The $500,000 Grade 3 Spiral Stakes April 2 at Turfway Park caps a terrific afternoon of racing as a field of 14, including two from the also-eligible list, is set to contest the mile and one eighth event.
Limited to three year-olds, the Spiral could propel one of the contestants to the Kentucky Derby as the first through fourth place finishers will earn qualifying points on the 50-20-10-5 scale. 3/1 morning line favorite Airoforce will try to regroup after finishing tenth in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes February 20 at Fair Grounds. Previously untested on fast dirt, the classy colt's poor effort can likely be attributed to the surface. A multiple graded stakes winner, Airoforce's only other loss was a second-place finish in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. The Spiral will be the Mark Casse trainee's first attempt on Polytrack - a surface many turf runners adapt to well. Previously ridden by Julien Leparoux in all five career starts, Alvin Jimenz will be in the irons breaking from post 10.
Kasseopia (6/1) is a logical contender for trainer Graham Motion after finishing third in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby February 13 at Golden Gate Fields. The effort was perhaps even better than it looked, as it was the colt's first start since October 4. Kasseipia is a well-versed Polytrack horse, making four of his five career starts over the surface. Like Airoforce, this stretch-running colt will benefit from a swift early pace.
Jensen (6/1) is an intriguing item for trainer Larry Jones. The speedy colt projects as one of the primary pace players in the race, and, despite never having raced on a synthetic track, is well-bred for the surface. A grandson of 2007 Spiral (formerly called the Lane's End Stakes) winner Hard Spun, Jensen is a logical choice to move forward.
The race offers 50-20-10-5 Road to the Kentucky Derby points to the top four finishers. That 50-point bonanza to the winner means whoever crosses the wire first is virtually guaranteed a spot in the Kentucky […]
The field is set for the 2019 Preakness Stakes, and looking at the 13 rivals on paper is enough to make any serious handicapper's mouth water. There's simply a ton of betting value here.
Post positions have been drawn, and the oddsmakers have instilled Omaha Beach as the morning line favorite for the running of the 145th Kentucky Derby. The race goes Saturday, May 4th, with 20 runners set to battle 1 1/4 miles on the Churchill Downs dirt track, chasing a purse of $3 million and the first leg of the US Triple Crown.
The defending champ is back in the field for the 2016 Arlington Million on Saturday, but he's being overshadowed by a strong group of foreign invaders.
Newgrange Imposing in the Rebel
25 February 2022Oaklawn Park features the most lucrative spur of the Kentucky Derby trail. Their three-year-old series is back in action on Saturday, February 26 with the Rebel Stakes. The $1,000,000 horse race drew a field of eleven three-year-old...
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