Early Derby favorites meet in rubber match
Great Hunter is back in Bluegrass country, ready to take another shot at Street Sense in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes.
“We’re in it to win it,” Great Hunter’s trainer Doug O’Neill said.
The last time the top Kentucky Derby hopefuls met, Street Sense was first and Great Hunter a distant third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4. Four weeks earlier, the finish was reversed in the Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
Both 3-year-old colts are at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., for the rubber match on Polytrack, with the winner likely becoming the favorite for the Derby on May 5.
“We’re pretty certain we’ve got him fit enough to run a big race,” O’Neill said, “and bounce out of it and be on top of his game three weeks later.”
Trainer Carl Nafzger feels the same way about Street Sense.
“I’m looking for a win,” he said. “I’ll have three weeks to adjust to the Derby, and if we don’t need adjusting, that’s great.”
There’s a 90 percent chance of rain in today’s forecast, but Polytrack is installed over a state-of-the-art drainage system, which keeps the synthetic surface in good shape.
That was one of the reasons Nafzger and O’Neill chose the 11/8-mile Blue Grass.
“With Polytrack, you don’t have to worry about weather, or a hard track, or a deep track,” Nafzger said. “You can eliminate those factors.”
Both colts are coming off victories in their 3-year-old debuts.
Arkansas Derby today
The last few years, the Arkansas Derby at Hot Springs, Ark., has been a tuneup for serious Kentucky Derby contenders. This year, it’s more of a proving ground.
Curlin, the favorite, has raced twice.
“There’s a lot of question marks surrounding him,” said Steve Asmussen, Curlin’s trainer. “But I don’t think his talent is one of them.”
Curlin is the 7-5 favorite for today’s 11/8-mile race, the last of Oaklawn Park’s three Kentucky Derby preps. Deadly Dealer, trained by Todd Pletcher, is at 4-1 on the morning line – and he has only raced three times.
It’s been a tough year for favorites in Oaklawn’s big 3-year-old races. Hard Spun finished fourth as a 1-2 shot in the Southwest on Feb. 19 for what is his only loss. Flying First Class was the choice in the Rebel on March 17, but he finished eighth.
That’s a far cry from recent years. Smarty Jones won all three Oaklawn preps in 2004 before winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and the following year, Afleet Alex won the Arkansas Derby before taking the Preakness and Belmont.
Trainer wants 5 in Derby
Todd Pletcher set his tentative lineup for the Kentucky Derby, and it’s a doozy – a record-equaling five horses.
The trainer said his probable starters are Any Given Saturday, Circular Quay, Cowtown Cat, Scat Daddy and Sam. P. If all five run, it would match records set by two Hall of Famers: Wayne Lukas in 1996, and Nick Zito two years ago.