TRAINER Bret Calhoun is a new name on the Kentucky Derby trail as his colt By My Standards will be his first runner in the Churchill Downs classic after he captured the $1 million Grade 2 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby by three-quarters of a length. Todd Pletcher’s Spinoff finished second, earning 40 Derby points.

The odds-on favourite, War Of Will struggled home ninth after stumbling at the break and possibly pulling a hind muscle.

By My Standards, a son of Goldencents, provided Chester Thomas’ Allied Racing Stable with its first graded stakes victory, and earned 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Calhoun said afterwards. “We think this is a legitimate horse. We didn’t want to get caught up in Derby fever unless we had a legitimate horse. We want to be there if we have a contender, and we believe he is a contender. The Derby is a whole different deal. It’s not just the race, it’s everything that goes into going up there. We’ll do a lot of stuff preparing him for that. He’s got a great mind. We’re lucky in that sense that he’ll handle everything.”

Favourite War Of Will was reported by trainer Mark Casse to be sore the next day but he may still be in contention for Churchill Downs.

War Of Will appeared to lose his action behind shortly after the start, the colt suffering his first loss in four starts on dirt.

Casse said the son of War Front was much improved earlier in the week and was still on the Derby trial.

“We’re fairly certain that he probably caught his patella a little bit right at the start. So what we’ll do is we’ll do some exercising and probably laser treatment to strengthen the patella muscle. But we feel optimistic that we can still make the Derby.”

DOYLE SUCCESS

Sophie Doyle notched the biggest race of her riding career as Street Band surged late in the stretch for a three-and-a-quarter-length victory over Liora, in the Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks giving trainer Larry Jones another Kentucky Oaks contender.

Jones trains, co-bred, and co-owns Street Band with wife Cindy and their partner Ray Francis, will be seeking a fourth win in the Churchill Downs classic.

The Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes winner Serengeti Empress, the odds-on favourite in the race, set the pace but was eased to finish last of seven due to bleeding.

TOP KENTUCKY DERBY POINTS EARNERS

1 By My Standards 100 pts

2 War of Will 60 pts

3 Code of Honor 54 pts

4 Long Range Toddy 53.5 pts

5 Cutting Humor 50 pts

6 Haikal 50 pts

7 Tacitus 50 pts

8 Game Winner 45 pts

9 Spinoff 40 pts

10 Omaha Beach 37.5 pts

11 Mind Control 30 pts

12 Anothertwistafate 30 pts

13 Country House 30 pts

Todd Pletcher in good Humor on the Kentucky Derby trail

CUTTING Humor was the latest colt to put himself on the Kentucky Derby trail with a track record-breaking win in the Sunland Park Derby last Sunday.

Cutting Humor improved off a seventh-place finish in the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn with his neck win over Anothertwistafate.

The First Samurai colt earned 50 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby qualification list.

The Bob Baffert-trained favourite Mucho Gusto broke well and established an early lead and was still the one to beat at the six-furlong mark.

Cutting Humor, with John Velazquez on board, then made his move along the backstretch three wide with El Camino Real Derby winner Anothertwistafate sitting just behind.

As the pair came into the stretch, Mucho Gusto had nothing left and Cutting Humor forged a half-length lead. Anothertwistafate stormed home down the middle of the stretch but Cutting Humor held on by a neck.

Cutting Humor’s final time of 1m 46.94secs set a track record for the distance. Mucho Gusto was third, six lengths behind the winner.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Cutting Humor was winning his second race from six starts.

SUNLAND OAKS

Chasing Yesterday, American Pharoah’s half-sister, earned a chance to make her own success story when she won the Sunland Park Oaks.

The Bob Baffert-trained daughter of Tapit qualified for the Kentucky Oaks after overcoming a slow start.

Under jockey Drayden Van Dyke, the filly rallied five wide through the first turn, then took control up the back stretch. The final winning margin was a length and a quarter.

Baffert said Chasing Yesterday, a Grade 1 winner of the Starlet Stakes in her last start, would return to California to train toward the Kentucky Oaks.

The filly has now won five of her six career starts.