TVG's coverage of the road to the Kentucky Derby will continue this weekend with live, on-site coverage of key Kentucky Derby prep races from Oaklawn Park and Gulfstream Park – the $750,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) featuring the return of Eclipse Award winner Essential Quality and the $300,000 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2).
TVG's Caton Bredar will be reporting live from Oaklawn Park on Saturday with interviews, insights and analysis of the eleven-race card which features three stakes races including the $750,000 Southwest Stakes which will offer 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers and serves as a steppingstone to the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 10. The Southwest Stakes (G3) will feature the sophomore debut of Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and Eclipse champion Essential Quality for trainer Brad Cox. The Godolphin homebred son of Tapit is undefeated from three starts and will have Luis Saez in the irons as he faces six rivals including multiple Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior.
Sunday at Oaklawn Park will mark the much-anticipated return of dual Eclipse Award winner Monomoy Girl for trainer Brad Cox. The six-year-old mare, freshened since a win in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), will face five rivals in the $250,000 Bayakoa Stakes (G3). Florent Geroux will be aboard the daughter of Tapizar who was purchased for $9.5 million at Fasig-Tipton in November by Spendthrift Farm.
The road to the Kentucky Derby will continue at Gulfstream Park on Saturday and the award-winning network will have Gabby Gaudet, Joaquin Jaime and Caleb Keller on-site with expanded coverage of the fourteen-race card which will feature nine stakes races. The Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) will offer 50-20-10-5 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers and has drawn a field of ten including the 9-5 morning line favorite, Greatest Honour for Shug McGaughey, III. The bay son of Tapit was last seen winning the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) in January and will have Jose Ortiz aboard.
Saturday at Gulfstream Park will also feature the sophomore debut of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner and Eclipse champion Vequist in the $200,000 Davona Dale (G2), a prep race for the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The two-time Grade 1 winning filly will square off against eleven-rivals with Irad Ortiz, Jr. in the irons.
TVG will also be live trackside at Santa Anita with Todd Schrupp, Christina Blacker and Britney Eurton anchoring the coverage from California with a nine-race card. The featured event is the $100,000 Pasadena Stakes for three-year-olds going one-mile on the turf which has drawn a field of six including Rock Your World for trainer John Sadler and jockey Umberto Rispoli.
There are also Kentucky Derby points on the line at Turfway Park on Friday night in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. The race will offer 10-4-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers and features a field of thirteen including the Canadian-bred Grade 1 winner Gretzky the Great, installed as the 3-1 morning line favorite for Mark Casse.
In addition to racing from Oaklawn, Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita, TVG will be featuring racing from Tampa Bay Downs, Fair Grounds, Aqueduct and more. Fans can tune in on TVG, TVG2 and the Watch TVG app which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices.
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