Europe road to Derby: Brave Emperor wins at Kempton, but ...
Brave Emperor stalked the lead throughout the race, seized it in the last quarter-mile and held onto it for a head victory Wednesday night in the $37,491 Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes, a one-turn, clockwise mile on the all-weather track course at Kempton, England.
The victory worth 20 points moved the Sioux Nation gelding trained by Archie Watson into a share of the lead on the Europe road to Kentucky Derby 2023. Since Brave Emperor has not been nominated for the Triple Crown, the owners at Middleham Park Racing have until March 27 to pay $6,000 if they want to do so.
Luke Morris rode Brave Emperor (3-1) forward throughout the race. Alzahir (9-2) dueled the eventual winner the whole way and placed second to earn his first eight Derby qualifying points. Tenjin (14-1) closed late to finish third for six points. Killybegs Warrior (8-1) also pressed the pace early before coming in fourth and earning four points. Coco Jack (14-1) made modest progress from the rear of the seven-horse pack and finished fifth to collect two points.
Brave Emperor’s winning time was 1:39.76 without a run-up.
None of the horses in Wednesday’s race was nominated to the Triple Crown. A maximum of one Kentucky Derby 2023 invitation may be extended to a horse coming off the Europe road, where the final race will be the 30-12-9-6-3-point Cardinal Condition Stakes on April 1 at Chelmsford City, England.
Cairo, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Quality Road colt who shares the lead in the Europe standings, is nominated for the Triple Crown. However, he was expected to be diverted to Meydan for the March 25 running of the UAE Derby (G2), a race that will qualify the winner and almost certainly the runner-up to race May 6 at Churchill Downs.
These are the unofficial Europe road to the Kentucky Derby standings:
| Europe road to Ky. Derby | Points | **Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cairo* | 20 | $66,045 |
| Brave Emperor | 20 | $66,784 |
| Belbek | 10 | $279,323 |
| Auguste Rodin | 10 | $222,687 |
| The Foxes | 10 | $76,913 |
| Crypto Force | 10 | $69,768 |
| Alzahir | 8 | $17,514 |
| News At Ten | 8 | $8,079 |
| 2. Stormy Entry* | 6 | $3,932 |
| Tenjin | 6 | $14,685 |
| Gamestop | 4 | $101,588 |
| Epictetus | 4 | $64,909 |
| Adelaide River | 4 | $39,267 |
| Dubai Mile | 4 | $29,159 |
| Killybegs Warrior | 4 | $6,323 |
| Cash Out | 4 | $1,701 |
| Holloway Boy | 3 | $158,185 |
| Breizh Sky | 3 | $91,301 |
| Flying Honours | 3 | $39,968 |
| Young Ireland | 3 | $12,833 |
| Shartash | 2 | $160,989 |
| Dancing Magic | 2 | $26,226 |
| 3. Greenland* | 2 | $9,011 |
| Coco Jack | 2 | $16,628 |
| Roaring Gallagher | 2 | $5,814 |
| Miss Caruso | 2 | $850 |
| Vicious Harry | 1 | $64,540 |
| Lakota Seven | 1 | $12,227 |
| Salt Lake City | 1 | $0 |
| *Triple Crown nominee | ||
| **Non-restricted stakes |