Kentucky Derby, Oaks fields still not set amid Keeneland weather postponement
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April 7 (UPI) -- Because of the weather-related postponement of the weekend races at Keenland, the final makeup of next month's Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks fields remains far from finalized.
Several live Derby contenders are set to go in Tuesday's delayed Blue Grass, and virtually the entire field in Monday's Ashland Stakes is still possible for the Oaks.
A few questions were settled in weekend racing elsewhere. Journalism likely will be the favorite in the Run for the Roses after overcoming trouble to win the Santa Anita Derby. And Rodriguez ran his way into the Louisville classic with a gate-to-wire victory in the Wood Memorial.
So much action, so little time ...
The Road to the Roses
The Wood Memorial
Trainer Bob Baffert sent Rodriguez from California to New York to search for the qualifying points he needed for entry into the Kentucky Derby. He got them, in spades.
With "Big Money" Mike Smith aboard, the Authentic colt showed the way around the Aqueduct oval and never seemed in any danger of defeat. He won by 3 1/2 lengths, going away.
Earlier this year, he finished second in the Grade III Robert B. Lewis and third in the Grade II San Felipe, finishing behind another Baffert trainee, 2024 Juvenile champion Citizen Bull in the one and Journalism in the other.
Co-owner Tom Ryan said Smith reported to him after the Wood, "Tom, he went through the wire with his ears pricked and he wanted more .... Coming from Mike, it's meaningful."
Smith, now 59, won his first Wood Memorial in 1990 on Thirty Six Red.
Journalism wins Saturday's Santa Anita Derby and is a likely Kentucky Derby favorite. Benoit Photography, courtesy of Santa Anita
The Santa Anita Derby
While Rodriguez got the job done on the lead out East, Journalism used just the opposite tactics to win Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Santa Anita Derby.
The Curlin colt raced in tight quarters between rivals in the five-horse field, was short of room for a while and had to regain momentum when jockey Umberto Rispoli finally found him room. Shrugging all that off, Journalism ran on to wear down Baeza in the final sixteenth and won by 3/4 length.
Journalism most likely will be the favorite in the Kentucky Derby after posting four straight wins, also including the Los Alamitos Futurity and Grade II San Felipe, both by comfortable margins. Trainer Michael McCarthy said the next job is getting the colt to the Churchill Downs backstretch.
"We'll see," he said Sunday morning after reporting Journalism bounced out of the race "all good ... We're going to watch the weather and come up with a game plan. We'll get with everybody and see what we think is best for him."
The Blue Grass
The $1.25 million Grade I Toyota Blue Grass was pushed back to Tuesday from Saturday because of torrential rain and flooding in central Kentucky. The race still has the potential to give the Kentucky Derby lineup a final shake. Only one of the colts in the race, Owen Almighty, seems secure in the standings.
Needing a top-three or better finish to earn a Derby spot are Chancer McPatrick, Burnham Square and Render Judgment, River Thames and East Avenue and Admiral Dennis.
The Foreigners
Churchill Downs reserves one spot in the Derby starting gate for the winner of the "Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby" and two spots for the top point-getters in the "Euro/Mideast Road."
Luxor Café earned the right to the Japanese spot last weekend. Another Japanese colt, Admire Daytona, and England-based Heart of Honor finished 1-2 in the other series by taking the top two spots in Saturday's Group 2 UAE Derby in Dubai.
Luxor Café is nominated to the Triple Crown and is expected to make the trip. The other two would have to be supplemented by Monday for a $6,000 fee. After that date, a Triple Crown nomination will cost $200,000.
The Road to the Oaks
The Santa Anita Oaks
Odds-on favorite Tenma rallied as asked heading into the stretch in Saturday's $200,000 Grade II Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita Oaks and contended with front-runner Silent Law.
The two battled it out until well inside the furlong pole, when Tenma finally edged away to win by 2 1/4 lengths. The Nyquist filly will go to the Kentucky Oaks as one of the few seen as having a chance to threaten unbeaten division leader Good Cheer.
The Gazelle
After knocking on the door in her last two starts, Ballerina d'Oro got the job done, albeit just by a nose, in Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Gazelle at Aqueduct. The Medaglia d'Oro filly, with Dylan Davis up for trainer Chad Brown, saved ground to the top of the lane, engaged with pacesetter Early On and battled to the wire before getting her nose on the line first.
The Central Bank Ashland
All eight fillies entered for Monday's weather-delayed Central Bank Ashland at Keeneland are looking for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks. Only one of them, La Cara, seems to have a spot locked up in the 14-horse field, so there's a lot riding on the outcome.
In other action:
Sprint
Crazy Mason came from last of seven to win Saturday's $300,000 Grade II Carter Stakes at Aqueduct by a neck, denying the favorite, Quint's Brew.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Verity stalked the early leader in Sunday's $400,000 Grade III MiddleGround Capital Beaumont Stakes at Keeneland, kicked away in the stretch and won by 5 1/4 lengths over the odds-on favorite, Stunner.
With Vincent Cheminaud up for trainer Eoin Harty, the Godolphin homebred daughter of Nyquist ran 7 furlongs on a sloppy track in 1:27.18.
Irish Maxima hustled up to the lead in Saturday's $175,000 Grade III Distaff Stakes at Aqueduct and held the advantage throughout the 7 furlongs, winning by 1 1/4 lengths over St. Benedict's Prep.
Turf Sprint
Queen Maxima was quickly on the lead in Saturday's $100,000 Monrovia Stakes for fillies and mares down the Santa Anita hillside course and kept going all the way to a 4 1/4-length victory as the odds-on favorite.
Sunday's $300,000 Palisades for 3-year-old fillies was washed off the Keeneland turf Sunday but Normandy Coast had no trouble with the sloppy main track, drawing clear in the final sixteenth to win by 3 1/2 lengths. The Omaha Beach filly ran 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:04.35.
Classic
Phileas Fogg led the main body of the field behind a breakaway leader through the early furlongs of Saturday's $150,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct, took over when that one gave way and ran on to a breakaway win of his own, winning by 5 1/4 lengths.
At Sunland Park in New Mexico, frequent traveler Heroic Move stalked the pace in Sunday's $200,000 Casa Ford Sunland Park Stakes, exploded to the lead in the lane and got home first by 8 lengths.
Take Charge Tom took charge in the stretch in Sunday's $125,000 Mine That Bird Derby at Sunland Park and won by 2 3/4 lengths.
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