Blue Grass Stakes (Grade 1)
FURTHER Ado may have won a Grade 1 trial by the widest margin, and received the highest speed figure of the three-year-old colts this season, but he is only third favourite for the Kentucky Derby and may not even be the selected mount of Saturday’s winning rider Irad Ortiz.
Ortiz has ridden the top three in the betting, Commandment, Further Ado and Renegade, and appears more likely to take the mount on favourite Renegade.
Spendthrift Farm, owners of Further Ado, had their top two-year-old of 2025 Ted Noffey sidelined through injury but they could still call on this Brad Cox-trained chesnut son of Gun Runner who had been a 20-length maiden winner at this track last season.
Further Ado, a $550,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale April 2025 purchase by Spendthrift, scored an emphatic 11-length victory in the Blue Grass, the largest in the race since Sinister Minister in 20 years.
Lengthening his lead
Fifth early as Great White led, Further Ado moved easily to third on the backstretch, and took over with a three-wide move to the lead coming into the stretch. Without any pressure, Ortiz merely hand riding, the colt opened up, lengthening his lead all the way to the finish. Ottinho took second, a length and a quarter ahead of Talkin in third. The race was not the deepest, second favourite Reagan’s Honor faded to sixth, and two better rivals Paladin and Class President did not make the line-up
“I wish they’d run the Derby here,” Cox said on NBC. With this win, Further Ado now has 135 points for the Kentucky Derby. He had finished three-quarters lengths behind The Puma in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby last time. That horse was then second to Commandment in the Florida Derby.
Further Ado is also a winner at Churchill Downs, having won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes last season.
“He’s put us in a great position. He’s a great colt and I’m excited and proud of what he was able to accomplish today,” Cox said.
Ortiz, never nearer than fourth in nine rides in the Derby, is the regular jockey of the Todd Pletcher-trained Renegade, who won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby by four lengths last month. And by mid-week the Derby decisions were made. Oriz on Renegade, Luis Saez on Commandment and John Velazquez now on Further Ado.
Aqueduct
Also comfortably into the Derby field is the Grade 2 Wood Memorial winner from Aqueduct, the Riley Mott-trained Albus. The son of up and coming sire Yaupon took the nine-furlong contest by a length and a quarter from Right To Party.
Albus was having just his fourth start in the Wood, and his second of this season after a maiden victory at Tampa Bay Downs in February.
Eighth of 12 down the backstretch under Jaime Torres, he advanced into the turn and a spot opened up between rivals at the top of the straight for him to show an impressive turn of foot and draw off for a length and a quarter win.
Mott will be taking on his father Bill who trains another live contender in the Florida Derby third Chief Wallabee.
Confident
“I was quietly confident in the horse leading up to the race based on how he was doing and how I thought he’d fit in the field,” Mott said.
Mott also trains Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt for the same owners Pin Oak Stud, and the son of Bolt d’Oro earned his place in the Derby starting gate for his four-length win at Colonial Downs. Jaime Torres was again on board.
Mott, who went out on his own just four years ago, said. “To have two horses for the Kentucky Derby is extremely special.”
Happier days on Derby trail for Glatt
Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1)
SO Happy caused a bit of a surprise at Santa Anita, not only in beating the favourites but the son of champion sprinter Runhappy handled the nine-furlong distance of the Santa Anita Derby and won by two and three-quarter lengths.
Veteran rider Mike Smith partnered the colt to what was an emotional win for trainer Mark Glatt, who lost his wife when she died unexpectedly in February.
Opposition included the Bob Baffert-trained favourite Potente, a $2.4 million yearling unbeaten in two starts and Baffert’s Cherokee Nation along with Grade 1 winner Intrepido.
So Happy won his first two starts around one turn, including the seven-furlong Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes and then ran third behind Potente and Robusta in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes.
Potente and Robusta set the early pace here and So Happy was able to challenge the leaders going into the second turn. Robusta found no more but the favourite duelled with So Happy.
In the final half furlong, So Happy put away Potente to win by two and three-quarter lengths. Potente was over six lengths in front of longshot Vitruvian Man in third.
“There’s more there in the tank, for sure. I’m looking forward to going to Kentucky again.” Mike Smith said.
Glatt was emotional in postrace TV interviews saying: “We have had an overwhelming amount of support that’s helped us get through this very tough time I’m just so thankful to the owners for giving me this opportunity.”
Kentucky Oaks
There were two final Kentucky Oaks qualifying races and two fillies moved to the top of the leader board. Keeneland’s Grade 1 Ashland Stakes saw an emphatic win for Percy’s Bar for trainer Ben Colebrook and jockey Luan Machado.
The daughter of Upstart was first past the post for the third time in as many starts at Keeneland but was demoted from victory in the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes last season for interference in the straight. She had finished third in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar and her two and a quarter-length win was her first run since then. The second, the favourite Zany from Repole Stable, is also Kentucky bound.
On Saturday on the west coast, the Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks went to the Mike McCarthy-trained Meaning, a Gun Runner filly partnered by Juan Hernandez for Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. She now tops the Oaks leader board on 126 points.
Japan
Osaka Hai (Group 1)
THE 2025 Japanese Derby winner Criox Du Nord unleashed a determined run through the final furlong to win the Group 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin by three quarters of a length, foiling legendary jockey Yutaka Take’s effort aboard Meisho Tabaru .
With Yuichi Kitamura up, Croix Du Nord started from gate 15, widest of all, and took up a position slightly back of the middle of the field through the backstretch run. Approaching the bend in the inside loop of the turf course, Kitamura kicked him into gear.
Turning for home, the clear leader was Meisho Tabaru who had opened a near five-length lead, but Croix Du Nord closed steadily outside the leader to return successful. Danon Decile finished third, a length back.
Relieved
“To be honest, I’m relieved that we were able to win and live up to the expectations as race favorite,” jockey Kitamura said. “The going was tough to handle and the incredible speed of the pacesetter, Meisho Tabaru, was also tough to beat. But I gave my all to drive the colt to the wire and he responded beautifully.”
The colt suffered his first defeat at the hands of Museum Mile in the Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas) to open his three-year-old campaign but won the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) in his next start.
A victory in the Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange in September at Longchamp raised hopes of and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe success but he could only finish 14th.
Back home in November, he was much improved in finishing fourth in the Japan Cup won by Calandagan.
“I’m confident that this season will be all about Croix Du Nord and that he will play the leading role in all of his starts,” Kitamura was reported saying.
Hong Kong
Ka Ying breaks Sha Tin track record again
TOP sprinter Ka Ying Rising continued an imperious reign with a phenomenal display of speed and power to win the HK$5.35 million Group 2 Sprint Cup, notching a fourth Sha Tin track record with a record-extending 19th successive victory on Monday.
Ka Ying Rising conceded 5lb to six rivals before sweeping to a four-and-a-quarter length margin over Helios Express and Raging Blizzard prompting Zac Purton to describe the display as “right up there” with the finest of the five-year-old’s towering performances.
Settling second behind Stellar Express, Ka Ying Rising clocked 21.47s between the 800m and 400m with successive splits of 10.75s and 10.72s before Purton asked the world’s highest-rated horse in 2026 to lengthen stride.
Responding with a scorching 10.45s burst to the 300m, Ka Ying Rising spreadeagled the field to lead by almost 10 lengths before Purton allowed the gelding to cruise to the line over the final half furlong improving his overall record to 20 wins from 22 starts.