The Kentucky Derby leaderboard has become tightly packed after this past weekend’s four preps. These awarded 50 points to their respective winners — none of which, by the way, came from the Bob Baffert barn.
Baffert’s horses remain ineligible to earn standings points or get in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. This is due to Medina Spirit’s failed drug test after last year’s Run for the Roses. Appeals and general legal jockeying continue on this issue.
Recapping Saturday’s action
The first-ever 1/ST Saturday program included a total of 15 stakes races at Santa Anita and Gulfstream Park. This included the Fountain of Youth and San Felipe, two of the weekend’s major Derby preps.
Forbidden Kingdom essentially punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby for trainer Richard Mandella with a dominant performance in the San Felipe. Simplification did the same for trainer Antonio Sano in the Fountain of Youth.
At Aqueduct, favorite Morello put away the competition in the Gotham. He can now be pointed to Louisville for Steve Asmussen, the sport’s all-time winningest trainer. Despite that lofty total, though, the Hall of Famer is still pursuing his first Kentucky Derby win.
Tiz the Bomb showed well to earn 10 points in the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park. That’s not likely to get him into the Derby, but it sets the stage for him to return to Turfway for the Jeff Ruby Steaks. The Kentucky Derby leaderboard will undoubtedly include the winner and runner-up of that race, which awards 100 points to the winner and 40 to the runner-up.
Winners weren’t the only ones Playfecta paid attention to on Saturday. Several horses held their own in our poll by showing well enough in defeat to remain in the conversation.
Coming up is a quiet Kentucky Derby prep weekend. Only Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby at Tampa Bay Downs is on tap. It awards 50 points to the winner.
The Derby Dozen: Week five
No. 1 (NC) Epicenter (Steve Asmussen): Still tops the Derby standings with 64 points. Epicenter is due to have his final prep in the Louisiana Derby on Saturday, March 26. That’s at Fair Grounds, where he is already two-for-three.
No. 2 (NC) Smile Happy (Kenny Meek): Remains a prime prospect for the Florida Derby on Saturday, April 2, at Gulfstream Park.
No. 3 (NC) Zandon (Chad Brown): He’s expected to go next in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday, April 9, at Keeneland.
No. 4 (NC) White Abarrio (Saffie Joseph Jr.): Breezed a strong four furlongs in 47.12 seconds Sunday at Gulfstream in preparation for a Florida Derby start. The workout was his second since capturing the Holy Bull and the second-fastest move of 125 recorded that day at the distance.
No. 5 (NC) Classic Causeway (Brian Lynch): He’ll headline a big field in Saturday’s Tampa Bay Derby. This includes Sam F. Davis runner-up Shipsational and undefeated Iroquois winner Major General. That one makes his first start since September.
No. 6 (NEW) Forbidden Kingdom (Richard Mandella): The even-money favorite put his speed to good use in the San Felipe. Some are questioning if he can get the Derby distance. However, in his first two-turn start, Forbidden Kingdom opened a daylight lead through fast fractions and kept going. He scored by nearly six lengths under a hand ride. Mandella, 71, hasn’t had a Kentucky Derby starter in 18 years.
No. 7 (NEW) Morello (Asmussen): He won the Gotham at Aqueduct in a solid 1:39.28 over a slow track. He did it the right way, taking command at the top of the lane and pulling away under a hand ride.
No. 8 (+2) Simplification (Antonio Sano): Simplification will likely stay in Florida for the Florida Derby. It’s Sano’s second Fountain of Youth winner, the other being Gunnevera.
“This horse is different. He runs in the front, in the middle or behind,” said Sano, whose Florida-bred trainee is tied for second on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 54 points. “He’s a different horse, more focused in the race.”
No. 9 (NC) Emmanuel (Pletcher): Emmanuel was fourth in the Fountain of Youth after an unlucky trip. He was shuffled back early and had to race very wide every step of the way. As a result, he lost a ton of ground, and this may have been a deceptively good performance.
No. 10 (-3) Early Voting (Chad Brown): The wire-to-wire Withers winner could potentially need a prep before April to get ready.
No. 11 (NC) In Due Time (Kelly Breen): Finished second to Simplification in the Fountain of Youth.
No. 12 (NC) Un Ojo (Ricky Courville): Earned most of his 54 Kentucky Derby points with his shocking upset in the Rebel.
Dropped out: Mo Donegal, Rattle n Roll
