Kentucky Derby Prep Races & Contenders Update: Weekend Edition
by Patricia Woo | Feb 22 2010
There are few familiar names among the lists of starters in this weekend's Kentucky Derby prep races, but that's no reason to not pay attention. Here's why: Last year's edition of the Borderland Derby featured a little-known racehorse in the runner-up spot: the eventual 2009 Kentucky Derby champion Mine That Bird. So get ahead of the field with this preview of the Borderland Derby, the John Battaglia Memorial Stakes and the Sham Stakes.
The first of our three stakes previews is the $100,000 Borderland Derby, which has the distinction of being the 2009 Kentucky Derby champion's first stepping stone on the Triple Crown trail. Won last year by Scorewithcater, who narrowly edged out Mine That Bird for the win, this year's edition of the 1 1/16-mile Borderland Derby (a prep race for the $800,000 Gr. 3 Sunland Derby on March 28) will be highly scrutinized. Amen Baby, a Chris Hartman trainee who won his 2010 debut at Sunland Park on Jan. 29 in an allowance race, is among the nominees, along with the Andres Gonzalez-trained Haitian Hero, who is 1-0-1-0 on the year so far. Todd Fincher's recent maiden winner Guiltbyassociation and Henry Dominguez's Storming Saint – third in his last outing – have also been nominated.
Over at Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., the top three finishers in the $50,000 WEBN Stakes on Jan. 30 may be set to do battle once more in the $100,000 John Battaglia Memorial Stakes. The Michael Maker-trained Kera's Kitten, who opened up a wide lead in the WEBN Stakes and was never seriously threatened, is expected, along with runner-up Slewzoom (John Wainwright) and show horse Lucky Chuck (David Pate) could face off once more in this 1 1/16-mile prep race for the $500,000 Gr. 1 Lane's End Stakes on March 27.
Finally, the $150,000 Gr. 3 Sham Stakes will take place at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Nextdoorneighbor (Michael Machowsky), who impressed with his recent maiden victory at Santa Anita Park on Jan. 24, will be making his stakes race debut, while John Sadler's Privilaged will be looking to redeem a poor start that resulted in fifth-place finish in the $50,000 Gold Rush Stakes at Golden Gate Fields on Dec. 12. Wolf Tail, trained by Doug O'Neill, is so far the only stakes-winning horse entered – he won the $100,000 Graduation Stakes at Del Mar last July but has yet to duplicate his success in four subsequent attempts. Recent allowance race winner The Program, one of Bob Baffert's Kentucky Derby hopefuls, is also expected for this 1 1/8-mile race.
Don't miss out on any of these exciting Kentucky Derby prep races!
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