Juveniles begin Road to the Kentucky Derby/Oaks;
Hoppertunity targeting Dubai World Cup
Saturday saw a pair of Grade 1s as well as a number of races offering points
to both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1).
At Churchill Downs, home of the Derby and Oaks,
Airoforce (Colonel John) captured the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) over a
sloppy, sealed track while
Carina Mia (Malibu Moon) romped in the Golden Rod S. (G2).
Tonalist (Tapit), who captured the Belmont S. (G1) in 2014, came with a powerful
late run to take the Cigar Mile H. (G1) and
Forever Unbridled (Unbridled’s Song) outdueld Carrumba in the Comely S. (G3)
at Aqueduct.
The New York track also saw
Mohaymen (Tapit) solidify his status as a leading Kentucky Derby
candidate with a sharp 1 1/2-length victory in the $300,000 Remsen (G2) to
remain undefeated in three starts. A few races earlier,
Lewis Bay (Bernardini) captured her stakes debut in the $300,000 Demoiselle (G2)
for two-year-old fillies, though her nine-furlong time of 1:53.41 was
considerably slower than Mohaymen’s 1:50.69.
At Del Mar in California,
Chiropractor (Kitten’s Joy) capped a graded double for owner Glen Hill Farm and
trainer Tom Proctor. The sophomore scored in the Hollywood Derby (G1) while
earlier on the card stablemate Family Meeting (Sky Mesa) upset the Jimmy Durante
S. (G3). Also on the card,
Dortmund (Big Brown) continued his winning returning in the Native Diver S. (G3).
In other news,
Hoppertunity exited his runner-up effort in the Clark H. (G1) in good order and
is now targeting the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) while Kelly Reilly asked the
question:
Will the home team keep the trophy for the 11th straight year in the Japan Cup?