New York’s 2014 Kentucky Derby Contenders V
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The 2014 New York Derby
Trail began on January 4th with the running of the Jerome (G2) and
since then horses have fallen to the wayside, others made comebacks, several do
not have enough Road to the Kentucky Derby points, a couple are going to try
one more prep race, and some never made an appearance.
Currently seven of the New York contenders seem to be on their way to the starting gate on May 3rd. Wicked Strong has 102 points and is currently ranked third, Samraat (100, 4th), Constitution (100, 5th), Intense Holiday (93, 7th), and We Miss Artie (60, 9th).
I have included Cairo Prince (24, 17th) and Uncle Sigh (24, 18th) in that list of seven because I feel confident that they have enough points. Their ranking in 17th and 18th positions assumes that the top two finishers in the UAE Derby will not be making the trip to Louisville. There are always a few horses that drop out in the final month of training up to the Derby.
Strong Mandate (11, 27th)
and Commissioner (10, 33rd) are ready to make one more attempt to
qualify for the Derby by running in the Arkansas Derby. They need to finish in
the top three at Oaklawn Park because 10 points from fourth place would still put
them behind Cairo Prince and Uncle Sigh.
Wicked Strong’s victory in
the Wood Memorial (G1) was an
impressive comeback for a horse that had shown a lot of promise as a two
year-old. He found the deeper Aqueduct surface far more conducive to his
running style as a closer. His long steady drive down the stretch is the kind
of move that has produced the most winners in the Run for the Roses.
With less than a month
until the Derby, here are my top four New York Contenders, with an eye on who
is likeliest to win the race.
1) Wicked Strong – He has
the right running style for Derby success. His trainer, Jimmy Jerkens, will
continue to train him using longer stamina building workouts.
2) Intense Holiday – This
Todd Pletcher trainee also has that preferred come from behind running style for
the Derby. His second place finish in the Louisiana Derby was, by no means, a
negative performance.
3) Constitution – He is
unbeaten in three career starts. His win in the Florida Derby, which has been
one of the most meaningful prep races in recent years, was against a very
strong field.
4) Samraat – In his loss
to Wicked Strong in the Wood, Samraat continued to build on his racing resume.
Remember in 2004, fellow New York-bred Funny Cide finished second and went on
to win the Derby.
This list of New York contenders
is in order based on the number of Road to the Kentucky Derby Points that have been
earned by each horse.
6: 2-1-1 $704,610
Owner: Centennial Farms
Trainer: Jimmy Jerkens
Jockey: Rajiv Maragh
1st Wood
Memorial (G1) – BSF 103
4th OC75/N1X
Gulfstream – BSF 87
9th Holy Bull
Stakes (G2) – BSF 67
3rd Remsen
Stakes (G2) – BSF 87
1st MSW Belmont
Park – BSF 81
102 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: Mutuel Field 3/2
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: Mutuel Field 3-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: Mutuel Field 5-1
6: 5-1-0 $773,200
Owner: My Meadowview Farm
Trainer: Rick Violette
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
2nd Wood
Memorial (G1)
1st Gotham (G3)
– BSF 96
1st Withers
(G2) – BSF 94
1st Damon
Runyan – BSF 95
100 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 30-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 30-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 17-1
3: 3-0-0 $649,350
Owner: WinStar Farm and
Twin Creeks Racing
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Javier Castellano
1st Florida
Derby (G1) – BSF 99
1st OC75/N1X
Gulfstream – BSF 98
1st MSW
Gulfstream – BSF 84
$400,000 Saratoga August
2012
100 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: Mutuel Field 3/2
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 28-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 19-1
8: 2-1-1 $551,900
Owner: Starlight Racing
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: Mike Smith
2nd Louisiana
Derby (G2)
1st Risen Star
(G2) – BSF 97
3rd Holy Bull
Stakes (G2) – BSF 84
4th Remsen Stakes
(G2) – BSF 84
4th Nashua
Stakes (G2) – BSF 81
93 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 69-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 22-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 20-1
8: 3-2-0 $609,000
Owner: Ken and Sarah
Ramsey
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
1st Spiral (G3)
– BSF 85
8th Fountain of
Youth (G2) – BSF 85
2nd Kitten’s
Joy (turf) – Gulfstream – BSF 86
7th Breeders’
Cup Juvenile – BSF 81
1st Breeders’
Futurity (G1) Keeneland – BSF 70
60 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: Mutuel Field 3/2
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: Mutuel Field 3-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 36-1
5: 3-1-0 $562,000
Owner: Braverman, Namcook
Stables, Clark
Trainer: Kiaran McLaughlin
Jockey: Luis Saez
4th Florida
Derby (G1)
1st Holy Bull
Stakes (G2) – BSF 95
2nd Remsen
Stakes (G2) – BSF 88
1st Nashua
Stakes (G2) – BSF 90
24 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: 26-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 13-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 9-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 9-1
5: 1-3-0 $231,000
Owner: Wounded Warrior
Trainer: Gary Contessa
Jockey: Corey Nakatani
5th Wood
Memorial (G1)
2nd Gotham (G3)
– BSF 96
2nd Withers
(G3) – BSF 92
1st MSW
(NY-breds) Aqueduct – BSF 93
2rd MSW
Aqueduct – BSF 95
24 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 73-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 42-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 47-1
7: 2-1-1 $522,900
Owner: Baker, Mack
Trainer: D. Wayne Lukas
Jockey: Joel Rosario
4th Rebel
Stakes (G2)
2nd Southwest
Stakes (G3)
3rd Breeders’
Cup Juvenile (G1) – BSF 85
1st Hopeful
Stakes (G1) – BSF 85
11 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: 27-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 17-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: 18-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: 32-1
5: 2-1-1 $189,100
Owner: WinStar Farm
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
3rd Sunland
Derby (G3)
6th Fountain of
Youth (G2)
1st OC75/NW1
Gulfstream – BSF 91
1st MSW
Saratoga – nine furlongs – BSF 78
10 Road to
Kentucky Derby Points
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 1: Mutuel Field 4/5
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 2: 22-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 3: Mutuel Field 3-1
Kentucky Derby Future
Wager Pool 4: Mutuel Field 5-1 Read More
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