Kentucky Derby 2019 Radar: Quick Entry gets the trip
Quick Entry, fourth when pushed wide last month in a strong Saratoga maiden race, fared much better Sunday at Churchill Downs, where he jumped on our 2019 Kentucky Derby Radar with a nice score in the slop.
The Marylou Whitney Stables homebred waited patiently behind the pace setters, rallied on the outside through the turn and went on to win by two lengths under urging by jockey Chris Landeros.
Quick Entry exits a Saratoga race won by Code of Honor, a Shug McGaughey trainee who’s also on our Derby Radar. The big question here is regarding preferred surface. Sire Point of Entry won multiple Grade 1 races going 10 furlongs on turf, and his top son is Analyze It, the 3-year-old turf standout who just missed against Catholic Boy in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational, also on the grass.
But Wilkes can get them to the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. McCraken was his first Derby starter back in 2017 and finished eighth.
Quick Entry was rushed into a stalking position Sunday, following opening fractions of 23.27 and 47.19. He went on to finish 6 1/2 furlongs in a final time of 1:18.99.
Two to watch may have come out of this race. At 20-1, Lord Dragon made a huge rally in the stretch to nab second and galloped out past the winner. That one, a son of Oxbow, is trained by Jordan Blair.
Quick Entry was off at 9-5 facing nine rivals.
Wilkes certainly has a pattern when it comes to his emerging 2-year-olds. The last two years, his McCraken and Gotta Go broke their maidens at Churchill Downs, went on to win the Street Sense Stakes to open the Fall Meet and then his the Derby trail in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes.
Checking the Derby Radar boxes for Quick Entry:
Broke maiden on major circuit
Connections with Derby experience