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FOUR a good time, catch these next four Kentucky Derby prep races! This weekend is packed with opportunity and talent. These stakes will play a big part in the field for the 150th Kentucky Derby. Who will score these KY Derby prep points?
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The 4th features four fine Kentucky Derby prep races. A quartet of stakes are to be raced March, 4, 2023, The Gotham, The San Felipe, The Fountain of Youth, and the John Battaglia Memorial will all post this Saturday.
First, the $300,000 GIII Gotham Stakes is at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, NY. Race nine has a total of fifteen entries. The stakes will post at 4:56 PM ET. The 1 mile race, inaugurated in 1953, awards 50-20-15-10-5 KY Derby prep points, respectively.
Then, Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA will host the $400,000 GII San Felipe Stakes, inaugurated in 1935. At a distance of 1 and 1/16 miles this race offers 50-20-15-10-5 points. Eleven are entered for the sixth race, posting at 5:27 PM ET.
Next, the $400,000 GII Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, FL dates back to 1945. The first five finishers of the 1 and 1/16 mile race will receive 50-20-15-10-5 points. Race fourteen posts at 5:43 PM ET. Forte will face off with nine contenders.
Finally, the $150,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes will be held at Turfway Park in Florence, KY. This 1 and 1/16 mile race offers 20-8-6-4-2 points. Fourteen thoroughbreds are entered in this edition of The John Battaglia Memorial Stakes, created in 1982. The all weather track will host race eight at 9:25 PM ET.
Photo caption: Forte was fantastic this Fall at Keeneland. Forte picked up Kentucky Derby prep points there, winning both the Breeders’ Futurity and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Stakes.
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Saturday, the sixth of March, serves up three more Kentucky Derby Prep races! 255 points are up for grabs in this trio and that is going to shake rank up on the KY Derby leaderboard. Greatest Honour holds the top spot with 60 points, following two wins in preps. He is trailed by Mandaloun with 52 points, from a win and a show on The Road. Third rank is held by Essential Quality, with 40 points from three winning preps. Each of this Saturdays races grant 50 points to the winner. Therefore, this Saturday’s winners will rise to the top 5 rank and even higher, if the talented thoroughbreds have prior points. Currently ranked horses need to watch out for this treble of trouble to transform the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
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I am on pins and needles about all of the fun things going on this weekend. I am a marshal in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Saturday! It is March Madness time and I love the Kentucky Wildcats, go Big Blue Nation! Finally, we have 2 of the 13 remaining Kentucky Derby prep races this Saturday too!
On March 12, 2016 we have the Tampa Bay Derby and the San Felipe Stakes. We can watch some of our favorites and plenty of our less well known 3 year olds battle it out for KY Derby points to become one of the 20 contenders. Each of these races will reward 50 points to the winner, 20 points for 2nd place, 10 points for third place and 5 points for the 4th place finisher. Currently, Mohaymen is at the top of the leaderboard with 70 points followed by Gun Runner with 51 points and Shagaf with 50 points. That being said, the winner of these races will take a nice jump near the top of the leaderboard.
The 36th Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby, Grade II, will be held at Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, race 11, at 5:24 P.M EST on 3/12/16. The purse is $350,000 and the race is 8 and 1/2 furlongs on the dirt. This race was inaugurated in 1981. Last year’s winner, Carpe Diem, was my 2015 KY Derby pick. However, he ran 10th and American Pharoah kept on winning! In 2007 Street Sense won both the Tampa Bay and Kentucky Derbys. Street Sense still holds the speed record for the Tampa Bay Derby. This year, the Tampa Bay Derby has 10 horses in competition. Riker and Brody’s Cause competed against each other before, as seen in the photo above, in the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in 2015. Currently, Destin has 1 point on the leaderboard. Riker has 10 points and Brody’s Cause has 14. The full field, by post position, followed by jockey and trainer, is as follows:
As a side note, tune in earlier, at 3:54 P.M. to see Silver Magnolia in the Florida Oaks, race 8 and at 4:54 P.M. to watch Tepin in race 10, the Hillsborough Stakes, both at Tampa Bay. Neither are KY Derby prep races but Silver Magnolia won by 8 and 1/2 lengths in her last race at Tampa Bay. While, Tepin is 5 years old and she is awesome. She has won multiple graded stakes including the Breeder’ Cup Mile. I really enjoy watching her. The entire race card at Tampa Bay on Saturday should be fun. It will be the biggest day of racing ever at that track. Saturday is Festival Day at Tampa Bay with a total purse of $760,000.
Switch over to the West coast for the next KY Derby prep race at 6 P.M EST. Watch the San Felipe Stakes, Grade II, at Santa Anita in California, part of Big ‘Cap Day! This is the 7th race on the card for Santa Anita on 3/12/16. The purse is $400,000. This 8 and 1/2 furlong race on dirt has 7 horses entered. The San Felipe was inaugurated in 1935. Consolidator owns this race’s speed record, established in 2005. Dortmund won the San Felipe stakes in 2015 and then showed third in the KY Derby. In 2014 California Chrome won both the San Felipe and the KY Derby! Right now, I Will Score has 2 points towards the KY Derby. Uncle Lino has 4 points, Exaggerator has 16 points and Mor Spirit already holds 24 points. Exaggerator was in the pack photographed above as well. I focused on Exaggerator and Mor Spirit in my last story, seen here:
There are some strong contenders in the San Felipe Stakes field, listed here:
I am thrilled to see how these last lucky 13 KY Derby prep races resolve. I hope you all have a great weekend at the races. If you are lucky enough to see these races live, tell us about it. I would love for you to share your stories. Please, follow and like my pages on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you in advance!
Update: Cupid has scratched.
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