Road to the Kentucky Derby

Top 20 lined up, not locked

The top six finishers in Saturday's Arkansas Derby stand either firmly inside or just outside the Kentucky Derby qualification boundary, but the chances of all six starting in the May 6 Derby is a long shot.

Arkansas Derby winner Classic Empire, second in the point standings that will determine the field if more than 20 horses are entered, appears to be headed to Louisville, Ky., after his half-length victory over Conquest Mo Money at Oaklawn Park.

Classic Empire, the 2016 Eclipse Award winner as champion 2-year-old male, returned from a two-month layoff to win Saturday's Grade I $1 million race by a half length.

Conquest Mo Money, runnerup in both the Sunland Park Derby and Arkansas Derby, would be No. 12 in points, but his connections have to pay a $200,000 supplement fee, the actual amount they won in the Arkansas Derby, to qualify to run because he was neither an early, nor late Triple Crown nominee.

Trainer Miguel Hernandez told Daily Racing Form on Sunday a decision on whether to pay the supplemental fee will be made Tuesday.

The horse was scheduled to ship Sunday to Prairie Meadows in Altoona, Iowa, where, Hernandez said, he will have a 26-horse stable with his base of Sunland Park set to close out its meet Tuesday. Conquest Mo Money was prominent throughout in the Arkansas Derby, which he came into off a runner-up finish in the Sunland Derby.

"I think he showed us he's a big boy," Hernandez said of the horse's effort in his first Grade 1. "He ran pretty hard."

Rebel Stakes winner Malagacy (50) has enough points to rank 13th, but his fifth-place finish after a wide trip from the No. 12 post might have trainer Todd Pletcher thinking twice about starting the chestnut son of Preakness winner Shackleford at the 1¼-mile Derby distance.

Pletcher currently has five horses: Florida Derby winner Always Dreaming (100); Tampa Bay Derby winner Tapwrit (54); Malagacy; Louisiana Derby runnerup Patch (40) and Wood Memorial runnerup Battalion Runner (40) inside the top 20.

If Pletcher or any of the other trainers with top 20 qualifiers decides to withdraw, that would open gate space for No. 21 (Untrapped, 34, 6th in the Arkansas Derby); No. 22 Looking At Lee (32, third in the Arkansas Derby); and No. 23 Sonneteer (30, 4th in the Arkansas Derby).

If Conquest Mo Money is made eligible, his addition would knock No. 20 Cloud Computing, trained by Chad Brown, out of the Derby gate if there are no other defections.

Trainer Steve Asmussen said Sunday plans for Looking At Lee, are still to be determined. He said Lookin At Lee emerged from the Arkansas Derby in good order and will fly Monday to Churchill Downs.

Sonneteer, who was fourth in the Arkansas Derby, ranks 23rd in points with 30.

Malagacy, who was fifth in the Arkansas Derby, has 50 points and ranks 13th for the Kentucky Derby. Trainer Todd Pletcher told Oaklawn's media department via text that the horse would ship Monday to Keeneland.

Asmussen said Untrapped, who was sixth in the Arkansas Derby, came out of the race in good order and flies Monday to Churchill, with his plans to be determined. Untrapped has 34 points, ranking 21st.

The field for the Kentucky Derby will be capped at 20.

The top 20 includes UAE Derby winner Thunder Snow (IRE), a late Triple Crown nominee owned by Godolfin Stables and trained by Saeed bin Suroor. His status for the Derby is uncertain.

Spiral Stakes winner Fast and Accurate is not Triple Crown nominated, but his owner indicated he would pay the $200,000 supplemental fee.

Asmussen, Oaklawn's leading trainer for the eighth time, has one sure qualifier for the Kentucky Derby in Sunland Park Derby winner Hence, who raced twice at Oaklawn Park ealier this season, winning an allowance race and finishing seventh in the Feb. 20 Southwest Stakes.

As it stands now, Kentucky Derby regulars such as four-time winners Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas, don't have a horse listed in the top 30 of points.

Information for this article contributed by drf.com, bloodhorse.com, kentuckyderby.com and courier-journal.com

Sports on 04/17/2017

Upcoming Events