Stronghold punches Kentucky Derby ticket with Calif. win

The 87th Grade 1, $750,000 Santa Anita Derby lived up to the hype Saturday when Stronghold prevailed in an absolute thriller before a crowd of 32,089.

Stronghold and jockey Antonio Fresu gamely split horses at the top of the stretch and outdueled even-money favorite Imagination and Frankie Dettori to the wire to score by a neck. With the victory Stronghold is qualified for Kentucky Derby 2024 on May 4 at Churchill Downs.

Click here for Santa Anita entries and results.

Stronghold is trained by Phil D’Amato, who has never had a starter in the Kentucky Derby. By Ghostzapper, Stronghold races as a homebred for Eric and Sharon Waller.

“We thought we needed a top-three performance to get to the Kentucky Derby,” D’Amato said. “We were definitely hoping to get on the winning end here. I think this was a great education for him and a nice test that he's going to need to win a race like the Kentucky Derby.”

Long shot E J Won the Cup (23-1), ridden by Mike Smith for trainer Doug O’Neill,  finished 4 1/2 lengths back in third. Curlin’s Kaos, the longest shot on the board at 59-1, was another 4 1/2 lengths back in fourth.

Stronghold, the 5-2 second choice, covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.98. He paid $6.40, $3.00 and $2.40. Imagination returned $2.80 and $2.20 while E J Won the Cup paid $4.60 to show.

After a clean break for all, Tapalo (10-1) and Umberto Rispoli went to the front with Imagination stalking to his outside and Stronghold taking up a stalking position in mid-pack. Tapalo carved solid fractions of 22.72, 46.73 and 1:10.90 for six furlongs. On the second turn Tapalo continued to lead while E J Won the Cup attempted to reach Imagination while some four wide.

Stronghold began to ease out for racing room entering the stretch, but Smith on E J Won the Cup was doing his best to keep the winner pinned in. Stronghold had other ideas. He bulled through the three-horse scrum, edged clear and then had to hold off one final surge from Imagination to earn the victory.

“I was hoping we'd get that track and trip,” D’Amato said. “It was a nice little speed battle back there, and he handled it well. He didn’t really get the easiest trip coming around the turn, but luckily he was able to squeeze through a small hole there and prove that he can be the best when it comes down to the wire.”

This was Stronghold’s second straight graded-stakes win following a victory in the Sunland Park Derby (G3) in New Mexico on Feb. 18. He previously was second in both the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) on Dec. 16 and the seven-furlong Bob Hope (G3) at Del Mar in November.

For Fresu, a 32-year-old native of Sardinia, Italy, this was his first Grade 1 win in the U.S. Stronghold also will be his first mount in the Kentucky Derby.

“It is all thanks to these great people that gave me the opportunity to ride this fantastic horse,” Fresu said. “He proved to be a good horse last time. I loved the way Phil D’Amato was training him the last couple of works. The horse was getting so much confidence, and he was getting so much better than before. Today he proved to be a very good horse.”

Pacesetter Tapalo finished fifth and was followed by Wynstock (7-1), Mc Vay (10-1) and Tessuto (33-1).