Coal Battle chases Oaklawn history in Arkansas Derby

Coal Battle will be chasing history and, likely, another Bob Baffert horse Saturday at Oaklawn in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles.

No horse has won Oaklawn’s Smarty Jones Stakes, Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby. Coal Battle has already pocketed the first two, overhauling Baffert’s speedy Madaket Road to win the 1 1/16-mile Rebel by 1 1/4 lengths Feb. 23.

Coal Battle returns for the Arkansas Derby. So does Baffert, the Southern California-based hall of fame trainer who will send out dazzling debut winner Cornucopian, the 7-5 program favorite.

Baffert, however, sees the morning line differently.

“Him being the favorite? I don’t know about that,” Baffert said. “I don’t think he should be the favorite because he has just one out. Coal Battle should be the favorite. I think he might end up the favorite. He’s a good horse and that Sandman’s a good horse. Grade 1s are always tough, but they’re supposed to be tough.”

The Arkansas Derby, Oaklawn’s fourth and final Kentucky Derby qualifying event, headlines a 14-race card that begins at 12:20 p.m. EDT. Probable post time for the Arkansas Derby, the 13th race, is 7:48 p.m EDT.

Weather permitting, the infield will be open. There is a 70 percent chance of light rain early Saturday, with breaks of sun in the afternoon, according to weather.com.

Five other stakes races will be run Saturday Oaklawn – $750,000 Fantasy (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles, $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses, $250,000 Matron for older fillies and mares at 6 furlongs, $145,000 Eclipse Overnight for older horses at 6 furlongs and the $145,000 American Pharoah Overnight for older horses at 1 1/16 miles.

The Arkansas Derby will award 200 total points (100-50-25-15-10) to its top five finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby. Cornucopian will likely need a top-two finish in the Arkansas Derby to secure a spot in the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

In his only career start, Cornucopian produced the fastest six-furlong time in Oaklawn history for a 3-year-old maiden, 1:09.02, in a front-running 5 3/4-length romp Feb. 23. That towering performance generated an eye-catching 101 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form.

Cornucopian, a $1.1 million son of Into Mischief, will try to give Baffert a record-extending sixth Arkansas Derby victory. The bay colt has an all-star cast of owners, including SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables and Stonestreet Stables. Baffert won last year’s Arkansas Derby with Muth.

Baffert decided on a return trip to Oaklawn after Cornucopian recorded three published workouts earlier this month at Santa Anita, the last a five-furlong move in 1:00.0 on March 22. An unlikely two-turn debut comes in a seven-figure Grade 1 race, and in just his second lifetime start.

“I waited for the work,” Baffert said. “He’s nominated everywhere. I could have run him in the Lexington (April 12 at Keeneland) or whatever. He’s a big, strong beautiful horse and he shipped and ran really well up there, going six furlongs. That was a pretty stiff race into him. He came back and worked well. The pace makes the race. He’ll be forwardly placed. I think we’re all going to know the answer turning for home. I just hope he’s right there.”

Coal Battle has already secured a Kentucky Derby spot, ranking fourth on the latest leaderboard with 70 points. Coal Battle is unbeaten in five career dirt starts, including the $250,000 Smarty Jones Jan. 4 and the Rebel, Oaklawn’s first and third Kentucky Derby qualifying races, respectively. Both races were 1 1/16 miles.

Coal Battle extended his dirt streak in his final two starts at 2, the $100,000 Jean Lafitte Stakes on Nov. 8 at Delta Downs and the $300,000 Remington Springboard Mile on Dec. 13 at Remington Park.

“It seems like yesterday he was winning the Jean Lafitte,” said Lonnie Briley, who trains Coal Battle for owner Robbie Norman.

Coal Battle was also under consideration for the $1.25 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) April 5 at Keeneland, but Briley opted to keep the Coal Front colt home for his final Kentucky Derby prep.

“He’s feeling good and everything,” Briley said. “I can’t say it enough. This horse takes care of himself. I kind of wanted to go to this one, anyway. They kept calling me to go to the Blue Grass. I didn’t want to ship to Keeneland then ship to Churchill. He (Norman) left it up to me. He said I could skip this race and go straight to the Derby and it would be fine with him.”

Speed King was a wire-to-wire winner of Oaklawn’s second Kentucky Derby qualifying race, the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 25. Speed King looks to rebound from a 10th-place finish in the Rebel for trainer Ron Moquett of Hot Springs.

Sandman finished a troubled second in the Southwest and was third as the favorite in the Rebel for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. The Tapit colt will be reunited with Ortiz, the 2024-2025 Fair Grounds riding king, in trying to secure his first career stakes victory.

“This is the one we’ve been waiting for,” Casse said. “All systems are go. No excuses. We’re going to get an extra sixteenth of a mile. Definitely going to be a fair amount of pace. It may only be by one horse (Cornucopian), but, yeah, I’m happy where we are. Obviously, Bob’s horse is the unknown. I think if he wins, then I tip my hat to the horse and to Bob. If anybody can do it, Bob can do it. But it’s a tall task. So, we’ll see.”

Publisher is a six-race maiden for hall of fame trainer Steve Asmussen, but the American Pharoah colt exits a fourth, beaten just 3 3/4 lengths, in the Rebel and adds blinkers for the Arkansas Derby.

“He’s due,” said Asmussen, a four-time Arkansas Derby winner. “Got all the foundation and doing extremely well at the right time. Obviously concerned about weather, racetrack – how it plays – and the lack of anybody to go with Cornucopian.”