NEW YORK (AP) – Doug O’Neill is gearing up for a Kentucky Derby repeat.
A year after winning the Derby with I’ll Have Another, the trainer is going for another – this time with Goldencents.
The 3-year-old colt came through with a huge race in winning the Santa Anita Derby on April 6, and should be among the top contenders for the May 4 race.
O’Neill and his crew are feeling pretty good about their chances, especially after a recent workout in which Goldencents finally began to relax “big time.
“I saw a relaxed, mature horse that finished up great,” O’Neill said after Goldencents worked four furlongs in 48.40 seconds at Santa Anita last week. One more workout on Thursday, and it’s off to Louisville on Saturday.
I’ll Have Another also won the Preakness, but was scratched and retired because of a tendon injury the day before attempting to win the Belmont Stakes and capture the Triple Crown.
Goldencents is No. 4 on the AP’s final Run to the Roses’ Top 10 list of Derby contenders, with Verrazano, Orb and Revolutionary holding their spots at 1-2-3, respectively.
Verrazano, one of as many as six Derby horses for trainer Todd Pletcher, had his first workout over Churchill Downs on Sunday, covering five furlongs in 1:00.20. Pletcher-trainee Revolutionary also worked, going four furlongs in 48.80.
Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby winner Orb worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 Sunday at Payson Park before departing for Louisville.
“This was the one we need to get behind us,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “What I liked to see was that he was very settled going to the track, warming up and coming home.”
While O’Neill will be attempting to become the seventh trainer to win back-to-back Derbys (
“I’m really excited. I hope I stay excited and don’t get nervous, but I know that’s not going to happen,” McGaughey said. “If everything goes right in the next 13 days, I’ll really get excited about maybe having a chance to win.”
The only changes in the top 10 saw Itsmyluckyday move up two spots to No. 7 and Mylute move into a tie at No. 10 with Will Take Charge.
Mylute finished second in the Louisiana Derby and has a new rider in Rosie Napravnik, the nation’s fifth-leading jockey in earnings.
The 20-horse field will be chosen based on a new system of Derby qualifying points from designated races. Five of Pletcher’s horses are in the top 20, with a sixth, Lexington Stakes winner Winning Cause, at No. 21.
Here’s our Top 10:
1. Verrazano (Todd Pletcher, trainer; John Velazquez, jockey): Worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.20 Sunday at Churchill Downs, third fastest of 40 at the same distance. … Wood winner is unbeaten in all four starts and will try to become the eighth unbeaten Derby winner. … Next start: Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs, May 4. … Final Derby future wager odds: 7-1.
2. Orb (Shug McGaughey, Joel Rosario): Fountain of Youth, Florida Derby winner worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 Sunday at Payson Park. … Gets original rider back now that Johnny V has chosen Verrazano. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 13-1.
3. Revolutionary (Pletcher, Calvin Borel): Louisiana Derby winner worked 4 furlongs in 48.80 Sunday at Churchill Downs. … 2-for-2 this year after winning one of four as a 2-year-old. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 12-1.
4. Goldencents (Doug O’Neill, Kevin Krigger): Worked 4 furlongs in 48.40 last week at Santa Anita. … O’Neill on way to Churchill to try and win second straight Derby. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 49-1.
5. Overanalyze (Pletcher, Rafael Bejarano): Don’t underrate Arkansas Derby winner, who also won the Remsen and Futurity Stakes … Owner Mike Repole thrilled to have Derby fever again. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 49-1.
6. Normandy Invasion (Chad Brown, Javier Castellano): Despite only a maiden win in five races, colt is considered one of the “now” horses for the Derby after strong second in Wood. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 18-1.
7. Itsmyluckyday (Eddie Plesa Jr., Elvis Trujillo): Worked 1 mile in 1:43.20 at Calder last week. … Holy Bull winner and Florida Derby runner-up has one more workout planned, then ships to Churchill Downs on Friday. … One of most experienced Derby starters, with five wins, two seconds and a third in 10 races. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 10-1.
8. Java’s War (Kenny McPeek, Julien Leparoux): Ended three-race losing streak with Blue Grass win. … Both trainer and rider looking for first Derby wins. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 31-1.
9. Palace Malice (Pletcher, Mike Smith): Another maiden winner also considered a “now” pick after running second in the Blue Grass. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 42-1.
10 (tie) Will Take Charge (D. Wayne Lukas, Jon Court): Rebel winner worked 1 mile in 1:41.60 Sunday at Churchill Downs. … Comes into Derby off seven-week break. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 19-1.
10 (tie) Mylute (Tom Amoss, Rosie Napravnik): Louisiana Derby runner-up posted impressive workout at Churchill Downs on Sunday – 4 furlongs in 47.80, the fastest of 81 horses at the same distance. … Next start: Kentucky Derby. … Odds: 5-1 (mutuel field).
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Keep an eye on: Black Onyx, Frac Daddy, Govenor Charlie, Oxbow, Vyjack.
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Trainer Baffert down to 3 possible Derby starters
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Super Ninety Nine and Den’s Legacy won’t run in the Kentucky Derby after trainer Bob Baffert took them out of consideration.
Baffert said Tuesday that based on their recent form he didn’t think either horse would be competitive enough to win the May 4 race.
Super Ninety Nine was ranked 18th with 30 points on the Derby leaderboard that determines the top 20 horses with preference to run at Churchill Downs. The colt won the Southwest Stakes in February, but finished fifth in the Rebel Stakes and third in the Santa Anita Derby.
Den’s Legacy was No. 20 with 20 points. He was runner-up in the Sham and Robert Lewis stakes, and third in the CashCall Futurity and Rebel, then finished sixth in the Arkansas Derby.
Baffert still has Sunland Derby winner Governor Charlie (ranked 11th) and possibly Code West (ranked 21st) and Power Broker (ranked 24th) as possible starters in the Derby, which he has won three times.
Baffert also says Fiftyshadesofhay won’t run in the $1 million Kentucky Oaks on May 3.
Godolphin trainer charged with 3 rule breaches
LONDON (AP) – A leading trainer from the powerful Godolphin stable was charged Wednesday in connection with one of the biggest doping scandals to hit British horse racing.
Mahmood Al Zarooni was charged with violating multiple rules related to banned substances in horses after samples from 11 of his horses at stables in Newmarket were found to contain traces of anabolic steroids.
The British Horseracing Authority also charged the 37-year-old trainer with failing to keep medication records and with conduct prejudicial to the sport.
Al Zarooni, one of two British-based trainers for Godolphin, was ordered to appear before a BHA disciplinary panel in London on Thursday and could be stripped of his license.
Godolphin is the racing organization of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who has owned a number of the world’s greatest horses since establishing his operation in 1992. The racing outfit said he was “appalled” by the doping case.
Al Zarooni said Monday he deeply regretted making a “catastrophic error,” saying the horses involved weren’t racing at the time so he “did not realize that what I was doing was in breach of the rules of racing.”
In a statement Wednesday, the BHA said Al Zarooni has told investigating officers that he administered four more horses with prohibited substances ethylestranol and stanozolol – the same steroid found in the urine of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson in his positive test at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
Those four horses weren’t tested when the BHA took samples on April 9 from 45 horses trained by Al Zarooni at Moulton Paddocks stables.
Al Zarooni has trained some high-profile winners, notably Monterosso in the 2012 Dubai World Cup – the world’s richest horse race, since being employed by Godolphin in 2010.
One of the horses that tested positive is Certify, an unbeaten 3-year-old filly who would have been a leading contender for the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 5. Certify has been pulled out of the race.
British bookmakers said they would refund bets that have been placed on horses trained by Al Zarooni.
British ex-horse owner gets 2-year corruption ban
LONDON (AP) – A former racehorse owner has been disqualified for two years after pleading guilty to involvement in a corruption scandal in Britain.
Michael Turl was charged along with jockey Eddie Ahern and four other men with violating various horseracing rules. Those include stopping horses running on their merits and passing on inside information for races from September 2009 to February 2011.
The men were scheduled to appear at a five-day disciplinary hearing of the British Horseracing Authority. But the governing body says on Wednesday that Turl has already entered a guilty plea.
Turl, an unlicensed individual, was fined $15,000.
Horse Racing Recap: Verrazano 1st on AP’s final Top 10 Derby list is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
