Modern Kentucky Derby includes fewer preps for contenders

In examining the preparation of recent Kentucky Derby starters, the belief that less is more is clearly trending.

Owner Amr Zedan went against the advice of trainer Tim Yakteen and bloodstock agent Gary Young by sending Taiba into the Santa Anita Derby (G1) even though the 3-year-old had made one previous start, winning a six-furlong contest the month before.

Although Zedan’s bold stroke was rewarded, Taiba still must buck an enormous amount of history on Saturday. No horse has won the Kentucky Derby in its third start since Leonatus in 1883. Some of the courage for Zedan’s conviction might have come from the example Triple Crown winner Justify set in 2018. Justify dispelled the curse of Apollo by becoming the first Derby champ to go unraced at 2 since Apollo in 1882.

“I think we’ve seen a trend over the last 10 years where we’re seeing more lightly raced horses,” Yakteen said. “I don’t know if it correlates with the points system that’s now been established, but it seems to have gone hand in hand.”

Churchill Downs instated a points system in 2012 to help ensure that the Derby attracted runners capable of covering the classic mile-and-a-quarter distance rather than sprinters who essentially were crashing a party at which they did not belong.

According to trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr., the points system was very much on his mind when he plotted White Abarrio’s path to the first Saturday in May. After the colt won the Feb. 5 Holy Bull Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park, the decision was made to skip the Fountain of Youth, the next Gulfstream prep, to let everything ride on the April 2 Florida Derby.

“It was a big gamble,” Joseph admitted. “But it was our belief if the horse was good enough, he would pick up the points. We’d rather have a fresh horse making his third start in the (Kentucky) Derby instead of one with too many starts.”

Three prep races were customary not long ago. Now, there is the thinking that three could be one too many?

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher emphasizes that the new millennium is nothing like the old one.

“The other day, people were talking about Mo Donegal as one of the more seasoned horses and he’s had five starts,” Pletcher noted. “The first year when I came here with More Than Ready (2000), he had won five races before the first of August of his 2-year-old year.”

Charge It joins Wood Memorial-winning Mo Donegal in giving Pletcher a solid one-two punch to go with longshot Pioneer of Medina. Charge It never went to the starting gate at 2. He enters the Derby with three starts, the most recent a second-place finish in the Florida Derby. His greenness cost him in that race as he failed to follow a straight path to the wire during the stretch run.

What is going on here? Pletcher said reasons for the less-is-more approach go beyond the fact that elite horses are being treated like fine china with the time they are given between starts.

“It’s horses, trainers, owners, the opportunities as 2-year-olds. Multiple reasons,” Pletcher said. Corniche, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, has yet to return to the races this season.

Young said Taiba was put on an incredibly fast track to the Derby because Bob Baffert, his trainer before his recent transfer to Yakteen, determined he needed more time to develop mentally and physically. Zedan purchased the Gun Runner colt for $1.7 million as a 2-year-old in training. Baffert was not about to ruin him by rushing him.

Taiba was extremely responsive to Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith in dispatching stablemate Messier in the Santa Anita Derby. Yakteen is optimistic the youngster’s abundant talent will more than offset his inexperience in the Derby that matters most.

“He is everything you are looking for in a horse to handle whatever you throw at him,” said Yakteen, understanding that they are throwing a whole lot at the two-time starter.