Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Will Snapper Sinclair ‘Bloom’?

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 5 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space.

At no point last time out did Snapper Sinclair appear to trail Bravazo — except for in the Risen Star Stakes’ win photo. But it’s a nose at the wire that separated him from the reputation of a colt that might prefer turf and that of a legitimate 2018 Kentucky Derby contender.

Look for the striking white blaze in Saturday’s Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby. The son of City Zip could get some redemption in his rematch with Bravazo.

“You have to welcome the top horses because it’s time to be tested,” said Lori Allen, co-owner of the Bloom Racing Stable colt, in a recent interview with Kentucky Downs’ Jennie Rees.

Snapper Sinclair may well prefer running on the lawn, going a shorter distance, and possibly both. Arguably his best performance came in Kentucky Downs’ Turf Showcase Juvenile Stakes last September.

But the Steve Asmussen trainee also ran 12th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, then came back to finish third in the Grade 3 Lecomte and second in the Risen Star. So he’s also graded stakes-placed in his two recent dirt starts.

“To this day, it’s in explicable what happened in the Breeders’ Cup,” Allen told Rees. “It’s just a throwout. He came out of it fine, he’s trained like a beast. He’s continued to put on weight and gotten stronger. We’re just really excited about him.”

With 22 points already earned, Snapper Sinclair would seemingly need to crack the Louisiana Derby trifecta to earn himself a trip to Churchill Downs. If he’s to pull off a win, the colt would be in decent company. Asmussen last won this race with Gun Runner in 2016.

Snapper Sinclair is one of two Asmussen charges entered. He’s a 9-2 fourth choice on the morning line with Retirement Fund a 12-1 shot.

“Obviously it would be nice to find a little more for Saturday,” Asmussen said of Snapper Sinclair. “He’s trained beautifully and we expect a big run from him.”

The race appears packed with early pace, especially now that Noble Indy, who was third in the Risen Star, has added blinkers. But Asmussen points out Snapper Sinclair “is coming out of deeper fields, so I think his pace scenario is a little more tried and true.”

And if it doesn’t work out Saturday? Well, there’s always a promising career to continue on turf.

Louisiana Derby handicapping

Post time is 6:21 p.m. ET for Saturday’s Louisiana Derby, and we have all you need to evaluate this field.

Plus…

• The Louisiana Derby longshot you shouldn’t ignore

• Four horses to toss from your Louisiana Derby tickets

• How to bet Fair Grounds’ all-stakes Pick 4 on a budget

Louisiana Derby history

We mentioned Gun Runner earlier, but he’s not the only name to go on to big things after running in Fair Grounds’ meet feature.

Two horses — Black Gold in 1924 and Grindstone in 1996 — have won both the Louisiana and Kentucky Derby. Since 2009, Churchill Downs Inc. has scheduled the race five weeks out from the first Saturday in May. Previously, it was spaced eight weeks in advance and run at 1 1/16 miles.

Click the graphic below for a larger race history.

Derby scouting reports

The latest round of HRN regional “Scouting Reports” for Kentucky Derby contenders were published in recent days. While there’s a much clearer picture of who the top hopefuls are from all parts of the country, you’ll get caught up on some other names to know for the final round of preps.

East Coast | Central Division | West Coast

Derby links

• Santa Anita’s Friday stable notes indicated Bolt d’Oro had the Blue Grass Stakes as “an option” in addition to the Santa Anita Derby. We put in a call to Keeneland’s racing office to see how probable it is the current Kentucky Derby points leader could leave his home state before going to Churchill Downs.

• Trainer D. Wayne Lukas says Bravazo has “moved forward” since his Risen Star victory. Ahead of the Louisiana Derby, “He’s stronger. He’s filled out. What we are finding out is that Bravazo is very competitive.”

• After what appears to be a misunderstanding about the Kentucky Derby points system, Gronkowski will remain in Europe for his final prep rather than trying the Blue Grass Stakes or Wood Memorial. His 20 points earned overseas would not translate to the domestic system.

• Whereas the Blue Grass lost a contender there, it may have gained one with trainer Doug O’Neill telling BloodHorse that Blended Citizen may run next at Keeneland. The Jeff Ruby Steaks winner has 20 points and would only need to hit the board to secure his spot.

• Multiple Florida Derby contenders tuned up for the March 31 race on Friday, with Catholic Boy “settled right in” at Gulfstream Park and Strike Power "turning in a “crisper breeze" for trainer Mark Hennig. The race draws Wednesday.

In case you missed it…

Get the scoop with recent editions of the Derby Daily Report!

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