Well, here we are with only 1 major Derby Prep race left in the Arkansas Derby. April 13th will be the Coolmore Lexington Stakes and the Arkansas Derby. The Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park will feature 100 points to the winner and 40-20-10 to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively. The Coolmore Lexington Stakes doesn’t award derby points as high as the Arkansas Derby as 20 points to the winner and 8-4-2 to 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. This weekend was a big weekend for Prep Races as we had 3 races go off. The Santa Anita Derby, The Wood Memorial, and the Blue Grass Stakes. We learned a lot about the horses who are contending for a shot at racing immortality. Here are the current Standings for each horse remember only the top 20 get into the field for the Derby.
- Tacitus- 150 Points – Last Race: Wood Memorial 1st place coming off back to back wins Tacitus leads the pack in points
- Vekoma- 110 Points- Last Race: Blue Grass Stakes 1st place, Horse faltered a bit with a 3rd Place finish in the Fountain of Youth but got back on track with 1st in Blue Grass
- Plus Que Parfait- 104 Points- Last Race: UAE Derby 1st place, Before winning the UAE Derby this horse was winless since breaking his maiden, with the win he’s securely in the top 20.
- Roadster- 100 Points- Last Race: Santa Anita Derby 1st Place, Prior to winning the Santa Anita Derby this horse placed 3rd in the Del Mar Futurity and won an allowance race after breaking his maiden
- By My Standards- 100 Points- Last Race: Louisiana Derby 1st Place, After taking 4 attempts to break his maiden By My Standards got up for the win in the Louisiana Derby
- Maximum Security- 100 Points- Last Race: Florida Derby 1st Place, Florida Bred horse is undefeated in 4 tries and will definitely be one to watch in the Derby.
- Game Winner- 85 Points- Last Race: Santa Anita Derby 2nd Place, winless in 2019 in stakes races but ran real nice in the Santa Anita Derby.
- Code of Honor- 74 Points- Last Race: Florida Derby 3rd Place, Prior to that had come off a win at the Fountain of Youth Stakes
- Haikal- 70 Points- Last Race: Wood Memorial 3rd Place, Wins at the Gotham Stakes and Jimmy Winkfield have cemented this horse’s position in the top 20
- War of Will- 60 Points- Last Race- Louisiana Derby 9th Place, had been on a 3 horse winning streak prior to finishing 9th in Lousiana Derby maybe it was a one-off or it was a true tale of what’s to come.
- Long Range Toddy- Last Race- Rebel Stakes 1st Place, Scheduled to run in the Arkansas Derby this son of Take Charge Indy got his first win of 2019 at the Rebel Stakes
- Tax- Last Race- Wood Memorial 2nd Place, Finishing 2nd in the Wood guaranteed this colt a shot at the Kentucky Derby.
- Cutting Humor- Last Race- Sunland Derby 1st Place, The win in the Sunland Derby was this horses first win since breaking its maiden but it did enough to be in the top 20 for the Kentucky Derby
- Win Win Win- Last Race- Blue Grass Stakes 2nd Place, Has yet to win a prep race but has a 2nd and a 3rd based on that we should see this horse in the field of 20.
- Gray Magician- Last Race- UAE Derby 2nd Place, Hasn’t won since breaking his maiden and prior to that went 0-3 before breaking maiden.
- Spinoff- Last Race- Louisiana Derby 2nd Place, As of now in the top 20 but with new horses winning the Arkansas Derby could put this horse close to out of the top 20
- Bodexpress- Last Race- Florida Derby 2nd Place, Has yet to break his maiden but as it stands now in the running for the Kentucky Derby
- Signalman- Last Race- Blue Grass Stakes 3rd Place, After winning the Kentucky Jockey Gold Club race he has finished 7th in the fountain of youth and 3rd in the Blue Grass Stakes
- Omaha Beach- Last Race Rebel Stakes 1st Place, Scheduled to run in the Arkansas Derby to solidify his spot in the top 20.
- Bourbon War- Last Race Florida Derby 4th Place, Is actually on the outside looking in will not be running the Arkansas Derby and will need a couple of the horses in front of him to not try the derby.
As Always as we get closer to the Kentucky Derby I will have more picks and in-depth coverage for you.