Two new names on Kentucky Derby prospects list

4 days ago 2

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Winter continued to wreak havoc on the Southern California racing schedule during the weekend, but fortunately better weather prevailed elsewhere, including the sites of two potentially illustrative Kentucky Derby preps.

Santa Anita issued a rolling string of postponement announcements as rain continued to pelt Southern California. A two-day delay of the traditional Dec. 26 Opening Day worked out well.

But it got old quickly as Wednesday's and Thursday's cards were postponed and then Saturday fell, too. On Sunday morning, track officials pulled the plug on that day's program. Makeup cards start Thursday.

Dry, albeit cold, conditions elsewhere allowed fans to ring in the New Year. And, the list of Eclipse Award finalists is at the end of this roundup.

The Road to the Roses

Quddwah wins Friday's Group 2 Zabeel Mile at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai; candidate for Dubai Turf on World Cup night. Photo courtesy of Dubai Racing Club

My World and Strategic Risk joined the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard with weekend wins.

My World circled his three rivals turning for home in Saturday's $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct, caught the favorite, Balboa, nearing the sixteenth pole and sailed home first by 2 lengths.

Balboa held second, while Enforced and Freedom's Echo eventually completed the order of finish.

My World, an Essential Quality colt, ran 1 mile on a fast track in 1:38.96 with Jaime Rodriguez aboard for trainer Brad Cox -- his third straight win, all on the New York circuit.

"He's really improving, mentally more so than anything," Cox assistant Dustin Dugas said of My World.

The weekend's other "Derby Road" event, Saturday's $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park, went to Strategic Risk, a Florida-bred Noble Bird colt.

With Javier Castellano up, Strategic Risk parked behind a long-shot leader, took the lead exiting the turn and got clear late to win by 4 1/2 lengths over Silent Tactic.

Strategic Risk got home in 1:45.06 on a fast track, backing up a victory in the In Reality Division of the Florida Sire Stakes in his previous start.

Strategic Risk and Silent Tactic are owned by John Oxley and trained by Mark Casse. Casse said Strategic Risk "probably" will make his next start in Oaklawn's $1 million Grade 3 Southwest Stakes on Jan. 31 while he may seek an allowance spot for Silent Witness to boost his confidence.

"He's not leaving. He's staying right there," Casse said of Strategic Risk. "We love the Oaklawn [3-year-old] series."

My World and Strategic Risk each earned 10 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard, joining six others in a tie for the seventh though 14th spot on the list.

Also on the weekend Triple Crown trail ...

Commandment, the odds-on favorite, ran away with Saturday's $175,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park. The Into Mischief colt, trained by Brad Cox for Wathnan Racing, won by a commanding 6 3/4 lengths over long shot Roger That Dana.

Obliteration, a Violence colt trained by Steve Asmussen, overcame a stumble at the start of Saturday's $150,000 Renaissance at Oaklawn Park to win the 6-furlongs sprint by 7 1/2 lengths.

The colt has had an interesting start to his career, winning the Grade III Sanford Stakes at Saratoga in his second start, running with credit on the turf, including a fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Hometown Bound, the odds-on pick in a field of five, led all the way to a 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday's $125,000 Turfway Prevue at 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather course.

And Mor Force kicked clear late to win Saturday's $100,000 Louisiana Futurity for state-breds at Fair Grounds by 6 1/2 lengths.

On the turf:

Alpyland collared front-running favorite Honey Dutch at the top of the lane in Thursday's $175,000 Dania Beach stakes at Gulfstream Park and worked clear to win by 1 1/2 lengths over that rival. Alpyland, a Vekoma colt trained by Mark Casse, now has three straight wins.

Finally, in Dubai:

Six Speed, a Not This Time colt, raced prominently in the Friday's UAE Two Thousand Guineas Trial, took the lead with a move up the rail in the stretch and drew off to win by 3 1/4 lengths.

"For a horse stepping up from 6 furlongs to 7, he was very strong at the finish," winning rider William Buick said. "He's a worthy candidate for the [Group 3 UAE] Two Thousand Guineas."

The Guineas is a stepping stone to the Group 2 UAE Derby, a defacto "Win and You're In" race for the Kentucky Derby. Friday's Trial was sponsored by Churchill Downs and 12 of the 16 runners, including Six Speed, are American-bred. His trainer, Bhupat Seemar, now a commanding force in Dubai, once was assistant to Bob Baffert.

The Path to the Oaks

Haute Diva came from last of six to upset Thursday's $175,000 Cash Run Stakes at Gulfstream Park, winning by a neck over Nycon and another neck from front-running, even-money favorite Secane. The Constitution filly now has two wins and four seconds surrounding a sixth-place finish in the Grade I Alcibiades at Keeneland.

Dazzling Dame scooted off to win Saturday's $150,000 Busanda at Aqueduct by 11 1/2 lengths over Two Bits.

A Girvin filly, Dazzling Dame ran 1 mile on a fast track in 1:38.30, improving to three wins from four starts with a fourth in the Grade III Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.

Also, Sister Troienne won Saturday's $150,000 Ginger Brew Stakes on the Gulfstream Park turf course; Grace Is Free took Sunday's $150,000, 6-furlongs Mockingbird at Oaklawn Park; and Little Miss Curlin remained undefeated with a 4 3/4-length win in Saturday's $100,000 Louisiana Futurity for state-bred fillies at Fair Grounds.

Around the world, around the clock

Dubai

Friday evening's Dubai World Cup Carnival program found El Nasseeb confirming his status as the big dog among local sprinters and Quddwah serving notice in the turf mile ranks. Take note for World Cup night.

El Nasseeb, a 5-year-old son of Profitable, rallied from well behind a hot early pace set by 2025 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner Dark Saffron and outfinished Chilean-bred Mufasa to win the Group 3 Dubawi Stakes by 3 lengths. This year's Group 1 Golden Shaheen could be on his horizon.

Quddwah, a 6-year-old son of Kingman, chased down Audience in deep stretch in the Group 2 Zabeel Mile (G2T) and ran on to win by 1 1/4 lengths, opening the way to a potential run in the Group 1 Dubai Turf on World Cup night.

Saudi Arabia

The only disappointment in the entries list for February's $20 million Grade I Saudi Cup is the absence of Romantic Warrior. The Hong Kong-based galloper, who finished second to Japan's Forever Young in last year's dramatic finish, is staying home this year while Forever Young is primed for a repeat run.

But there's no shortage of talent in the Cup entries. Among others, Baffert has entered just about every eligible horse in his barn.

The rest of the entries list is similarly stellar from the day's first race on up to the Cup. Check 'em out at https://issuu.com/equestrian-jcsa/docs/the_saudi_cup_2026_-_nominations?fr=sMzczYzg5OTkzMjE&dm_i=7OW9,2FNDM,1YGYFN,4ZNLQ,1

Eclipse Awards

Now, those Eclipse Award finalists, not necessarily in order of precedence, with Horse of the Year to be announced at the ceremony Jan. 22 at The Breakers in Florida (my first-place votes in parentheses):

Two-Year-Old Male: Brant, Gstaad (GB), Ted Noffey (Ted Noffey)

Two-Year-Old Filly: Cy Fair, Explora, Super Corredora (Super Corredora)

Three-Year-Old Male: Baeza, Journalism, Sovereignty (Sovereignty)

Three-Year-Old Filly: Good Cheer, Nitrogen, Shisospicy (Nitrogen)

Older Dirt Male: Forever Young (JPN), Nysos, Sierra Leone (Nysos - tough vote!)

Older Dirt Female: Scylla, Splendora, Thorpedo Anna (Thorpedo Anna)

Male Sprinter: Bentornato, Book'em Danno, Nysos (Bookem'danno)

Female Sprinter: Kopion, Shisospicy, Splendora (Spendora)

Male Turf Horse: Deterministic, Notable Speech (GB), Rebel's Romance (IRE) (Rebel's Romance)

Female Turf Horse: Gezora (FR), She Feels Pretty, Shisospicy (Shisospicy)

Steeplechase Horse: Cool Jet (IRE), Swore, Zanahiyr (IRE) (Cool Jet)

Owner: Godolphin LLC, Klaravich Stables, Inc., Spendthrift Farm LLC (Godolphin)

Breeder: Don Alberto Corporation, Godolphin LLC, WinStar Farm, LLC (Godolphin)

Trainer: Chad Brown, Brad Cox, Bill Mott (Chad Brown)

Jockey: Irad Oritz Jr., Flavien Prat, John Velazquez (Flavien Prat)

Apprentice Jockey: Christopher Elliott, Yedsit Hazlewood, Pietro Moran (Abstain)

I feel jockeys should determine the winner in the Apprentice Jockey category. As it is, all these categories are voted upon by members of the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and employees of Daily Racing Form.

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