Smile Happy, Dash Attack have targets for their next Derby preps

Trainer Kenny McPeek, who awaits the sophomore bow of Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll in Saturday's Fountain of Youth (G2), provided Horse Racing Nation with an early indication on where his two other leading Kentucky Derby hopefuls could make their final preps for the classic.

Smile Happy, currently the Kentucky Derby co-favorite (10-1) at Circa Sports in Nevada, will likely resurface in either the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) on April 2 or the $1 million Blue Grass (G1) on April 9 at Keeneland, McPeek said. Both races offer a total of 170 Derby points to the top-four finishers with 100 going to the winner. 

Winner of last year's Kentucky Jockey Club (G2), Smile Happy returned from an 11-week layoff on Feb. 19 to finish a solid second in the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds. In the 85-point Derby prep, Smile Happy and Corey Lanerie found themselves relegated to eighth after the opening quarter mile, but a late rally and the pair was able to beat all but loose-on-the-lead winner Epicenter. 

"I liked his race," McPeek said. "I thought we maybe were a little further back than we needed to be and that gave him a little bit too much to do. But he's a really good horse and we'll probably come back in either the Bluegrass or the Florida Derby."

McPeek's Dash Attack announced his presence on the Derby trail when winning the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park on New Year's Day. In two subsequent starts in Arkansas, the son of Munnings was well-beaten in both the Southwest (G3) and Rebel (G2). 

"I expected a little improvement, but he didn't run a whole lot different in the (Rebel) than he did in the Southwest," McPeek said.

He added Dash Attack would probably "drop down a notch" and await the Lexington (G2) at Keeneland on April 16, which is the last stop on the Derby trail and awards 20 points to the winner.