ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Brad Cox Trains Top Two Favorites in Rebel
The Kentucky Derby is at present simply 10 weeks away, and we’re now inward the phase angle where horses can buoy pretty much plug their fine to Louisville past winning single of the upcoming qualifiers.
Last week, Angel Falls of Empire pulled away an upset, winning the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Ground Race Course as a 13-1 shot. That win gave the Brad Cox-trained colt 50 qualifying points and vaulted the 3-year-old to the upper side of the qualifying standings. It was a magnanimous 24-hour interval for the Louisville native. He scored his 2,000th triumph as a trainer in a race in that location before inwards the day.
This week, it’s Oaklawn Park’s turn of events to boniface a Florida key Derby prep, and a theatre of operations of 11 vie for the 50 points useable to the victor of the Reb Stakes. After having three from his stalls run inwards New Orleans last week, Cox has 2 more entered inwards this week’s 1-1/16-mile race, and both just go on to live the spinning top 2 inward the morning time line.
Post clip for the rush is place for 5:23 pm CT. The run testament follow shown unrecorded on FS2’s America’s Clarence Day at the Races.
Favorite Draws the Rail
Verifying looks to take a leak it two inwards a row at the Hot Springs, AR, track. Last month, he pulled out to an telling 5-1/4-length triumph in a one-mile adjustment claiming race. It was his secondly triumph inward quaternity starts, but he’s in time to span foremost in a stakes race. Sired by Triple Crown winner Justify, he finished secondly inward the Champagne Stakes inward New York and sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland to remnant his 2-year-old campaign.
Cox wasn’t thrilled exactly thrilled with Verifying drawing the interior post. However, oddsmakers ease made the horse the 2-1 morning-line favorite.
Hopefully, he canful displace forwards as considerably turned that race,” the trainer referring to Verifying’s shoemaker's last start. “He certainly seems to get physically. He really seems to hold developed over the lastly month or so. He’s doing good. Little fleck of a tough post, but upright horses get over posts, and I’m hopeful and cogitate that he’s a right horse. So, we’ll reckon how it goes.”
Florent Geroux will sit Verifying for the number one clip on Saturday.
Cox’s other entry inwards the Reb is Giant Mischief. The colt sired by Into Mischief makes his 3-year-old debut as well as his world-class appearance inwards a ranked stakes race. He won his 1st deuce races finally twelvemonth before finishing indorsement inwards his finally race, the Dec 17 Springboard Mile. a forged bulge out caused Giant Mischief to trail the field of view during the first half mile, and yet though he ran wide of the mark for to the highest degree of the race, the colt relieve managed to localize second.
“I thought he ran a winning rush shoemaker's last time,” Cox said. “I’m hopeful and surefooted that he’ll live capable to get under one's skin come out of the logic gate and have himself a honest position, and he put up grip the mi and a sixteenth.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr. gets the setting on Giant Mischief. It’s his for the first time time on the Equus caballus after Geroux was his jockey inward the previous II races.
Giant Mischief drew the fifth carry and has morning railway line betting odds of 5-2.
Reincarnate Now Eligible for Bluegrass State Derby
The thirdly choice on the morning line of merchandise is Reincarnate. The colt will race for trainer Tim Yakteen for the number 1 time since his owners transferred him come out of Bob Baffert’s stable. That was necessary due to Baffert’s stream temporary removal past Churchill Downs and the track’s requirement that horses from his barn must follow moved by this Tues to be eligible for the Derby.
After starting his vocation with tercet consecutive second-place finishes, Reincarnate has won his past tense two starts. The last-place came on January 8 inwards the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita Park. After leading for nearly all the race, Reincarnate edged out Newgate and National Treasure, deuce other Baffert horses, at the destination line.
While the Sham is considered a Derby prep race, none of the Baffert horses earned points for their finish due to the trainer’s suspension. Baffert is thought-provoking Churchill’s actions inwards federal court, but a adjudicate earliest this month denied his call for for an injunction that would experience allowed him to go in horses in the KY Derby.
Yakteen is a former Baffert help and took over grooming some of Baffert’s spinning top horses lowest yr so they could vie inward the Derby.
At 7-2, Reincarnate testament wear from the 6th gate. Saint John Velazquez gets the mount, his 3rd clip racing the colt.
Gun Pilot Stepping Up
Cox isn’t the only trainer with multiple entries inward the field. Steve Asmussen has three, and his strongest contender appears to live Gun Pilot. Sired past Gun Runner, a former Horse of the Year, the colt is making his graded stakes debut. He’s also reverting after winning a one-mile adjustment claiming race at Oaklawn just now trey weeks ago.
Saturday will be Gun Pilot’s tertiary race at Oaklawn inward the yesteryear hexad weeks. That schedule was due to the gymnastic horse having to remain inward 30-day quarantine at John Churchill Downs shortly after he won inward his number 1 scratch on Nov 26. Horses at the Louisville caterpillar tread were forced to rest in that location after an outbreak of equid herpesvirus was discovered there.
I think we were unfortunate for him to acquire stuck inwards quarantine at Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill and just now stay there 30 years yesteryear clip to get out of at that place and i thought he really required his for the first time black market here and relocation send on after it,” Asmussen said. “Has trained comfortably since the adjustment win, and we’re sledding to jump off sour inward the late water of the Rebel.”
Asmussen made intelligence before this month when he won his 10,000th life history run as a thoroughbred trainer. One purity that relieve eludes him is a Kentucky Derby victory. He just now missed out endure yr when longshot Rich Strike edged Asmussen’s Epicenter at the wire.
Ricardo Santana, Jr. will mount Gun Pilot, who drew the 4th logic gate and has morning time demarcation betting odds of 8-1.
The all over theatre for Saturday’s rush is listed below. The top of the inning cinque finishers will earn points toward the Derby on a 50-20-15-10-5 scale.
Three Big Races on the Derby Trail Next Week
After Angel Falls of Empire, Forte is next among horses qualifying for the Kentucky Derby with 40 points. Instant Coffee is tertiary with 32. Up to 20 horses will characterize for the May 6 Run for the Roses.
Next weekend features 3 more races offering 50 points to the winner. The Fountain of Youth Stakes will use up come in at Gulfstream Park nigh Miami. Aqueduct testament boniface the Gotham Stakes, and Santa Anita will feature article the San Felipe Stakes.
The Road to the Bluegrass State Derby will takings to Oaklawn on Apr 1 for the AR Derby. That is one of octonary races offering 100 points to the winner.
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