Kentucky Derby preps head big stakes weekend

The Kentucky Derby is three months from Saturday — May 1 — and the preps toward the Run for the Roses will start to fill Thoroughbred racing’s stakes schedule.

Two intriguing races are on tap Saturday as Gulfstream Park is home to the $200,000 Holy Bull Stakes while California’s Santa Anita Park will showcase 3-year-old in the Robert B. Lewis.

The races each carry 17 points toward a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate. The first-place finisher gets 10, then 4-2-1/

Baffert Loaded in Robert B. Lewis

To the surprise of absolutely no one who follows the road to Kentucky Derby, Bob Baffert has a pair of strong shooters in the Lewis, which has drawn a field of eight.

Baffert’s top candidate is Medina Star, who is 5-2 on the morning line and unlikely to go off anywhere near those odds after a win and second in his first two career starts. The loss can easily be forgiven as he was three-quarters back of highly regarded Life Is Good in the Sham Stakes.

Life Is Good is another 3-year-old from the Baffert stable so when it comes to May — if these horses can stay healthy — the white-haired trainer is loaded.

While Medina Star will break from the rail in the field of eight, stablemate Spielberg has drawn the outside post, eight in the field. Spielberg will be making his sixth career start and is 2-2-1 from his first five. Much was expected from Spielberg so only winning twice in his career raises questions about the level of a racehorse he will turn out to be. The “other” Baffert is always dangerous and can not be tossed.

Among the rest, Parnelli was way up the track and no match for Life Is Good and Medina Star in the Sham. Hot Rod Charlie is 1-1-1 from five starts and will have to show a lot more to menace the Bafferts. The rest are the rest and would shock if they somehow found their way into the winner’s circle after the seventh race on Saturday’s card.

Pick: Medina Star

The Holy Bull

Earlier in the day, the 3-year-old spotlight will be on the Todd Pletcher Stable as he sends out a pair of top prospects in Prime Factor and Amount.

Three runners have used the Holy Bull en route to a Kentucky Derby victory: Go for Gin (1994), Funny Cide (2003), and Barbaro (2006). Tiz the Law won this race last year and ended up taking the first jewel of the 2020 Triple Crown – the Belmont Stakes.

Irad Ortiz Jr. will ride Prime Factor, a $900,000 yearling, who was dazzling in his debut, winning by nine lengths. One cautionary note as provided by DRF.com, when Pletcher sends a first-out winner into a graded stake his runners don’t often thrive. Over the past five years, he is 2-for-26 (8%, $0.51 ROI) with last-out debut winners trying graded stakes on dirt in their second career starts, and he’s lost with his last 20 starters in that sample.

What about the other Pletcher, Amount? He was impressive in his debut, winning easily despite some trouble.

The horse to fear is Greatest Honour. He was dazzling in his fourth start Dec. 26 at Gulfstream Park, where he was seventh early after trouble at the start but closed with a rush to win by 1½ lengths as the 1-2 favorite.