Kentucky Derby preps in New York, California top weekend horse racing

Cyberknife, shown winning the Arkansas Derby, tops the list of invitations to the Grade I Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 28. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park

On the international front, the Dubai World Cup Carnival is off and running Friday with the March 25 World Cup program firmly in focus. In Hong Kong, preparations continue for a massive showdown at the end of this month. And the All-Weather Championships roll along in England.

Step right up. No waiting.

The Road to the Roses

There are two stops on Churchill Downs’ “Road to the Kentucky Derby” this weekend — Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome at Aqueduct and Sunday’s $100,000 Grade III Sham at Santa Anita.

Both are run at 1 mile and each offers 10 points to the winner with 4, 3, 2 and 1 to the next four finishers. But more about that last provision in just a minute.

Eight 3-year-olds, half of them New York-breds, are set for the historic Jerome Stakes. The best of that bunch might be Neural Network, a Cloud Computing colt trained by Chad Brown who blew the doors off six rivals in his only previous start last November. He’s 7-2 on the morning line and one to watch.

The 8-5 favorite, Arctic Arrogance, finished second in the Grade II Remsen on Dec. 3. The Frosted colt is trained by Linda Rice.

Andiamo a Firenze, a Speightstown colt from Kelly Breen’s barn, was fourth in the Grade I Champagne on Oct. 1 but hasn’t raced since finishing second in a state-bred race at Finger Lakes on Oct. 17.

Last but probably not least among the New Yorkers is General Banker, 8 1/2-lengths winner of a 7-furlongs New York Stallion Series event Dec. 17.

None of the out-of-state four has done much to inspire confidence. Two of them exit wins in maiden claiming events.

The Jerome was first run in 1866 and has switched tracks, distances and positions on the calendar multiple times. In its current configuration since 2009, it has produced some nice horses but no Derby winners.

On the other coast, the weather forecast calls for a cessation of the damaging rains that forced postponement of last Sunday’s card at Santa Anita. If that’s accurate, a field of six will go to the gate in the Sham.

The wrinkle there is, only two of the six are eligible to earn Derby points. The others — Newgate, National Treasure, Speed Boat Beach and Reincarnate — are trained by Bob Baffert.

The six-time Derby winner is banned by Churchill Downs fiat from competing in this year’s Run for the Roses, so any points that otherwise would accrue to horses running in his name will be forfeited.

The same situation applied in the 2021-22 Derby season. Then, horses appearing to have serious chances of making the Louisville starting gate were shifted to other trainers to earn qualifying points farther down the road.

Newgate enters off a runner-up showing in the Grade III Bob Hope at Del Mar. National Treasure was second in the Grade I American Pharoah at Santa Anita and third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Speed Boat Beach returns to dirt after finishing ninth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and winning the Grade III Cecil B. DeMille on the Del Mar greensward. Reincarnate got his first win in his fourth start in November at Del Mar.

Jeff Mullins saddles Packs a Whalop, who also moves from the turf. He won the Grade III Del Mar Juvenile Turf, won the Grade III Zuma Beach at Santa Anita and reported eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Spun Intended makes his third start for trainer Mark Glatt off a maiden win Nov. 26 at Del Mar.

To be clear, affected points are forfeited, not shifted up the order of finish. So, should Baffert’s horses finish 1-2-3-4, only the 1 point due to the fifth-place finisher actually would be awarded.

There are several other stakes races for 3-year-olds scattered around the racing landscape, most of them unlikely spots for Kentucky Derby prospects for one reason or another but still worth a look.

Saturday’s $200,000 California Cup Derby at Santa Anita is 1 1/16 miles and restricted to state-breds but there’s no reason one or more of them couldn’t move to open company with a good showing.

Saturday’s $100,000 Dania Beach is 1 mile on the Gulfstream Park turf and serious Florida-based Derby prospects normally are looking elsewhere at this point.

Saturday’s $75,000 Turfway Prevue Stakes is a 6 1/2-furlongs, one-turn sprint on the all-weather track, also conditions not optimal for a Derby bid. But Turfway is worth watching as several top Kentucky horsemen are keeping a string there or down the road to chase the generous purses.

Saturday’s $75,000 My Dandy Stakes at Sam Houston is just 5 1/2 furlongs. And Sunday’s $100,000 Corralito Steak House Stakes at Sunland Park is for New Mexico-breds.

For those who have lost track of the Japan and European “Roads,” the next races are Hyacinth Stakes on Feb. 19 at Tokyo Racecourse and the Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes on March 1 at Kempton Park.

As a reminder, connections of the first two winners in Japan appear to have their eyes on Saudi Arabia and Dubai with Louisville as a more distant possibility. The early races in the UK were on the grass and typically have no bearing on the American Classics.

With most of the other weekend racing restricted to state-breds, we’ll note only:

Distaff

Le Da Vida, Lovely Ride and Coach catch the Oaklawn Park oddsmaker’s eye in a field of 10 for Saturday’s $150,000 Pippin Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

Le Da Vida, a 6-year-old Gemologist mare, won her first two U.S. starts for trainer Ignacio “Nacho Quatro” Correas IV after racing with some success in her native Chile.

Lovely Ride was last seen winning the local Mistletoe Stakes with Coach second and La Da Vida fourth. Will’s Secret was fourth in the Mistletoe but is 10-1 on the morning line for this. Go figure.

Pegasus World Cup

Cyberknife, Defunded and Proxy head the list of invited runners announced Wednesday for the seventh running of the Pegasus World Cup on Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Cyberknife, by 2018 Pegasus winner Gun Runner, won the 2022 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park and the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. The Brad Cox trainee was second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland, just a head behind winner Cody’s Wish.

Defunded, a 4-year-old gelded son of Dialed In, closed out the 2022 season with victories in the Grade I Awesome Again at Santa Anita and Grade III Native Diver at Del Mar.

He’s trained by the aforementioned Baffert, who sent out Arrogate to win the 2017 Pegasus. Proxy, a 5-year-old son of Tapit trained by Michael Stidham, won the Grade I Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs.

Other Grade I or Group 1 winners on the invitation list are White Abarrio, Get Her Number, Super Corinto and O’Connor.

Colonel Liam, last year’s winner, is among twelve invited for the $1 million Grade I Pegasus Turf. The third feature on the program, the $500,000 Grade III Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational, has 12 on the guest list.

Around the world, around the clock

Dubai

The World Cup Carnival springs from the gates Friday at Meydan with a pair of Group 2 events — the Maktoum Challenge Round 1 at 1,600 meters on the dirt and the Al Fahidi Fort at 1,400 meters on the turf.

The Maktoum Challenge is fully subscribed, thanks in large part to trainers Doug Watson, who has six of the 16 entries, and Buphat Seemar, who saddles four.

There are some recognizable names, including Down On Da Bayou, Secret Ambition, Desert Wisdom and Capezzano. The international market has Watson’s Prince Eiji as the lukewarm favorite off a season-opening win in the Dubai Creek Mile over the course Dec. 1.

Fifteen entries were taken for the Al Fahidi Fort with two of the most-fancied coming from the Charlie Appleby string of Godolphin runners — Noble Truth and Al Suhail. Noble Truth makes his first start since winning the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Horses from seven countries will be represented in the seven-race program, which as usual starts with a heat for Purebred Arabians.

Hong Kong

Golden Sixty continued his preparations Tuesday towards a potential showdown with Romantic Warrior and California Spangle in the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup on Jan. 29.

Things didn’t go entirely smoothly as the reigning, two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year stumbled shortly after departing the gate in a routine barrier trial. But, when all was said and done, jockey Vincent Ho was satisfied.

“I think he came out a bit too quick and I think we lost a shoe,” Ho said. “So he didn’t really try over the last bit. We just looked after him over the last bit but he feels fine and it’s no problem at all.”

If all three Hong Kong stars do go in the Stewards’ Cup, it should be quite the race. California Spangle got the jump on Golden Sixty as they finished 1-2 in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile last month, evening their score for the season at one up.

But even his trainer acknowledges Golden Sixty, at age 7, is approaching his golden years and unlikely to improve on his current form while his younger rival still has upside potential.

That’s equally true of Romantic Warrior, the “now” horse in Hong Kong after a charismatic victory in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Cup. Golden Sixty has not yet faced last term’s BMW Hong Kong Derby champ, who has won nine of 10 starts in the SAR.

“I’m looking forward to the race,” Ho said.

England

The All-Weather Championships roll on with a Fast-Track Qualifier in the Marathon Division slated for Sunday on the Southwell Tapeta track. The winner of the extended 2 miles gets a guaranteed spot in the divisional championship race on Good Friday at Newcastle.

Pending final declarations, entries include Berkshire Rocco, second in the H H The Emir Trophy in Doha in February 2021, but winless in two previous races on the all-weather, and 10-year-old Rainbow Dreamer, first and second on the Kempton all-weather course two wind up 2022.

Nine-year-old Earlofthecotswolds has three wins from five all-weather starts and has been useful in jumps racing, too.