Big names come out to play during trio of Kentucky Derby preps this weekend
Racetracks around the country are still thawing out from last week’s winter storms, but even if it doesn’t quite feel like spring yet where you are, the road to the Kentucky Derby is plowed clear and prepared for full-speed driving.
Three prep races are lined up for this weekend, including 50 points to the winner of Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, next weekend promises three more 50-point events, and the 100-point races get underway with the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds on March 20.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Here’s what’s on tap for this weekend:
Friday
Gretzky the Great is the 3-1 morning-line favorite in a full field of 12 for the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park, which offers 10 Derby qualifying points to the winner, four for second place, two for third and one for fourth.
Gretzy the Great, owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, placed sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland in his most recent outing on Nov. 6. He is a son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist.
Top challengers include Like the King (7-2), Kinetic Sky (9-2), Pico d’Oro (8-1) and Warrior in Chief (8-1).
The John Battaglia Memorial, run at 1 1/16 miles on a synthetic surface, serves as a prep for the Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park, a 100-point road to the Derby race on March 27.
Saturday
▪ The $750,000, Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park boasts some big names if not big points. The 1 1/16-mile event provides Derby points to the top four finishers in a 10-4-2-1 order.
The headliner is Godolphin-owned Essential Quality, last year’s Eclipse Award winner for top 2-year-old male, who is making his 3-year-old debut for trainer Brad Cox against a field of six others.
Essential Quality, the 3-2 morning-line favorite, has won all three of his career races, including the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland in his most recent outing on Nov. 6 and the Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity in Lexington on Oct. 3.
The top two challengers figure to be Jackie’s Warrior (8-5) and Spielberg (9-2).
Jackie’s Warrior finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile as the undefeated favorite. Prior to his arrival at Keeneland, the Steve Asmussen trainee won the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes at Belmont and the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga last year.
Spielberg, trained by Bob Baffert, capped his 2-year-old season with a victory in the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity on Dec. 19 but launched his 3-year-old campaign by finishing fourth in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita last month.
▪ Shug McGaughey-trained Greatest Honour is the 9-5 favorite for the $300,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream, whose Derby qualifying points scale runs 50-20-10-5.
The son of Tapit, owned by Courtlandt Farms, received the narrow morning-line edge over 7-2 Fire At Will in a field of 10 for the 1 1/16-mile event.
Greatest Honour won the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream by 5 ¾ lengths in his most recent race on Jan. 30.
Fire At Will, trained by Michael Maker and owned by Three Diamonds Farm, won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in his most recent outing at Keeneland on Nov. 6, stretching his winning streak to three in four career races.
Drain the Clock and Prime Factor, both 5-1 choices, are also expected to contend, along with 8-1 Tarantino.
Derby prep races this weekend
Friday
8:16 p.m.: $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes at Turfway Park (TVG)
Saturday
5:58 p.m.: $750,000, Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park (Fox Sports 2)
6:10 p.m.: $300,000, Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park (TVG)