Ottinho, runner-up in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1), is no longer under consideration for the Kentucky Derby (G1), trainer Chad Brown confirmed on Saturday.
The decision paves the way for Chief Wallabee, third in the Florida Derby (G1), to move into the Derby field limited to 20 starters and give Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott a chance to win the Run for the Roses for a second year in a row.
Sovereignty gave Mott his second Derby win – his first was with Country House in 2021 via disqualification of Medina Spirit. It also sets up a rare father-son Derby matchup as Mott’s son Riley Mott has his first two Derby starters in Wood Memorial (G2) winner Albus and Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt.
Ottinho, who was 15th on the Derby leaderboard with 56 points, will be pointed to the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown, or the Peter Pan Stakes (G3). The Peter Pan, a prep for the Belmont Stakes (G1), is May 9; the Preakness is May 16.
Now on the bubble at No. 21 on the leaderboard is Chip Honcho, second in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) and fifth in the Louisiana Derby (G2). The colt is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.
Brown has a Derby contender in Louisiana Derby winner Emerging Market, with Gotham Stakes (G3) winner Iron Honor still possible at No. 16 with 50 points.
On Saturday, Emerging Market has his third workout since winning at the Fair Grounds, breezing 4 furlongs in 48.20 seconds at Payson Park in Florida.
“Emerging Market worked great,’’ Brown told bloodhorse.com. “Right now, he looks great and hopefully comes out of it great.”
The 1 3/16-mile Preakness, to be contested May 16 at Laurel Park as Pimlico undergoes reconstruction, is already taking shape.
Ottinho, no longer under Kentucky Derby consideration, could run next in the Preakness (or the Peter Pan Stakes on May 9), along with Talkin, The Hell We Did and automatic qualifiers Taj Mahal and Crupper.
Taj Mahal romped to an 8 ½-length victory in the $150,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel on Saturday, to earn his spot in the starting gate; Crupper won the $200,000 Boathouse Row Stakes at Oaklawn Park on Saturday to gain entry into the race.
Albus and Right to Party, the 1-2 finishers in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct, posted workouts Saturday at Churchill Downs in preparation for the Derby.
Albus, trained by Riley Mott, worked 4 furlongs in :49.00 seconds; Right to Party, trained by Kenny McPeek, worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.80.
“He worked in :49 for a half mile and did it really easily on his own,” Mott said of Albus. “That’s the move you’re looking for in the first work back from a race.”
Also, Mott said his other Derby contender Incredibolt, the Virginia Derby winner, worked 4 furlongs at Palm Meadows in Florida on Saturday.
“From what I saw on video, he worked :49 and change and did it very well on his own,” Mott said. “He’s a good workhorse and pretty straightforward.”
Robby Albarado was aboard Right to Party.
“He was clipping along in :12s,” McPeek said. “I didn’t want to do anything too crazy with him, but if you can clip along in :12s in the Derby, you can win the race.”
Florida Derby (G1) runner-up The Puma worked 5 furlongs in 1:00.60 on Saturday at Gulfstream Park under regular rider Javier Castellano. The colt is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Monday and breeze once more on Friday.
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.
