Three Kentucky Derby contenders move up leaderboard with prep race wins on Saturday

Authentic kept his perfect record intact with an easy victory in the Grade 2, $400,000 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita Park in California on Saturday.

The Bob Baffert-trained 3-year-old son of Into Mischief recovered from an early bobble and stormed to the lead under jockey Drayden Van Dyke and finished 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Honor A.P. to earn 50 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby.

“Beautiful trip,” Van Dyke told Horse Racing Nation. “He took a tiny little stumble out of the gate, but it wasn’t enough to cost us. I was just in cruise control. I was seeing if anybody was going to test me to make me pick it up.”

Authentic, who has won all three of his career starts, clicked through fractions of 22.84 and 46.71 while Storm the Court stalked a length back in second. Authentic continued to motor on the lead through 6 furlongs in 1:11.32 and in the stretch, under left-handed urging from Van Dyke, and dismissed the late bid from Honor A.P., who was making his first start since October.

Behind the top two, Storm the Court and previously unbeaten Thousand Words also earned Derby qualifying points out of a race that allotted them on a 50-20-10-5 scale.

Baffert said after the race that he plans to run Authentic in the Santa Anita Derby on April 4.

Gotham Stakes

Mischevious Alex entered Saturday’s Grade 3, $300,000 Gotham Stakes as the field’s only graded stakes winner and showed his class with a strong stretch run, posting his third consecutive victory to earn 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points via a two-length victory at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York.

Under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, Mischevious Alex took command entering the stretch. Staying near the rail, the 8-5 favorite repelled Untitled’s stretch-drive bid from the outside, completing the one-turn mile in 1:38.80.

Mischevious Alex improved to 3-for-3 since trainer John Servis added blinkers.

“It was a great day for us. He handled the next step up really well and gave us a solid effort today,” said Servis, whose only previous starter in the Kentucky Derby was a winning one with Smarty Jones in 2004. “Ever since we put the blinkers on him, everything that we’ve handed him, he has handled very well.”

Offering 50-20-10-5 qualifying points towards the “Run for the Roses” on May 4 at Churchill Downs to the top-four finishers, Untitled edged Attachment Rate by a head for second. Montauk Traffic picked up the five points, finishing a half-length ahead of Necker Island.

“John pretty much told me this horse can do anything,” Carmouche said. “He sits pretty good or can go to the lead. He told me the horse is a rocket out the gate, so the best thing that I can do is to take advantage.”

Tampa shocker

King Guillermo pulled off a stunning 49-1 upset in the Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby on Saturday, earning 50 points toward qualifying for the Kentucky Derby.

King Guillermo, a son of Uncle Mo ridden by Samy Camacho, covered 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.63 and paid $100.40 to win. Favored Sole Volante rallied from far back to grab second and was followed by third-place Texas Swing and fourth-place Relentless Dancer.

This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 7:46 PM.