The $300,000 Iroquois Stakes (G1) opens the Road to the Kentucky Derby (G1) on Saturday, with Comport the 6-5 morning line favorite in a field of 10 2-year-olds.
Fittingly, the Iroquois at Churchill Downs is the first of more than two dozen Derby preps around the country that lead back to the 152nd Kentucky Derby at the iconic racetrack in Louisville, Kentucky.
Comport, trained by Eddie Kenneally, is the solid favorite over 7-2 second choice Spice Runner, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.
The colts have already faced each other twice: Comport edged Spice Runner by two lengths in the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes on Aug. 10. On June 25, Comport ran second and Spice Runner fifth in the Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs.
Tyler Gaffalione has the return call aboard Comport from gate 7 and Irad Ortiz, Jr. rides Spice Runner out of gate 5.
For those who bet horse racing, these two seem to be best of the bunch, but 2-year-olds going a mile around two turns for the first time certainly opens the way for a few surprises.
Kenny McPeek, who scored the rare Kentucky Oaks-Derby double in 2023 with Thorpedo Anna and Mystik Dan, sends out a pair in the Iroquois – No More Cents and So Special, both at 10-1. Each has a win in two starts.
The Iroquois offers Derby qualifying points of 10-5-3-2-1 to the first five finishers. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a key test for a 2-year-old running of the same track he may return to on the first Saturday in May.
While the Iroquois has yet to produce a Derby winner, quite a few runners have Run for the Roses.
Last year, for example, Owen Almighty and Sandman ran second and fifth, respectively in the Iroquois., Owen Almighty finished fifth in the Derby and Sandman was seventh over a sloppy Churchill track.
In 2023, West Saratoga won the Iroquois and made it to the Derby, finishing 12th. Overall, Iroquois runners who made it to the Derby have a 32-0-1-1 record going back to 1983.
Horses with tactical speed rather pure speedsters are more consistently rewarded. That could indicate that even 2-year-olds need to show the stamina needed to go a mile over two turns as they build toward longer distances.
Among the longshots that may check the tactical speed box after winning career debuts are Nothing Personal (8-1) and Nine Ball (12-1).
The Iroquois is Race 8 with a post time of 4:26 p.m. ET.
1 Nothing Personal (Jaime Rodriguez, Greg Compton), 8-1
2 Sometime (Luan Machado, Mark Simms, Jr.), 15-1
3 No More Cents (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 10-1
4 So Special (Brian Hernandez, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 10-1
5 Spice Runner (Jose Ortiz, Steve Asmussen), 7-2
6 Shake and Rattle (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux), 20-1
7 Comport (Tyler Gaffalione, Eddie Kenneally), 6-5
8 Vost (Florent Geroux, Will Walden), 12-1
9 Nine Ball (Jaime Torres, Riley Mott), 12-1
10 Maximus Prime (Luis Saez, 122, Anthony Mitchell, 12/1
Trainer Brittany Russell brings her 2-for-2 filly Dazzling Dame to Churchill Downs to take on six rivals in the $300,000 Pocahontas Stakes (G3), the opening race on the road to the Kentucky Oaks (G1) on May 1.
Dazzing Dame won at Laurel in Maryland in her career debut, then stepped up and won the listed Sorority Stakes at Monmouth Park by two lengths going wire-to-wire.
Dazzling Dame is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the 1-mile race which offers Oaks qualiying points of 10-5-3-2-1 to the first five finishers. Luis Saez has the call from post 6.
Like the Iroquois, trainer Kenny McPeek has two runners in this race -- Taken by the Wind (5-1) and Our Two Girls (6-1). Both fillies won in their career debuts.
McPeek is seeking a fifth Pocahontas win. His four winners are VV’s Dream (2023), Fun and Feisty (2022), Daddys Lil Darling (2016) and Dothraki Queen (2015).
The Pocahontas is race 6 with a post time of 3:31 p.m. ET.
1 Starlit Sky (Tyler Gaffalione, George Weaver), 9-2
2 Miss Complicated (Julien Leparoux, Ian Wilkes), 7-2
3 Taken by the Wind (Irad Ortiz, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 5-1
4 Joke Maker (Luan Machado, Rodolphe Brisset), 12-1
5 Our Two Girls (Brian Hernandez, Jr., Kenny McPeek), 6-1
6 Dazzling Dame (Luis Saez, Brittany Russell), 2-1
7 Embrace the Moment (Jaime Rodriguez, Greg Compton), 5-1
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.
