Photo taken as the 14 contenders in the 2018 Blue Grass Stakes approach the first pass over the finish line. 5 are still on the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Go GoodMagic, Flameaway, Free Drop Billy, Blended Citizen and Sporting Chance! Machismo will race again, just 1 week later in the 2018 Arkansas Derby!
Happy Friday the 13th! I am tickled to think of all the peculiar betting habits and quirks I will see among the superstitious gamblers and horsemen at Keeneland today! Everyday is a good day at the track but tomorrow we will see the very last lap on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Saturday, 4/14/18 features the final two prep races, the Lexington Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.
Good Magic finishes first over Flameaway, Free Drop Billy and Sporting Chance. There was a bit of interference and disqualification leading to the third and fourth place finishes.
The Road to the Kentucky Derby is long and traverses thorough America, Japan and for the first time, Europe too. Since 1875 Churchill Downs has hosted arguably the world’s most famed horse race, the KY Derby. The 144th running shall be every bit as legendary. Saturday, 5/5/18, twenty Thoroughbred contenders will race for their place in history. 45 races throughout the year were appointed as KY Derby prep races. 3 races were hosted on the Japan Road to the KY Derby which extended an invite to Sumahama, whose connections declined and now, Ruggero could accept the offer but it seems unlikely. 7 races were bundled on the European Road to the KY Derby and Gronkowski will be a contender. 35 other races were part of the American Road to the KY Derby, though one of these was raced outside the county, in UAE. These 35 races will determine who qualifies, via a points system, for the remaining 18 to 19 post positions in the KY Derby. Only 2 of these 45 races remain.
Tomorrow, Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs Arkansas will host the final race on the 2018 Road to the KY Derby. The stakes is a Grade I, 1 and 1/8 mile (9 furlong) dirt race for 3 year-olds. The purse is $1 million dollars and awards 170 KY Derby points. The race was inaugurated in 1936. Despite its longevity, only 6 contenders have gone on to win the KY Derby. AmericanPharoah won the Arkansas Derby before winning each part of the Triple Crown and the Breeders’ Cup Classic, for the first and only, Grand Slam! The 82nd Arkansas Derby will post at 7:18 P.M. EDT as the 11th race on a card of 12. With a win in the Arkansas Derby, any of these horses could possibly still enter the KY Derby. A few already have a good deal of points. The contenders are as follows by post-postion/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/and morning-line odds/current points:
Beautiful Shot/Richard E. Eramia/J. Keith Desormeaux/Calumet Farm/30-1/ (0)
Machismo/Scott Spieth/Anthony T. Quartarolo/Looch Racing Stables, Inc., A. Quartarolo, R. and C. Ritchie/20-1/ (5)
Tenfold/Victor Espinoza/steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC./10-1/ (0)
Dream Baby Dream/Luis Contreras/Steven M. Asmussen/Dream Baby Dream Racing Stables/15-1/ (20)
Combatant/Ricardo Santana, Jr./Steven M. Asmussen/Winchell Thoroughbreds, LLC./6-1/ (22)
Running just a wee bit prior, the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes will post at 5:34 P.M. EDT at Keeneland Race Course In Lexington, KY. This is my hometown track and despite the substantial less amount offered in purse money or points I am still quite eager to watch it live, as I did the Blue Grass Stakes this past Saturday. Please enjoy the pictures I took while there throughout this post as we look ahead to the 37th Grade III Lexington Stakes. It was inaugurated in 1936, as was the Arkansas Derby, but has not been consistently ran annually. This is a 1 and 1/16th mile ( 8.5 furlongs) race on dirt for 3 year-old Thoroughbreds. The purse is $200,000 and the race carries 34 KY Derby points. Only 2 horses have left the Lexington to win the KY Derby. Perhaps, this is the year for a third? Here is the field by post-postion/horse/jockey/trainer/owner/and morning-line odds/current points:
Battle At Sea/Kendrick Carmouche/Michael Maker/Three Diamonds Farm/8-1/ (0)
Telekinesis/Javier Castellano/Mark E. Casse/Stonestreet Stables LLC./4-1/ (0)
Seven Trumpets/Robby Albarado/Dale L. Romans/West Point Thoroughbreds/8-1/ (9)
Honor Up/Jose L. Ortiz/William I. Mott/Saratoga Seven Racing Partnership/12-1/ (0)
Magicalmeister/John McKee/James K. Chapman/Christopher J. Meyer, Stanley Ichiro Uragami and James K. Chapman/20-1/ (0)
Greyvitos/Joel Rosario/Adam Kitchingman/Triple B Farms/6-1/ (10)
Pony Up/John R. Velazquez/Todd A. Pletcher/Calumet Farm/6-1/ (8)
Gracida/Julien R. Leparoux/Doug F. O’Neill/Zedan Racing Stables/12-1/ (0)
Navy Armed Guard/David Delgado/Joan Scott/Harriette Waldron. Roger McDaniel, R. Johnson, D. Schar, F. Coniglio, and R. Rendina/20-1/ (0)
Zanesville/James Graham/Thomas M. Amoss/Rosemont Farm, LLC./20-1/ (0)
Arched Feather/Victor Lebron/Edward Harrison Frederick/Stephen R. Baker/20-1/ (0)
I’ll be at Keeneand’s track today thru Sunday. Drop me a comment if you will be on the grounds too. Although I’m still unsure of my KY Derby favorite I will reveal that I have been pretty into Free Drop Billy since he won his first KY Derby prep race, the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland this past October and most recently 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes. I feel very blessed that I witnessed live the very top of the leaderboard horse winning too. Good Magic just swept the Blue Grass Stakes. Keep following as I cover Keeneland’s meet, more KY Derby news and all sorts of Thoroughbred related information.
