Pace picks up at Churchill Downs as Kentucky Derby post position draw looms
April 26 (UPI) -- The pace is picking up and tension building on the Churchill Downs backstretch as the final week of Kentucky Derby preparations looms, with the post position draw set for Saturday.
The draw has been moved forward by two days to extend the period of veterinary and security surveillance of the Derby contenders. All prospective runners are required to be on the grounds by Saturday, too.
Twenty horses will be assigned gates for the main body of the field, with four more added as "also eligible" in the event of withdrawals. The 3-year-olds earned their way into the field through a series of qualifying races that dated to last fall.
Most of the qualifiers have been at the Louisville track for some time, and the prospective favorites are well settled in.
Japan's top hope, Forever Young, winner of the Grade III Saudi Derby and Grade II UAE Derby, turned in satisfactory 6-furlong work Wednesday morning and had a gate-schooling session later in the morning.
Jockey Ryusei Sakai said the effort was "exactly what we want to do this far out."
Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Florida Derby winner Fierceness was scheduled to work Friday morning at Churchill Downs.
Sierre Leone, whose behind-the-gate antics delayed the start of the Blue Grass at Keeneland -- before he won it -- schooled at the gate Thursday at Churchill Downs.
"He did great," trainer Chad Brown said. The scenario will be a bit different May 4, when about 150,000 more people will be on hand.
As for actual weekend racing in North America, Keeneland hands over the baton to Churchill Downs in Kentucky and Woodbine swings back into action outside Toronto. Santa Anita, Oaklawn Park and Aqueduct soldier on.
It's an interesting weekend on the global front with Champions Day in Hong Kong on Sunday; the first race of Japan's new Dirt Triple Crown already in the books and the Tenno Sho (Spring) yet to come; the Prix Ganay in France and more.
Onward ...
Turf Mile
There's coast-to-coast action here: Saturday's $125,000 Woodhaven Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct, Saturday's $175,000 San Francisco Mile at Golden Gate Fields and Sunday's $100,000 Singletary Stakes for 3-year-olds at Santa Anita.
Filly & Mare Turf
Friday's $300,000 Grade III Bewitch Stakes at Keeneland wraps up an all-too-short spring meeting, with nine fillies and mares tackling 1 1/2 miles.
War Like Goddess is the odds-on, morning-line favorite. She has won this race three years running, but now is 7 and hasn't raced since finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Turf.
Also: Saturday's $100,000 Grade III Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita and Sunday's $150,000 Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct, both at 1 mile.
Sprint
Saturday's $200,000 Bachelor Stakes at Oaklawn Park has a very competitive field of seven 3-year-olds to go 6 furlongs. The 3-year-olds tackle the same distance Sunday on the Woodbine all-weather course in the $125,000 (Canadian) Woodstock Stakes. At Santa Anita, Saturday' $100,000 Kona Gold Stakes is 6 1/2 furlongs for 4-year-olds and up.
Filly & Mare Sprint
Saturday's $200,000 Roxelana Stakes kicks off the stakes schedule for the Derby meeting at Churchill Downs. Ten are set to go 6 furlongs, and if handicapper Mike Battaglia can't find much to separate them, who are we to judge?
Saturday's $125,000 (Canadian) Star Shoot Stakes for 3-year-old fillies kicks off the Woodbine stakes schedule at 6 furlongs on the all-weather course.
Distaff
Hoosier Filly, Crypto Mo and Bluelightspecial are bunched atop the morning line for Saturday's $200,000 Dig a Diamond Stakes, a 1-mile test at Oaklawn Park. Oddly, Hoosier Filly is a Kentucky-bred but Bluelightspecial was bred in the Hoosier State. Anyway, it should be a good race.
Around the world, around the clock
Hong Kong
Sunday is FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin. While the fields for the three Group 1 events may not have the usual star power from abroad, a few of the local superstars will provide plenty of entertainment and intrigue.
In the Champions Mile, the question is whether three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year can prevail in just his second start of the season at age 8. Ten opponents are capable enough, but not nearly at the level of Golden Sixty at his peak.
The FWD QE II Cup, at 2,000 meters, is a showdown between 6-year-old superstar Romantic Warrior and a meteoric new presence on the scene, Massive Sovereign. Those two have some capable international opponents in Prognosis from Japan and Dubai Honor from England.
The Chairman's Sprint Prize at 1,200 meters features local hero California Spangle, coming off a victory in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai on World Cup night. That was his second straight Group 1 win after a rough mid-season patch.
France
Sunday's Prix Ganay is an extended 2,000 meters over the Longchamp Grande Course. Pending final declarations, a quality field of 9 is on tap including Fantastic.
Japan
Japan's new Dirt Triple Crown kicked off with Wednesday's, Haneda Hai at Oi Racecourse, but Mother Nature turned the 1,800-meter affair from dirt to slop.
That didn't seem to bother Amante Bianco, a white colt sporting black blinkers and the powder blue-and-red dots of Silk Racing. Under a confident ride by Yuga Kawada, he raced behind the leading trio, advanced around the second turn and won a stretch duel with a filly, Ammothyella, by 1 length.
Amante Bianco has not finished worse than third and likely missed a win in his previous race because of a stumble out of the gate.
Sunday's Tenno Sho (Spring) is the longest of Japan's Grade 1 races and boasts a field that includes some veterans of the staying wars and a few newcomers who likely will relish the distance.
Australia
Saturday's Group 1 Sportsbet Robert Sangster for fillies and mares and Group 1 Australian Oaks, both at Morphetville, look like serious handicapping challenges with plenty of ways to go.
