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.

Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby, 1 1/8 miles, Oaklawn Park, April 2, 2022
(100 Derby qualifying points for first, 40 for second, 20 for third, 10 for fourth)

Winner: Cyberknife, by Gun Runner
Trainer: Brad Cox
Jockey: Florent Geroux
Owner: Gold Square LLC
Beyer Speed Figure: 92

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Cyberknife for the first time in his career has won back-to-back races, owing to his Arkansas Derby victory on Saturday, in which he earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 92, and his trainer, Brad Cox, is hoping he’s got another forward move in him five weeks hence in the Kentucky Derby.

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Cyberknife picked up 100 points for the Kentucky Derby with his powerful, 2 3/4-length win in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Oaklawn Park.  

Cyberknife ($13.60) sat off the pace set by Kavod, who took the field through fractions of 22.11 seconds for the opening quarter, 46.51 for the half-mile, and 1:11.22 for six furlongs. The eventual winner took the lead in the stretch and went on to cover 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.42.

Brad Cox trains Cyberknife for Gold Square.  

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – White Abarrio missed some training time due to a temperature, but his stretch run Saturday was right on time, as he rallied past Simplification in deep stretch and held off a run from an inexperienced Charge It to win Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Florida Derby by 1 1/4 lengths.

Charge It, coming off a maiden win and favored for most of the betting, finished second after lugging in during the stretch run. He was sent off the 3-1 third choice and finished a length in front of favored Simplification, who tired a bit late.

The Kentucky Court of Appeals on Friday declined to issue an emergency injunction that would have stayed a 90-day suspension handed down by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to trainer Bob Baffert, setting in motion the start of the penalty on Monday.

In an order signed by Judge Allison Jones, the court ruled that it did not find cause to issue the emergency injunction and said that the larger case appealing the commission’s decision to deny a stay would be “assigned to a three-judge panel of this court following expiration of the response time provided in the civil rules.”

McLaren Vale, third in the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes in February, will miss the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby on April 9, leaving the highly regarded Messier as trainer Tim Yakteen’s lone starter in the $750,000 race.

Yakteen said Friday that McLaren Vale remains in training, but did not mention a race goal.

“We’re in a holding pattern,” Yakteen said. “We’ll see how he works.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Forbidden Kingdom will enter the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in top shape following a seven-furlong workout Thursday at Santa Anita that alleviates two potential concerns.

First of all, the Thursday workout renders irrelevant the missed workout two weeks ago due to a fever. As trainer Richard Mandella suggested, it was no big deal. Forever Kingdom has posted two solid works since recovering.

FLORENCE, Ky. – Tiz the Bomb and Stolen Base have become familiar foes the last six months and will meet again Saturday in the Grade 3, $600,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park.

The two colts most recently faced each other in the local prep, the John Battaglia Memorial on March 5. Stolen Base just missed tagging out his foe at the wire, as Tiz the Bomb held on by a diminishing neck. In hopes of stealing home this time, trainer Mike Maker will put blinkers on his late-rallying ace to help position him well early.