'TDN Rising Star' Timberlake (Into Mischief), fourth as the favorite in last Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby, will not be pointed to the GI Kentucky Derby, according to a report in Daily Racing Form.
The GI Champagne S. winner and GII Rebel S. winner is currently ranked fifth with 81 points for the Kentucky Derby.
“Based on the performance over the weekend, we are not going to run in the Kentucky Derby,” trainer Brad Cox told DRF. “We are thinking about cutting him back in distance.”
Cox added, “He came out of it in good order, very sound, and ships back to Churchill Downs today. We still feel it's in his best interest not to try a mile and a quarter in four and a half weeks.”
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'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winner of the GII Risen Star S. Feb. 17, is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 11 3-year-olds entered for Saturday's 100th running of the $1-million GI Toyota Blue Grass. Tyler Gaffalione has the mount on Sierra Leone and will exit from post 10.
Dornoch (Good Magic) (post four), a full-brother to GI 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, is the second choice on the morning line at 3-1. Trained by Danny Gargan, Dornoch enters off a front-running victory in the GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth S. at Gulfstream Mar. 2. Dornoch defeated Sierra Leone by a nose in the GII Remsen S.
“That's a good spot,” Gargan said. “He came out of the three hole in the Fountain of Youth and the Remsen. He will come out of there running and make his way through.”
Third choice on the morning line at 7-2 is Just a Touch (Justify), who enters off a runner-up effort in the GIII Gotham S. at Aqueduct Mar. 2. Florent Geroux has the mount from post position 6.
The Toyota Blue Grass offers 200 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby on a 100-50-25-15-10 scale.
Here's the field for the 100th running of the @Toyota Blue Grass (G1) on Saturday, April 6! pic.twitter.com/RmbtAvmLWJ
— Keeneland Racing (@keenelandracing) April 2, 2024
The post Sierra Leone Installed as 2-1 Morning-Line Favorite for Blue Grass appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Hronis Racing's Tapalo (Tapiture), the El Camino Real Derby runner-up and a contender in Saturday's GI Santa Anita Derby, leads a cast of nine 3-year-olds that were made eligible to compete in the 2024 Triple Crown with a late $6,000 payment that was due Monday.
Trained by John Sadler, Tapalo is expected to enter Saturday's Santa Anita Derby.
The nine late nominees (pending late mail):
Hronis Racing's Tapalo;
Tri Star Racing & Cimarron TTT's Awesome Ruta (Mendelssohn);
Lewis Family Racing Stables' Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry);
Ten Strike Racing, Four Cornerss Racing, Broadview Stables, Cory Moelis Racing and Jeremy Sussman's D Day Sky (Omaha Bech);
Travin Stables' Evening News (Nyquist);
Vicente Stables' Le Dom Bro (Mucho Macho Man);
John Parker's Lonesome Boy (Nationhood);
Average Joe Racing Stables and Dan Wells' Mugatu (Blofeld); and
Gelfenstein Farm's Secret Chat (Union Rags).
In total, there are now 354 eligible 3-year-olds to compete in the Triple Crown series which consists of the $5-million GI Kentucky Derby, $1.5-million GI Preakness S. and $1.5-million GI Belmont S.
Any horse not nominated during the early or late phases can become Triple Crown eligible through a supplemental nomination payment due at the time of entry for each Triple Crown race: Kentucky Derby ($200,000 for all three Triple Crown races or $50,000 for the Kentucky Derby only), Preakness ($150,000) and Belmont ($50,000).
The post El Camino Real Derby Runner-Up Tapalo Leads Nine Late Triple Crown Nominees appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
