Further Ado not only soared into the Kentucky Derby (G1), but his overpowering victory in the $1.25 million Blue Grass Stakes (G1) on Saturday stamps him as one of the favorites in the Run for the Roses.
On a Saturday with the final three Derby prep races offering 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points to the top five finishers on a sliding scale, it was all or nothing for just about every horse.
And Further Ado was the most impressive winner of all as he romped by 11 lengths at Keeneland.
About 30 minutes later at Aqueduct, 11-1 longshot Albus pulled off a surprise in the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct, and his 100 qualifying points earned him a spot in the Derby field limited to 20 starters.
Later Saturday, So Happy outdueled favorite Potente in the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1), giving longtime-trainer Mark Glatt a chance at the Derby for the first time.
So Happy has 115 points and is No. 4 on the Derby leaderboard. Hall of Famer Mike Smith was aboard and is set to ride in a record-extending 29th Derby.
Potente’s runner-up finish gives Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a shot at a record-breaking seventh Derby as the San Felipe Stakes (G2) winner is 10th on the Derby leaderboard with 100 points.
There’s one more Derby points qualifier remaining, with several 3-year-olds on the bubble possibly making a final bid to get into the field for the 152nd edition of the Run for the Roses on May 2. The Lexington Stakes (G3) at Keeneland on April 11 offers 20-10-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers.
Further Ado moves to No. 2 on the Derby points leaderboard with 135 points.
Albus moves into the top 10 on the leaderboard (ninth), giving trainer Riley Mott a second Derby contender – Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt has 60 points and is 13th on the Derby leaderboard.
An interesting storyline could pit Riley Mott against his Hall of Fame dad Bill Mott, who trains Chief Wallabee (50 points, No. 22) and won last year’s Derby with Sovereignty. If two horses with more points do not make the Derby, Chief Wallabee would qualify.
Heading into the final few weeks before the Derby, Arkansas Derby (G1) winner Renegade and Florida Derby (G1) winner Commandment are considered the favorites, but Further Ado’s emphatic win in the Blue Grass puts trainer Brad Cox in a strong position with three contenders – Commandment and Fulleffort are the others.
Renegade is the 4-1 favorite in the final pool (pool 6) in the Kentucky Derby Future Wager, with Commandment at 7-1, The Puma at 12-1, Potente at 16-1 and Further Ado at 17-1.
Others in the Derby field based on the current leaderboard include The Puma, Silent Tactic, Emerging Market, Pavlovian and Golden Tempo as well as Wonder Dean and Six Speed (invitees via the Euro-Mideast Road to the Kentucky Derby) and Damon Bourbon (invitee via the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby).
As of Saturday night, trainer Brad Cox has three of the top five contenders on the Derby leaderboard -- Commandment (No. 1, 150 points), Further Ado (135, No. 2) and Fulleffort 110, No. 5) -- as he seeks a second Derby win. Mandaloun was elevated to first after Medina Spirit was disqualified in 2021.
Chad Brown, seeking his first Derby victory, has two contenders: Emerging Market and Ottinho, who ran second in the Wood and totals 56 points (No. 17 on the leaderboard). Iron Honor, who finished off the board for Brown, is on the bubble at No. 21 on the leaderboard with 50 points.
Two-time Derby winning trainer Todd Pletcher has a pair of Derby contenders in Renegade and Class President.
The 1 1/8-mile Blue Grass was reduced to seven starters after favorite Paladin sustained an injury and was taken off the Triple Crown trail and Rebel Stakes (G2) winner Class President was a late scratch.
Nonetheless, 4-5 favorite Further Ado proved his remarkable 20-length victory at Keeneland in October was no fluke. He ran second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) behind The Puma, and it proved to be a perfect steppingstone for the Blue Grass.
The last Blue Grass winner to go on and win the Kentucky Derby, though, was Strike the Gold in 1991. He also won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs to close out his 2-year-old campaign.
“He's obviously trained there a good bit and is obviously 1-for-1 over there,” said Cox, who stables his best horses at Churchill Downs from much of the spring through fall. “He's put us in a great position. He's a great colt and I'm excited and proud of what he was able to accomplish today.”
Irad Ortiz, Jr., was aboard for the win, but he’s also the regular rider for top Derby contender Renegade, so it remains to be seen how the jockey situation works out.
Champagne Stakes (G1) winner Napoleon Solo was fifth, Gotham Stakes (G3) Iron Honor was seventh as Almus stole the show in the final Wood Memorial at the Big A, which shuts down for good in June.
Albus, under Jaime Torres, prevailed by 1 1/4 lengths over 38-1 longshot Right to Party, who picked up 50 points for a total of 65, more than enough to make the Derby field for trainer Kenny McPeek if the owners decide to pay a late nomination fee.
“Never would I have thought going into this year that would be happening, but we still have a long ways to go and I just hope both colts stay happy and healthy and that we can put them in the gate that day,” Mott, who also trains Derby contender Incredibolt, said. “This horse [Albus] will go right to Churchill and is scheduled to leave on Monday. It’s fun to take him there and be qualified for the Derby and not just be a bystander and watch. We’re thrilled and we’ll let the good times roll.”
The last Wood winner to go on and win the Derby was Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.
The best possible result became reality as So Happy outdueled 6-5 favorite Potente and won the Santa Anita Derby by 2 ¾ lengths, giving longtime trainer Mark Glatt his first shot at winning the Run for the Roses.
“There's more there in the tank for sure,” winning rider Mike Smith said. “I'm looking forward to going to Kentucky again.”
So Happy, ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, drew away in mid-stretch to give Glatt the biggest victory of his career less than two months after his wife Dena died of cardiac arrest at the age of 57.
“It’s pretty hard to describe,” Glatt said. “We have had an overwhelming amount of support that’s helped us get through this very tough time. (Dena) got that horse there today. I’m just so thankful to the owners for giving me an opportunity.’’
Baffert, seeking a 10th win in this race, was OK with Potente finishing second to qualify for the Kentucky Derby. He won the San Felipe Stakes (G2) in his prior start and picked up another 50 points to move into xxx on the leaderboard with 100 points.
“He ran a good race,” Baffert said. “He’s getting fitter and getting more experience. He’ll be going to Kentucky. I’m really happy for Mark and Mike.”
Baffert’s other entry, Cherokee Nation, got off to a poor start and was never in contention.
The last Santa Anita Derby winner to go on and win the Kentucky Derby was Justify in 2018.
Richard Rosenblatt is an award-winning journalist and former Associated Press Horse Racing Editor. Currently, he serves as the news editor at US Racing, overseeing exclusive content from contributors worldwide.
