Petrov and Silver Dust breezed at Oaklawn Park on Friday in advance of expected starts in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1) on April 15.
Petrov was caught going a half-mile in :50.40 over Oaklawn’s fast dirt for co-owner/trainer Ron Moquett. Clockers recorded the gray son of Flatter going his last quarter in :24, and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.
Petrov will enter the Arkansas Derby off a fourth-place run in the Rebel Stakes (G2) on March 18. Prior to that, the Kentucky-bred finished second in both the Smarty Jones Stakes and Southwest Stakes (G3).
Silver Dust breezed four furlongs in :48 after Oaklawn’s renovation break on Friday. The Randy Morse trainee posted his last quarter in :23.20 while galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.40.
The Tapit colt, who was fourth in the Southwest and fifth in the Rebel in his past two, earned the third fastest move of 39 at that distance on the day at Oaklawn.
Two other runners have entered the Arkansas Derby picture.
Trainer Kenny McPeek has thrown his hat in the ring with Blueridge Traveler, three parts of a length second in last Saturday’s Spiral Stakes (G3) at Turfway Park. The bay son of To Honor and Serve broke his maiden by a head going 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn one month before that.
Blueridge Traveler is scheduled to work at Keeneland on April 8, according to McPeek.
Dilettante is now under consideration for the Arkansas Derby following a sixth-place run in the Sunland Derby (G3), trainer D. Wayne Lukas revealed Friday. The Unbridled’s Song colt was well-behind winner and fellow Calumet colorbearer Hence in that contest, beaten 16 1/4 lengths to be precise.
Before the Sunland Derby, Dilettante finished fifth by 12 1/2 lengths in the Southwest and broke his maiden by 2 3/4 lengths, both at Oaklawn. In the Southwest, he actually beat Hence, who ran seventh.
“He didn’t handle the track at all down there, and they say that’s very typical,” Lukas said of Dilettante’s run at Sunland Park. “I’m not familiar with Sunland. I haven’t been there for 40 years. (Jockey) Gary Stevens called me after the race and said that he struggled with it all day. He had beat Hence last out, so it was kind of freak thing. I don’t know what to make of the race.”
Petrov was also the name of the character Fred Astair played as a ballet dancer in one of his movies with Ginger Rogers. I can’t think of the name of the move.
Interesting factoid. I believe the movie was “Shall We Dance”