Basin elevated to Arkansas Derby win but off Kentucky Derby trail

Basin, now officially a two-time Grade 1 winner after Charlatan’s disqualification Wednesday from an Arkansas Derby victory, is off the Kentucky Derby trail.

Owner Jackpot Farm's Twitter account posted Sunday that it was “time to shorten (Basin) back up.” That tweet came one day after the Liam’s Map colt ran 10^th on Saturday at 1 1/8 miles in Keeneland’s Blue Grass Stakes (G2).

In Basin’s last start prior to the Blue Grass, the Steve Asmussen trainee ran second May 2 at Oaklawn Park by six lengths to Charlatan in the first of two Arkansas Derby divisions. That runner-up effort earned 40 points on the Road to the 2020 Kentucky Derby.

More than two months after the Arkansas Derby, Basin was elevated to the winner’s circle Wednesday because of Charlatan’s DQ due to a positive test for a numbing agent. The Arkansas Racing Commission handed trainer Bob Baffert a 15-day suspension stemming from the positive tests of Charlatan and stablemate Gamine.

Basin is now a Grade 1 winner at both 2 and 3, having also taken Saratoga’s Hopeful Stakes last September. The Kentucky-bred improved to 7:3-1-1 lifetime thanks to Wednesday’s news.

Ryne Poncik of Jackpot Farms spoke last week about the possibility of Basin being named Arkansas Derby winner. At that point, the racing world was still awaiting a final verdict on Charlatan's potential DQ.

“It’s a little bittersweet,” Poncik said. “Obviously we’re excited, I’m pretty new in this game so the whole process of a DQ, I haven’t talked to Steve about it or anything like that, so I don’t know how long it will take. Obviously we’re excited to get another Grade 1.”

Gouverneur Morris, the Todd Pletcher trainee elevated from third to second after Charlatan’s DQ, is also off the Kentucky Derby trail after a colitis diagnosis last month.

Arkansas Derby runners Winning Impression and Anneau d’Or were elevated Wednesday, to third- and fourth-place, respectively. 

Winning Impression’s 20 points earned for that finish put the Dallas Stewart trainee 24^th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Anneau d’Or, conditioned by Blaine Wright, was credited with 10 points and now has 32 overall, putting him in 18^th place and in the Kentucky Derby field, for now.