than two minutes when the Blue Grass Stakes is run Saturday at Keeneland.
Smile Happy and Zandon, the two favorites in a field of 12 Blue Grass runners, have been regarded for months as major contenders for the 148th Kentucky Derby. Now would be a good time to prove it.
ARCADIA, Calif. – From the time Richard Mandella first worked Forbidden Kingdom last May 20, until his most recent start in the San Felipe Stakes five weeks ago, Mandella’s main focus has been trying to get Forbidden Kingdom to ration his abundant, natural speed. Mandella even postponed his first try around two turns, originally contemplated last fall after a winning debut, until Forbidden Kingdom had raced four times.
Grade 3, $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks, 1 1/8 miles (Tapeta), Turfway Park, April 2, 2022
(100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: Tiz the Bomb, by Hit It a Bomb
Trainer: Kenny McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Owner: Magdalena Racing Lessee
Beyer Speed Figure: 94
Messier
Empire Maker – Checkered Past, by Smart Strike
Bred in Ontario by Sam-Son Farm ($470,000 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected yearling purchase by SF/Starlight/Madaket)
Messier, who takes his one and only shot at earning a Kentucky Derby berth on Saturday at Santa Anita, is from a pedigree that has had classic success on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border for legendary breeding operations.
ARCADIA, Calif. – When Tim Yakteen first pedaled over to Los Alamitos, he could never have imagined the ride he’d end up on.
He was 18, newly arrived in the United States from Germany, living in an apartment in Cypress, Calif., and the only mode of transportation he had was a bicycle, which limited the scope of his job search.
“I needed to be able to bike to work,” he said.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A Thursday to Saturday wagering window that will close before any prep races are run this weekend is a new wrinkle being presented by Churchill Downs with the fifth and final pool in the 2022 Kentucky Derby Future Wager.
Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Gulfstream Park, April 2, 2022
(100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)
Winner: White Abarrio, by Race Day
Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Owner: C2 Racing LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 96
With White Abarrio’s victory in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. is assured of having one runner in this year’s Kentucky Derby. On Saturday, in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, Joseph will see if he can add to his roster for the May 7 Derby at Churchill Downs.
