O’Brien pins Kentucky Derby hopes on Cardinal Conditions
Trainer Aidan O’Brien, who made Mendelssohn his sixth career Kentucky Derby starter last year, may add to that list pending the results of Thursday’s final overseas prep, Chelmsford City’s Cardinal Conditions Stakes.
Run at a mile on Polytrack, the race offers qualifying points on the European road to the Derby on a 30-12-6-3 scale to the Top 4 finishers, with a victory enough to send a horse on to Churchill Downs.
While O’Brien entered both Antilles and U S S Michigan, he told RacingTV.com the latter “would be the only one” for the Derby.
“I’m not yet sure if a win at Chelmsford would be enough to get him in to Kentucky,” O’Brien added, “but he is a big, long-striding cruiser and we always thought he would get a mile and further.”
By War Front, the same sire as Derby contenders Omaha Beach and War of Will, U S S Michigan broke his maiden on March 1 and shows one other start as a 2-year-old last June.
Mendelssohn was eased in last year’s Derby, finishing 20th on an eye-opening afternoon for O’Brien, who pledged to return to Churchill Downs with a charge more fit for American dirt racing and the type of quick-from-the-gates tactics often necessary to contend.
Master of Hounds, fifth in the 2011 Derby, remains his best finisher to date in the Run for the Roses.
U S S Michigan is a 5-2 overseas co-favorite along with the Mark Johnston-trained Dark Vision with nine 3-year-olds declared for the Cardinal Conditions Stakes. The Coolmore colt is one of two Triple Crown nominees in the field along with Paul Cole-trained Shir Khan, a longshot.
Post time is 10:35 a.m. ET.
Should U S S Michigan go on to the Derby, adding to Japan’s Master Fencer, the points cutoff for American-based horses would rise to 38 entering the final weekend of prep races that includes the Arkansas Derby (G1) and Lexington Stakes (G3).
Currently, likely Arkansas Derby favorite Omaha Beach is the last horse in with 37.5 points. Behind him are Bourbon War (31), Instagrand (30), Lexington Stakes favorite Anothertwistafate (30), Country House (30), Sueno (28) and Improbable (25).