With Bob Baffert banned from competing in the Derby for the second year in a row, Tim Yakteen was the recipient of several promising 3-year-olds transferred to his barn by the Hall of Fame trainer.
Practical Move, however, is not one of them – he's been trained by Yakteen from the get-go. He comes into the Run for the Roses as the West Coast’s top contender. The colt hung on gamely in nosing out Mandarin Hero (JPN) in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) to notch his spot in the Kentucky Derby (G1).
Yakeen did receiver one of Baffert’s top 3-year-olds in Reincarnate, who will also run in the Derby.
Last week, Practical Move, who brings a three-race win streak into the Derby – he also won the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in December and the San Felipe (G2) in March – worked 4 furlongs in 47 seconds at Santa Anita.
Post position: 10
Odds: 10-1
Trainer: Tim Yakteen
Jockey: Ramon Vazquez
Owner: Leslie A. Amestoy, Pierre Amestoy, Jr., Roger Beasley
Career record: 7-4-1-2
Career earnings: $884,200
Derby qualifying points: 160 (2nd)
Best Equibase speed figure: 108
Pedigree: Practical Joke-Ack Naughty, by Afleet Alex
Color: Bay
Running Style: Stalker
Notes: A year ago, Yakeen took on two of Baffert’s trainees in the Derby, with disappointing results -- Taiba ran 12th and Messier 15th … Yakeen was a former assistant for Baffert. Since Churchill Downs banned Baffert for two years after Medina Spirit was DQ’d from his 2021 first-place finish for a medication violation, Yakeen has taken on several of his mentor’s top 3-year-olds … Practical Move has never finished out of the money in seven starts for Yakeen, who has been training on his own for 20 years … Vazquez will ride in his second Derby – he was 13th aboard Mr. Z in 2015.
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hit Show | Franco | Brad H. Cox | West, Gary and Mary | 30-1 |
| 2 | Verifying | Gaffalione | Brad H. Cox | Poulin, Jonathan, Westerberg, Magnier, Mrs. John, Smith, Derrick and Tabor, Michael B. | 15-1 |
| 3 | Two Phil's | Loveberry | Larry Rivelli | Patricia's Hope LLC and Sagan, Phillip | 12-1 |
| 4 | Conficence Game | Graham | J. Keith Desormeaux | Don't Tell My Wife Stables | 20-1 |
| 5 | Tapit Trice | Saez | Todd A. Pletcher | Whisper Hill Farm, LLC and Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck) | 5-1 |
| 6 | Kinkngbarns | J. Ortiz | Todd A. Pletcher | Spendthrift Farm LLC | 12-1 |
| 7 | Reincartnate | Velazquez | Tim Yakteen | SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Masterson, Robert E., Stonestreet Stables LLC, Schoenfarber, Jay A., Waves Edge Capital LLC and Donovan, Catherine | 50-1 |
| 8 | Mage | Castellano | Gustavo Delgado | OGMA Investments, LLC, Restrepo, Ramiro, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH | 15-1 |
| SCR | Skinner | Hernandez | John A. Shirreffs | C R K Stable | 20-1 |
| SCR | Practical Move | Vazquez | Tim Yakteen | Amestoy, Jr., Pierre Jean, Amestoy, Leslie A. and Beasley, Roger K. | SCR |
| 9 | Disarm | Rosario | Steven M. Asmussen | Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC | 30/1 |
| 10 | Jace's Road | Geroux | Brad H. Cox | West Point Thoroughbreds and Albaugh Family Stables LLC | 15-1 |
| 11 | Sun Thunder | Hernandez Jr | Kenneth G. McPeek | R.T Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine | 30-1 |
| 12 | Angel Of Empire | Prat | Brad H. Cox | Albaugh Family Stables LLC | 8-1 |
| 13 | Forte | I. Ortiz JR. | Todd A. Pletcher | Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable | 3-1 |
| 14 | Raise Can | Corrales | Ben Colebrook | Warren, Andrew and Warren, Rania | 15-1 |
| 15 | Derma Sotogake | Lemaire | Hidetaka Otonashi | Hiroyuki Asanuma | 10-1 |
| 16 | Rocket Can | Alvarado | William I. Mott | Frank Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc. | 15-1 |
| SCR | Lord Miles | Lopez | Todd A. Pletcher | Vegso Racing Stable | 30-1 |
| 17 | Continuar | Sakai | Yoshito Yahagi | Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd. | 50-1 |
| 18 | Cyclone Mischief | J. Rosario | D. Romans | Albaugh Family Stables LLC and Castleton Lyons. | 30-1 |
| 19 | Mandarin Hero | Kazushi Kimura | Terunobu Fujita | Hiroaki Arai. | 20-1 |
| 20 | King Russell | Rafael Bejarano | Ron Moquett | Jones, Brereton C. and Naber Racing, LLC | 50-1 |
The writing team at US Racing is comprised of both full-time and part-time contributors with expertise in various aspects of the Sport of Kings.
