Dortmund, Prospect Park post final major moves for Santa Anita Derby

Dortmund is looking to bring an unbeaten record into the Kentucky Derby (Benoit Photos)

Grade 1 hero Dortmund (Big Brown) and Prospect Park (Tapit), the respective favorite and
likely second choice for next Saturday’s $1 million Santa Anita Derby
(G1), each had their final major drills Saturday for the West Coast’s
signature steppingstone to the Kentucky Derby (G1) on May 2.

Dortmund, working in company, was given a six-furlong clocking of 1:11 3/5 on Santa Anita’s official work tab with regular rider Martin Garcia
up. Unraced workmate Jimbo Fallon (Midnight Lute) was given a five-furlong time of
:58 4/5.

“I got him in 1:11 and four with a gallop out (for seven
furlongs) of (1:)24 and three,” trainer Bob Baffert said of the unbeaten
Dortmund, winner of all five of his races thus far including the San Felipe
S. (G2) on February 7.

Baffert said his other Santa Anita Derby candidate, One
Lucky Dane (Lookin at Lucky), who won by 9 3/4 lengths going a mile last Thursday, is
scheduled to have one breeze before the race.

Prospect Park, with jockey Alonso Quinonez aboard, turned five furlongs in 1:01
1/5 for trainer Cliff Sise Jr.

“I had him in 1:01 flat,” Sise said of the San Felipe
runner-up owned and bred by Pam and Marty Wygod. “I got splits of :13 and
one, :12 and one, and :11 and four; he came home in :23 and two and galloped out
three quarters in (1:)13 and four.

“It was a perfect work. I couldn’t have written it any better this morning.”

Prospect Park ran well to be second in his stakes bow behind Dortmund (Benoit Photos)

“Based on the current projected field, I’ll be making
Dortmund a short price on the morning line, probably 4-5 or 3-5,” White said.
“Not only is Dortmund unbeaten in five starts, he has been odds-on in his last
four races. He was 4-5 in a 10-horse field when he won the San Felipe and
defeated Prospect Park and Bolo (Temple City). In view of that, I’d say it’s a
virtual certainty Dortmund will be bet down to odds-on favoritism in the Santa
Anita Derby.”

Sending out the Santa Anita Derby favorite certainly is not
anything new for Baffert.

“Baffert has trained the Santa Anita Derby favorite six
times in the past,” White noted. “Three of them won (Indian Charlie in 1998,
Point Given in 2001 and Pioneerof the Nile in 2009). And while the other three
didn’t win, they did all hit the board (Prime Timber second in 1999, Lookin at
Lucky third in 2010 and Flashback second in 2013).

“In terms of odds-on favorites, Baffert is two-for-three in the Santa Anita
Derby. His two odds-on winners were Point Given ($3.40) and Pioneerof the Nile
($3.60). The only odds-on starter from the Baffert barn who didn’t win was
Lookin at Lucky, who had a troubled trip (as a 4-5 favorite).”