Renegade punches Kentucky Derby ticket in Arkansas Derby
Betting favorite Renegade unleashed a four-wide burst turning for home Saturday and drew off to a commanding four-length victory in the Grade 1, $1.5 million Arkansas Derby before an estimated crowd of 73,000 – the largest in Oaklawn history.
Irad Ortiz Jr. rode the winner for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who captured the Arkansas Derby for a record sixth time in the 1 1/8-mile race for eight 3-year-olds. The race awarded 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top five finishers.
Redland Rebels (27-1), with Keith Asmussen aboard for trainer Patrick Biancone, broke well and took control past the wire the first time, showing the way under a light hold through a quarter-mile in 23.25 seconds and a half in 47.80. Bricklin (44-1), under Jaime Torres for Rodolphe Brisset, pressed from the outside throughout.
Renegade (1-1) broke with the field but dropped to the back, running seventh – 4 1/2 lengths off the lead – through the opening quarter and last of eight at the half. Ortiz kept him unhurried and in hand up the backstretch off the inside.
Bricklin advanced to take the lead from Redland Rebels with a little more than a quarter-mile to go through three-quarters in 1:12.52. Silent Tactic (7-2), ridden by Cristian Torres for Mark Casse, also began to advance from mid-pack early in the final turn.
Silent Tactic came three wide to challenge and held a narrow lead at the top of the stretch, but Renegade was already in full flight. Ortiz swung him four wide turning for home, and Renegade surged past to take command nearing midstretch. He drifted out to the middle of the track past the furlong grounds but continued strongly through a mile in 1:37.86 and to the wire in a final time of 1:49.70 on the fast main track.
"At the top of the stretch when I tipped him out to put him in the middle of the track and I hit him one time – after that I was having fun," Ortiz said. "He was running and was going to hold it."
Silent Tactic proved no match over the final furlong but edged clear for second, two lengths ahead of Taptastic (12-1). Ridden by Erik Asmussen for trainer Steven Asmussen, Taptastic traveled in the second flight three wide and came along late for the show spot in his second career start.
"He's got a great amount of talent," Steven Asmussen said of Taptastic. "He's very young mentally, physically and with it being here had a little bit to do with running him. He represented well, but he needs more time to run against horses like these."
Bricklin weakened through the stretch after his brief turn on the lead and finished fourth, 1 1/4 lengths behind Taptastic. Blackout Time (9-2) lacked a serious response when called on and finished fifth. Redland Rebels retreated steadily through the lane to finish sixth. Litmus Test (9-2) and Exosome (71-1) completed the order.
Renegade paid $4.00, $2.60 and $2.20. Silent Tactic returned $3.20 and $2.60. Taptastic paid $3.80 to show.
Silent Tactic was the only horse to compete in all four legs of Oaklawn's Kentucky Derby prep series, having won the Southwest Stakes (G3).
"We got beat by the best horse today," Torres said. "Now, we've got five weeks for the first Saturday in May."
A son of Into Mischief out of Grade 3 winner Spice Is Nice, by Curlin, Renegade was bred in Kentucky by Robert and Lawana Low. Repole Stable purchased him for $975,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale, and the Lows retained half interest.
Pletcher previously teamed with Repole to win the 2013 Arkansas Derby with Overanalyze and with the Lows in 2018 with Magnum Moon.
The victory was Renegade's second in five starts, following a 3 3/4-length score in the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 7. He surpassed $1 million in career earnings with the $832,500 winner's share.
"We were super excited about the way he ran," Pletcher said. "I was really impressed by the way he finished coming home the last eighth of a mile the way he did."