road to the kentucky derby | Horse Racing Free Tips

Derby: Chad Brown Will Start Either Highly Motivated Or Crowded Trade, But Not Both

Trainer Chad Brown has a pair of 3-year-olds in the top 20 points-earners on the 2021 Road to the Kentucky Derby, Highly Motivated (13) and Crowded Trade (18), but told Blood-Horse he plans to start just one of those on the first Saturday in May.

“I'm leaning toward running Crowded Trade in the Preakness,” Brown told BH, “but I want to be represented in the Kentucky Derby by either him or Highly Motivated. I won't run both of them in the Derby, but I want to work both of them this weekend and see how their health status is before making a final decision.”

Highly Motivated (Into Mischief) ran a bang-up race in the Blue Grass Stakes last out, altering his running style to set the pace and racing game through the stretch to be beaten just a neck by likely Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality.

Meanwhile, Crowded Trade (More Than Ready) was third last out behind Bourbonic and Dynamic One in the Wood Memorial, beaten 1 1/4 lengths after closing from nearly the rear of the field.

The defection of Crowded Trade would mean Hidden Stash, 21st on the points list, would earn a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby. The Constitution colt ran third in the G3 Sam F. Davis, second in the G2 Tampa Bay Derby, and fourth in the G2 Blue Grass Stakes on the prep trail this season for trainer Victoria Oliver.

Arkansas Derby An Asmussen Family Affair As Super Stock Posts $26.40 Upset

Getting a perfect trip under Ricardo Santana Jr. behind dueling front-runners Caddo River and Concert Tour, Erv Woolsey and Keith Asmussen's Dialed In colt Super Stock took command in the stretch for a 2 1/2-length victory in the Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby on Saturday at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark.

Winning for just the second time in eight career starts, Super Stock ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.92 and paid $26.40. Brad Cox-trained Caddo River, who battled with previously unbeaten Bob Baffert-trained Concert Tour throughout the Arkansas Derby, finished second ahead of that rival by a head. Get Her Number, who like Super Stock was an also ran behind 1-5 Arkansas Derby favorite Concert Tour in the G2 Rebel Stakes on March 13, finished fourth, another half-length back.

The Arkansas Derby was the final qualifying points race for the 2021 Kentucky Derby, offering 100-40-20-10 to the top four finishers.

The victory was the fifth in the Arkansas Derby for trainer Steve Asmussen, who was awarded victory in a division of last year's running with Basin following the disqualification of Charlatan due to a failed drug test. He also won with Creator in 2016, Curlin in 2007 and Private Emblem in 2002. The five wins ties Asmussen with Todd Pletcher for the most victories in the race by a trainer.

Caddo River, breaking from the two post under Florent Geroux, gunned for the lead after the break. Concert Tour broke sharply from post five in the six-horse field under Joel Rosario but was not able to outrun his rival into the first turn, sitting just off Caddo River's flank around the bend and down the backstretch. The opening quarter mile was run in a quick :22.62 and the half mile went in :46.51.

Rosario stepped up the pressure going into the far turn after six furlongs in 1:11.25, while Santana and Super Stock saved ground just behind the two front-runners after breaking from the No. 1 stall. After rounding into the stretch, Santana opted to swing to the outside of both rivals rather than look for an inside route, and Super Stock responded, overtaking the two leaders in the final furlong after a mile fractional time of 1:37.64.

The win was a family affair for the Asmussens, as the trainer's father, Keith, a longtime respected horseman and former quarter horse jockey, is co-owner. Steve Asmussen's son, also named Keith, rode Super Stock in his first three starts during a brief riding career that mirrored his father's short tenure in the saddle before outgrowing the occupation. One of the races in which Keith Asmussen rode Super Stock was the colt's only previous victory in the Texas Thoroughbred Futurity at Lone Star Park last Aug. 11.

Bred in Kentucky by Pedro and P.J. Gonzalez, Super Stock is out of the Closing Argument mare, Super Girlie. He was a $70,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase by Keith Asmussen and Erv Woolsey from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

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Curlin Colt Unleashes ‘Fury-ous’ Rally For McPeek In Lexington Stakes

Far back early under Brian Hernandez Jr., King Fury benefited from a fast early pace and uncorked a powerful move on the turn to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Stonestreet Lexington Stakes on a very sloppy racetrack at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday afternoon.

Trained by Kenny McPeek for the partnership of Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys Farm LLC, King Fury – a 3-year-old colt by Curlin bred in Kentucky by Heider Family Stables LLC – completed 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.50 and paid $38.40 as the third longest price in the field of nine 3-year-olds competing for 34 points in the final day of Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying races of 2021. The top four finishers earned 20-8-4-2 points.

Unbridled Honor finished second at 20-1 odds, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, with 8-1 shot Starrinmydreams another 2 1/4 lengths back in third and 2-1 favorite Proxy finishing fourth.

Noble Reflection, stretching out to 1 1/16 miles after a six-furlong maiden win at Oaklawn last out for Richard Baltas, shot to the lead under Javier Castellano and set fractions of :22.39, :45.87 and 1:11.30 for the first six furlongs. Unbeaten Swiftsure, 2-for-2 sprinting for Steve Asmussen, and highly regarded Bob Baffert-trained Bezos applied pressure on the front-runner.

Hernandez allowed King Fury to settle near the back early, then began picking off horses approaching the far turn, finding room along the rail as the field made its way around the final turn. The front-runners began to pay the price for the early fractions and King Fury reeled them all in quickly, opening a commanding lead after a mile in 1:37.12 and easily holding off the late rally by Unbridled Honor and Julien Leparoux.

A $950,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase, King Fury is out of the Flatter mare, Taris. The Lexington Stakes was his third win from six starts and first in a stakes. He had not raced since a fifth-place finish after setting the pace with blinkers on in the G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs on Nov. 28. After training at Gulfstream Park this winter, McPeek removed the blinkers for the Lexington.

Post-race quotes

Brian Hernandez Jr. (winning rider of King Fury)
“They were going fast, and my horse, he actually jumped away from there (the gate) really, really good. Then going around the turn, he went to hopping up and down from the dirt. Once he got down to the fence and midway down the backside, he went to traveling so good. I got to the five-eighths pole and went 'Man, they're in trouble from this point' because he was just doing it the right way and traveling and taking us the whole way. He was so powerful today that I knew I would just be able to pick my way through like we did. He was just there for me the whole way.”

Kenny McPeek (winning trainer)
“This has always been a really, really good horse. We were a little aggressive with him last fall. I'm going to give a big tip of the hat to the (co-owner) Three Chimneys team. They said, 'Hey, send him to us for a little while. Let's give him a little break'. He needed it. We tested him at the highest levels and he came back bigger and stronger.”

“I'm really proud of everybody involved. I've got a great team of people that help me. I channeled a little Alice Chandler today, because what a fantastic woman she's been for horse racing. It's an awesome win for (co-owner) Paul Fireman and his family. I wish he was here – I think he's playing golf in the Dominican (Republic) right now. It's a good day.”

On King Fury's next race
“We'll check him after this race. I think he's going to handle a mile and a quarter without any trouble. Whether he gets in (the Kentucky Derby-G1), it's out of our control. We'll see how he bounces out. We think a mile a quarter would be great. We'll look at the opposition. The Preakness (G1) is a great race too. It could be either-or, but it would definitely one or the other.”

Dallas Stewart (trainer and co-owner of third-place finisher Starrininmydreams)
“He's a really nice horse. He showed his quality this afternoon. It was a really nice effort. We'll get him back to Louisville and plan for the next one.”

John Velazquez (rider of fourth-place finisher Proxy)
“He was not loving this (sloppy track), that is for sure. I knew that in the first turn. He kept running at the end because he is a distance horse and he is supposed to pass horses.”

Mike Stidham (trainer of Proxy)
“I knew when Johnny had to (urge) him right away on the first turn that he looked like he was not handling the sloppy track. We had in the back of our minds to try him on the turf, and now that is something we will look at. Maybe not immediately but in the near future.”

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Ward Works Like The King On Turf As Part Of Kentucky Derby Preparations

M Racing Group's Like the King, winner of the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park on March 27, worked six furlongs over a Keeneland turf course labeled firm in 1:16 Saturday morning in Lexington, Ky.

The work was the first of three at Keeneland that trainer Wesley Ward has scheduled for the son of Palace Malice in preparation for the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 1 at Churchill Downs.

With jockey Drayden Van Dyke aboard, Like the King started far back of workmates Outadore and After Five, passing the former and making up five lengths on the latter.

“I wanted to make sure (Like the King) got a lot out of it today,” Ward said. “Those were two good horses in front of him. Outadore was third in the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile Turf-G1 Presented by Coolmore America) and After Five was second in the Futurity (G3) at Belmont. He got a good blow today.”

Ward said he told Van Dyke's agent, Gary Stevens, “that we know he likes the turf.”

“I wanted Drayden on him today because it is only his second time on him. (Like the King's) next two works will be on the main track with Julio (Garcia) with the last one on Sunday (April 25) if the weather cooperates.”

Van Dyke rode Like the King in the Jeff Ruby and is to ride the colt in the Kentucky Derby.

Like the King, who is third on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 104 points, is scheduled to ship to Churchill after his final work here and gallop over the main track there.

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