Anne Marie Duff

THE Kentucky Derby is just a month away and it’s a big weekend of trials with the Toyota Blue Grass at Keeneland, the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and the Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita - all on ATR tonight.

KEENELAND

The unbeaten McCraken takes on Gotham winner J Boys Echo, Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapwrit and Fountain of Youth runner-up Practical Joke in the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. (ATR 11.17pm)

Trained by Ian Wilkes and ridden in all four of his starts by Brian Hernandez Jr., McCraken has won three stakes races with graded victories and the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs in his only 2017 start.

J Boys Echo, who broke his maiden here last autumn in his second start, and won the Gotham at Aqueduct in his most recent outing.

Also on the card Kenny McPeek trains Daddys Lil Darling, favourite for the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes, who won the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs in September prior to finishing second in the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades here.

Robby Albarado will have the mount on Daddys Lil Darling. Trainer Mark Casse will send out two starters in Grade 1-winner Pretty City Dancer and graded stakes-placed Summer Luck.

The seven furlong Grade 1 Madison Stakes for older fillies over seven furlongs has Clothes Fall Off, Constellation, High Ridge Road and Paulassilverlining at the top of the market.

AQUEDUCT

In the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes (ATR 10.52pm) Irish War Cry needs to erase a 21-length disappointment in the Fountain of Youth last time.

The highly-regarded Battalion Runner makes his stakes debut for Pletcher after winning his last two at Gulfstream. Mo Town, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Team D, comes back after a 10-length loss in the Risen Star back in February.

Also on the card, Miss Sky Warrior is favourite for the Grade 2 Gazelle and comes of four wins in a row, the last three in graded races

The Grade 1 Carter Handicap for older horses has Unifed for Jimmy Jerkins as the favourite, ahead of Todd Pletcher’s Tommy Macho, for the Grade 1 Carter Handicap. He comes off a win in a Gulfstsream Grade 2 last time.

SANTA ANITA

The Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby (Grade 1) is worth $1,000,000 (ATR 11.30pm) and has 13 horses lining up. Gormley, Iliad and Battle Of Midway bring the best form. Gormley had looked a leading contender for John Shirreffs until disappointing in the San Felipe last time behind Mastery where he was fourth with Doug O’Neill’s Iliad in second.

Bob Baffert will saddle Reach The World, American Anthem and Irish Freedom.

Baffert is hoping American Anthem can rebound from a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Unraced as a two-year-old, Reach The World finished second behind Battle Of Midway in an allowance optional claiming race here in March.

Trainer Doug O’Neill has four horses entered including morning-line favorite Iliad. The son of Ghostzapper was second in his last start, finishing behind Mastery in the San Felipe.

Santa Anita Oaks favourite is Abel Tasman, a Grade 1 winner last year and the runner-up to Unique Bella last month, on her first start for Baffert. She faces a good field, including Grade 3 winner It Tiz Well, from Jerry Hollendorfer after the Hollendorfer-trained Unique Bella was sidelined.