Un Ojo continues toward Kentucky Derby after tough trip

Un Ojo is still eyeing the Kentucky Derby after his troubled eighth-place finish in the Grade 1, $1.25 million Arkansas Derby last Saturday at Oaklawn, trainer Ricky Courville said.

Courville said Un Ojo emerged from the Arkansas Derby with abrasions just below the point of his left shoulder after hitting the rail when in tight on the second turn of the 1 1/8-mile race. Courville said Un Ojo was vanned Sunday to The Training Center At Copper Crowne, an Opelousas, La., facility where the trainer is based.

“He’s all right,” Courville said Tuesday afternoon. “He had to have a couple of staples put in his shoulder. Little stiff right now, but he’ll be all right.”

Co-owned by Cypress Creek Equine (Kevin Moody), Un Ojo was making his first start since an upset victory in Oaklawn’s final major Arkansas Derby prep, the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 26. Un Ojo collected 50 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the victory and has 54 overall to rank 10th on the official leaderboard released Saturday night by Churchill Downs. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with points earned in designated races like the Arkansas Derby and Rebel used to determine starting preference if the race oversubscribes.

“I think we’re still on track,” Courville said. “We’re going to give him this week to see how this all heals up, but we plan on going. I think he had a legitimate excuse. That horse that ran second (Barber Road), we were both making our run together when all that happened. It was like he was getting the same trip, until all that.”

Courville said Un Ojo, who lost his left eye in an accident as a yearling, received the abrasions after striking the rail near the five-sixteenths pole. Footnotes from the official race chart said Un Ojo, “off the pace, saved ground into the far turn, was idling when in tight, checked up and fell back, did not recover.”

Un Ojo was beaten 14 1/4 lengths under Ramon Vazquez, who had guided the gelding to his Rebel victory at odds of 75-1. Courville, a former jockey, said eventual Arkansas Derby winner Cyberknife triggered last Saturday’s incident on the second turn after shooting toward the lead at the 5-furlong marker, which “packed” Barber Road “on top of us.”

“Probably from the five-eighths pole to the turn, the 3 (Barber Road) was just laying all over him (Un Ojo) and bumped him four or five times to where he was right on top of the fence,” Courville said. “All the way around the turn, they were both moving together and then all over a sudden – you watch the head on and it looks like the 3 just sawed us off. Hit the fence twice. You could see the dirt fly off the fence, he hit it so hard.”

Courville said Un Ojo will be evaluated this week before resuming serious training for the Kentucky Derby May 7 at Churchill Downs.

“He seems fine, a little stiff,” Courville said. “We gave him some bute after the race just to help him out and he was pretty good the next morning. He’s walking fine. I think the staples are bugging him more than anything.”

Un Ojo ($152.80) generated the second-highest pari-mutuel win payoff in Oaklawn stakes history for his ground-saving half-length victory over Ethereal Road in the Rebel. Overall, Un Ojo, a New York-bred son of the deceased Laoban, has a 2-2-0 record from seven lifetime starts and earnings of $782,571.

Cypress Creek Equine, in partnership, finished seventh in last year’s Kentucky Derby with another son of Laoban, Keepmeinmind. Trained by Oaklawn regular and 2020 local champion Robertino Diodoro, Keepmeinmind finished sixth in the Rebel in his 3-year-old debut. Courville has never had a Kentucky Derby starter.

Cyberknife has 100 points to rank fourth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for two-time reigning Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox. Like Cyberknife and Un Ojo, Arkansas Derby runner-up Barber Road is safely in the Kentucky Derby field with 58 points to rank ninth.

Cyberknife arrived Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs to begin preparations for the Kentucky Derby.

Arkansas Derby third Secret Oath arrived Tuesday afternoon at Churchill Downs for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Secret Oath, in her first start against males, collected 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points in the Arkansas Derby, but Lukas said he’s pointing the multiple stakes winner to the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/8 miles May 6 at Churchill Downs.

Secret Oath was Oaklawn’s top 3-year-old filly this year after winning her first three starts at the meeting, including the $200,000 Martha Washington Stakes Jan. 29 and $300,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 26, by a combined 23 lengths.

Ethereal Road, also trained by Lukas, is scheduled to run in the $1 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles Saturday at Keeneland. Ethereal Road collected 20 points for his runner-up finish in the Rebel and ranks 24th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The Blue Grass will offer 170 points (100-40-20-10, respectively) to its top four finishers toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby.

Zozos, a 10 1/4-length entry-level allowance winner Feb. 11 at Oaklawn for Cox, has 40 points to rank 13th on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.