Colonial Downs: Buetane brings the heat to Virginia Derby

Kentucky Derby hopeful Buetane, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, tops a field of 10 3-year-olds entered for Saturday's $500,000 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, which offers qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis to the top five finishers.

Slated as Race 9, the 1 1/8-mile contest serves as the centerpiece of a 10-race Virginia Derby Day program that also includes the $250,000 Virginia Oaks, a Road to the Kentucky Oaks points race, the $100,000 Sandy Bottom Stakes and the $100,000 Royal New Kent Stakes.

Trained by Bob Baffert and owned by Zedan Racing Stables, Buetane enters off a pair of strong graded stakes performances, finishing third in the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn on Feb. 6 after a runner-up effort in the San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita. Buetane also finished second in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga last summer. Flavien Prat has the mount and will guide Buetane from the rail.

Among the top challengers is the Brad Cox-trained Confessional, who makes his third start since breaking his maiden at Keeneland in October. The colt most recently finished seventh in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. Tabbed at 4-1 in the morning line, Confessional will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Street Sense Stakes (G3) winner Incredibolt, trained by Riley Mott, will try to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park. Jaime Torres has the mount.

Todd Pletcher will be represented by a pair of entrants. Grittiness exits a runner-up finish in the Withers Stakes at Aqueduct with Rajiv Maragh aboard. Epic Desire finished fifth in the Sam F. Davis after breaking his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs in January and will be ridden by Sheldon Russell.

High Camp, who broke his maiden impressively at Gulfstream Park on Feb. 7, enters the Virginia Derby with two career starts. Trained by Will Walden, High Camp will be ridden by National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez.

Also entered are Lockstocknpharoah, perfect in two starts for trainer Thomas Drury Jr. with Edgar Morales in the irons; Work, who will ship in from Santa Anita after an impressive maiden score for trainer Doug O'Neill with Mychel Sanchez aboard; Ocelli, trained by Whit Beckman and ridden by Joe Ramos; and Clocker Special for trainer Rodolphe Brisset with Cristian Torres aboard.

Virginia Derby week is set for March 12-14 with a three-day slate of racing, including seven stakes and handicaps, entertainment and special promotions leading up to Saturday's marquee stakes program. First post is 12:30 p.m. EDT on Thursday and Friday and noon EDT on Saturday.