In what promises to be one of the spring’s most exciting Road to Kentucky Derby races to date, field nine is drawn on March 27 at 1:30 a.m. ET for $1.25 million Arkansas. Derby (G1), taking place on April 2.
Oaklawn ParkAs the final and premier prep race for the Woodford Reserve-sponsored Kentucky Derby, the 1/8 km dirt test is worth 170 Road to the Kentucky Derby Qualifying Points offered on a 100-point scale. -40-20-10.
Highlighting the Arkansas Derby contenders is Briland Farm’s brilliant animated film Secret Vow . A Goliath who has proven against her gender, she will face off against the boys for the first time on Saturday. The late Arrogate’s husky daughter won her last three starts at Oaklawn for a total of 23 lengths, securing a starting spot in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) with wins in the Martha Stakes Washington January 29 and Honey Bee Stock February 26 (G3). She has 60 points so far against the Oaks but will need to finish in the top two Saturday to earn a spot into this year’s Kentucky Derby.
Secret Oath coach D. Wayne Lukas, no stranger to athletics running against ponies, won the 1988 Kentucky Derby with the Winning Colors and the 1984 Arkansas Derby against Althea .
The filly’s ability to rank and be placed virtually anywhere in the race gives her a strong tactical advantage over males. She was noticed during the preparations for the Arkansas Derby, igniting five in one bullet: 59.40 March 17.
She drew post number 6 and will be piloted by her steady-state pilot, Luis Contreras.
Arkansas Derby draw – Oaklawn Park – 032722
Doppelganger , owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable and Siena Farm, headed the West Coast invaders. The son of Into Mischief entered the race after a series of controversies surrounding his former coach, Bob Baffert.
Since Baffert is currently being held by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission and Churchill Downs Inc. suspended, it was announced on Thursday that the four horses in his care had been transferred to other trainers. Churchill Downs’ two-year suspension meant that none of his cadets, including Doppelganger, earned the Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the prep races.
EHALT, KING: Messier, Other 3-year-olds in Baffert join other barns
Doppelganger will start for coach Tim Yakteen in the Arkansas Derby.
“We’ll see if he can confirm himself as a Derby (Kentucky) horse, get some points and take it from there,” Yakteen said.
After breaking her maiden impressively in December at Racetrack Los AlamitosThe Doppelganger finished fourth at the San Vicente Stakes (G2) January 29 and finished second while extending to two runs for the first time in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) March 5 behind Forbidden Kingdom .
“(Doppelganger was) coming out of his last race very well,” said SF Racing’s Tom Ryan. “Look, we’re so excited for him. He’s the horse that always gets me excited. He’s a gorgeous specimen. He’s incredibly well trained (March 20), going in. (1:10 on 4/5) is a feat in itself, but he did it the right way. He wasn’t rushed to do it. He actually lay down and worked like a horse. well, like the good horse we believe he is.”
The bay will be broken from lesson 4. Johnny Velazquez flies into town to get a mount.
Rebel Stakes (G2) first and third place runners-up renewed their rivalry in the Arkansas Derby after finishing within three-quarters of each other on February 26.
With a railroad crossing, Cypress Creek Equine’s Un Ojo shock on the field with 75-1 in the uprising finishing in second on 5 February Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct race track. One-eyed Gelding shipped to Oaklawn last week from his Louisiana base, at a half-mile: 48 4/5 for coach Ricky Courville.
Un Ojo will leave hole 5. Ramon Vazquez, who guided victory in the Uprising, has a call.
WSS Racing’s Haircut line reached all three of Oaklawn’s top Derby prep races, finishing second in the Smarty Jones Stakes January 1 and January 29 Southwest Stakes (G3) before finishing third in the Rebellion. The son of Race day ran into traffic during each of those starts, and his ties hoped for a clear run and racing luck for the John Ortiz-trained pony.
Barber Road drew turret 3 with Reylu Gutierrez in the iron.
“I thought it was a perfect location for us. What I was looking for was just a trip down the middle of the road,” Ortiz said. “I couldn’t be happier (with the way Barber Road got into the race). The horse has done nothing but improve with each start and this is the latest and happiest I’ve seen her take part. a race.”
Recent Impressive Allowance Winners We who from Rodolphe Brisset’s warehouse, and Cyberknife from Brad Cox stables, will test the stake water for the first time in the Arkansas Derby.
MyRacehorse’s Chasing time ranked fifth in Rebellion with optional strike scores for claimants on January 15, by James Rogers and Michael Robinson Kavod finished fourth in all three appearances in the Oaklawn Derby, and is a hybrid of Willis Horton Ben Diesel eighth in Rebel and third in Southwest, completing the field.
Missing from the entries is by Mark DeDomenico Call me Jamal . A February 26 option grant winner in Oaklawn, who was pointing towards the Arkansas Derby, showed up after a six-week Sunday morning with a filling in his leg.
“He adjusted something,” coach Michael Puhich told Daily Racing Form on Monday. “He’s never had hiccups before.”
