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| Staff Writer |
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River Thames is set to join a strong field of Kentucky Derby contenders after connections confirmed the New York-bred colt will be pointed towards the US classic following his third-place finish in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden said on April 9 that River Thames came out of Saturday's race in good order and remains on target for Churchill Downs.
"He came out great. As of now we are looking at the Kentucky Derby and we'll see how it goes the next few weeks," said Walden, the CEO, president, and racing manager of WinStar Farm.
The son of Maclean's Music, owned by WinStar, CHC, Pantofel Stable, and Wachtel Stable, finished three-quarters of a length behind the victorious Burnham Square in the Group one contest. River Thames previously finished second by a neck to Sovereignty in the Gr.2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
With 50 qualifying points, River Thames sits 16th on the leaderboard for the 20 available spots in the May 3 opening leg of the Triple Crown. He's currently the only 3YO trained by Todd Pletcher among the Derby qualifiers, though Pletcher also trains Repole Stable's Grande, who sits 22nd on the list and needs two defections to make the field.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez has thrust himself into Derby contention with a career-best performance to win the Wood Memorial on April 5 at Aqueduct.
The son of Authentic, trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, shipped from Southern California to New York for the Group Two contest after earlier disappointments in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes and San Felipe Stakes.
Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Rodriguez relaxed while setting the pace and finished powerfully with a final three-eighths of a mile in :36.90. The 111 Equibase Speed Figure and 101 Beyer Speed Figure both represented career-bests and elevate him from the second tier of Kentucky Derby contenders into a genuine win candidate.
Rodriguez took a significant step forward in the Wood Memorial, though still has ground to make up on Santa Anita Derby winner Journalism, who defeated him by 11¼ lengths in the San Felipe.
Burnham Square secured his Derby spot with victory in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland on April 8. The Holy Bull Stakes winner needed a bounce-back effort after finishing fourth in the Fountain of Youth and delivered with a last-to-first victory, edging pacesetter East Avenue by a nose.
The Liam's Map gelding earned a career-best 104 Equibase Speed Figure and 96 Beyer Speed Figure. Having been 9½ lengths behind after a half-mile in :46.95, his closing kick proved decisive despite modest fractions of :25.82 for the final quarter-mile and :13.08 for the final furlong.
East Avenue, a Godolphin homebred trained by Brendan Walsh, redeemed himself after a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Risen Star Stakes. The Medaglia d'Oro colt set a strong pace into deep stretch and battled gamely before being caught on the line.
The runner-up finish earned East Avenue enough qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby and a career-best 104 Equibase Speed Figure, though questions remain about his stamina after failing to hold on at 1⅛ miles.
Final Gambit continues his preparation for the Derby with encouraging signs on the Churchill Downs dirt track. The Juddmonte homebred, who earned his Derby spot with victory in the Gr.3 Jeff Ruby Steaks on March 22, has yet to race on dirt but posted an impressive five-furlong workout in 1:00⅘ on April 9.
"I really like what I see from him," trainer Brad Cox said. "(The dirt) doesn't seem to slow him down. His gallop outs are great. ... He's a good-going horse to begin with. He's light on his feet, he's athletic. Getting feedback from riders is very important, and they seem to really like what they feel from him on the dirt. Everything's been very positive so far."
Cox believes Final Gambit's improved dirt work compared to last autumn reflects the Not This Time colt's growing maturity.
"Mentally, he's grown up a lot," Cox said. "In the post parade, he used to goof around a bit. He's a very playful horse, good-feeling, lots of energy. He's learning to listen to what the rider, or whoever is walking him, wants him to do. Responding to his commands. He's grown up mentally as well as physically over the winter. He's getting better all the time and I think that's a key thing moving forward trying to win the Derby."
Cox will also saddle Florida Derby winner Tappan Street and Flood Zone in the Derby. Tappan Street remains in Florida and is scheduled for a half-mile breeze on April 11 at Payson Park Training Center, while Flood Zone was expected to return from Dubai to Churchill Downs on Wednesday.
Luxor Cafe, who qualified for the US$5 million Kentucky Derby via a designated series in Japan, is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on April 23, track publicist Kevin Kerstein confirmed on April 9.
The son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, trained by Noriyuki Hori for Koichi Nishikawa, won the final leg of Japan's qualifying series by five lengths in the March 29 Fukuryu Stakes at Nakayama Racecourse.
Fellow Japanese contender Admire Daytona, who qualified by winning the UAE Derby at Meydan Racecourse, arrived at Churchill Downs on Wednesday afternoon. The son of Drefong is trained by Yukihiro Kato for Junko Kondo.
The third foreign participant expected for the Derby is British-bred Heart of Honor, who finished second by a nose to Admire Daytona in the UAE Derby. The son of Honor A. P. is trained by Jamie Osborne, who is based in England but also runs horses in Dubai during the winter and spring.
Japanese horses are winless in eight Kentucky Derby attempts since 1995, though Japan's Forever Young came within inches of victory last year when finishing third, beaten by two noses in a roughly contested race.