Gulfstream Park
THE two Kentucky Derby trials last weekend produced exciting finishes and two colts earning 50 points on the Road to the Derby.
On a strong graded race card at Gulfstream Park, the Brad Cox-trained Into Mischief colt Commandment won the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain Of Youth Stakes for Wathnan Racing and, on Sunday at Oaklawn Park, the Todd Pletcher-trained Class President won a terrific duel over the last furlong and a half to just get the nod.
Commandment was coming off an over six-length romp over a mile at Gulfstream in early January, dug deep in the final half-furlong to head Bill Mott’s Chief Wallabee as the son of Into Mischief put himself in line for the $1 million Florida Derby on March 28th. It was almost nine lengths back to the third, Solitude Dude.
It was noted that jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. asked him for more and continued to gallop out past the line.
“I think it was important that Irad asked him to run to the second wire there for the experience moving forward. If we pursue the Florida Derby, it makes sense to continue on to the second wire,” Cox said on BloodHorse.
“If you have horse and you’re finishing well, you may as well go ahead and educate him.”
Todd Pletcher’s She Be Smooth made it two wins from two and picked up 50 points for the Kentucky Oaks when she took the mile Grade 2 Davona Dale Stakes.
Calumet Farm’s home-bred daughter of Lexitonian, his first graded stakes winner, came from last of seven to go clear and had six lengths to spare at the line over My Miss Mo.
Emerging talent
Bill Mott has the current Horse of the Year in Godolphin’s Sovereignty, but he has another quality colt emerging for the team in the Nyquist colt Knightsbridge, who ran out an easy winner by over 11 lengths in the Gulfstream Park Mile.
The five-year-old has only raced eight times for six wins and this was his fourth in a row and third consecutive Grade 3 victory.
He made a three-wide bid on the turn and, at the quarter pole, he was well clear of his competition, increasing his margin to the line.
“I think he’s the best miler in the country right now,” jockey Junior Alvarado said.
The filly Lush Lips began her career with Donnacha O’Brien and went on to Grade 1 success last season before Dixiana Farm purchased the daughter of Ten Sovereigns for a sale-topping $3.7 million at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale last November.
She took the Grade 3 Honey Fox Stakes over a mile on the Gulfstream card for Brendan Walsh and Tyler Gafflione and this win brought her earnings to $1,007,900.
Gotham Stakes
At Aqueduct, the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes can also produce a Derby contender and was also worth 50 points to the winner. We had another stretch battle here between Crown The Buckeye and Iron Honor, who finally got on terms and led inside the final furlong to take the mile contest under Manny Franco by a length for Chad Brown. The Nyquist colt is now two from two, in his only starts - both at Aqueduct.
Oaklawn Park
WINSTAR Farm, First Go Racing, and CHC’s Class President engaged in a furlong-long battle with Southwest Stakes winner Silent Tactic and refused to give in, getting the verdict by a nose despite the two bumping late, to take the $1 million Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on Sunday.
Bob Baffert’s favourite Litmus Test, fourth to Ted Noffey in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, was five and a quarter lengths back in third.
“I was very proud of him,” jockey John Velazquez said of the Todd Pletcher-trained colt. “It was his first time going two turns and the other horse (Silent Tactic) hit him that time I got close to him again, and came back at him.”
It is now two wins and a second in three runs for the Uncle Mo colt.
With Paladin on 60, Silent Tactic, Class President, Commandment, Iron Honor are next on the Road to the Derby standings, all on 50 points.
Magnitude on the move
Steve Asmussen’s Magnitude had missed out on the 2025 classics after some good early season performances and was third in the Travers Stakes, well behind Sovereignty, and won the Grade 2 Clark Handicap at the end of the season. He came back to action with a nice win at Oaklawn Park in the Grade 3 Razorback Handicap.
Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Not This Time colt won by three and three-quarter lengths from Nu What’s New.
Asmussen brought the same owners’ Gun Runner for a Razorback Handicap success after a three-year-old campaign that included a third-place finish in the Travers Stakes, a second in the Pennsylvania Derby, and a win in the Grade 1 Clark Handicap.
Gun Runner won on his way to a second place in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup before five consecutive wins closed out his racing career as the 2017 Horse of the Year.
“The horse always had a tremendous amount of talent, but I think today was his best performance,” Asmussen was quoted by BloodHorse.
The Razorback was an intended prep for the March 28th Dubai World Cup, but it remains to be seen if the current conflict will affect the staging of the race and travel plans.