CORRELL’S CORNER: DERBY POINTS GALORE

Derby points galore

Ron Correll
Senior columnist
Tracksideview —-

TRINITY, Fla. – The weekend of March 25-26 was loaded with Kentucky Derby points’ races and it started with the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Japan sent a powerful group of 3-year-olds to contest the mile-and-three-sixteenth race and the effort was rewarded with a sweep of the top four spots.

Derma Sotogake; a son of Mine Your Biscuits, a New York who stands in Japan, came home first to grab 100 points and a spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May. The final time was 1:55.81 and he was five-and-a-half lengths ahead of Dura Erede, who also has enough points for the Derby.

Winning owner Hiroyuki Asanuma said after the race they would point to the Derby, “I’ve never been to Louisville.”

The next race was the Jeff Ruby Stakes over the synthetic surface at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, so take that in consideration. Two Phils, a son of Hard Spun, won the Ruby and with 123 points in the bank he’s in the Derby starting gate along with Major Dude (40 points) who finished second.

The Louisiana Derby was the jewel of the day with Kingsbarns going gate to wire to give trainer Todd Pletcher a third bullet in his Derby gun. The son of Uncle Mo set fractions to his liking in the mile-and-three-sixteenth race and spurted away at the top of the stretch to easily win. The final time was a moderate 1:57.33. The next three finishers; Disarm (40), Jace’s Road (45) and Sun Thunder (44) also have enough Derby points.

The Sunland Derby on Sunday at Sunland Park, New Mexico only offered 50 points to the winner Wild On Ice, but he’s not Triple Crown nominated. His owners will have to decide if they want to pay the late fee for the son of Tapizar to run in the Derby.

I’m adding a few colts because they have the points needed to get into the “big dance.”

Forte (sire: Violence) showed no rust whatsoever in taking the Fountain of Youth after a four-month layoff since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile the first of November. He’s trained by Todd Pletcher.

Tapit Trice (Tapit) blitzed the field once he got his act together and he did it in a 12-horse field.

Practical Move (Practical Joke) San Felipe win proves he’s legit.

Confidence Game (Candy Ride) won the Rebel and trainer Keith Desormeaux says the colt could either go in the Blue Grass on April 8 or the Lexington on April 15, both at Keeneland or just train up to the Derby.

Derma Sotogake (Mine Your Biscuits) won the UAE Derby and a Japanese colt may final make noise in Louisville.

Kingsbarns (Uncle Mo) time Louisiana Derby was slow, but that may have been by design.

Disarm (Gun Runner) was second in the Louisiana but he had a “dirty” trip in the race.

Faustin (Curlin) ran second in the one-turn San Vicente to his speedster stablemate Havameltdown. Faustin is a two-turn colt and didn’t embarrass himself in the San Vicente.

Cave Rock (Arrogate) was flying high until he ran into Forte in the Juvenile. The colt had his first work of 2023 recently and clocked a snappy four furlongs in 47.80.

Reincarnate (Good Magic) won the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita and was third in the Rebel after some trouble in the stretch drive. He’s now running out of the Yakteen barn.

Litigate (Candy Ride) is trained by Pletcher and has room for improvement after his Sam F. Davis win.

Wild on Ice (Tapizar) has 50 points but he won the Sunland Derby (mile-and-an-eighth in 1:51.39) at 35-1.

Verifying (Justify) is one of the many colts Cox is training, but he was fourth in the Rebel.

Raise Cain (Violence) has the points but is he good enough? He’s trained by Ben Colebrook.

Instant Coffee (Bolt d’Oro) came up empty in the Louisiana Derby and only has 32 points. He’s on the border line.