The following race preview has been reposted via permission from ScoresandStats.com
Betting
Saturday’s Arkansas Derby and Florida Derby
The first
Saturday of horse betting in April does not get any bigger than this with the
running of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park and the Florida Derby at
Gulfstream Park.
Both races are
Grade 1 major stakes events that will go a long way towards setting the final
field of 20 three-year old Thoroughbreds for this year’s Kentucky Derby on May
7.
The total prize
purse for the 1 1/8 miles run on the dirt at Oaklawn has been set at $1.25 million.
That field is set with eight colts and one filly listed as entered.
The prize money
up for grabs in the Florida Derby is $1 million for the 1 1/8 miles run on
Gulfstream’s dirt track. With the field still coming together, it appears that
up to 10 colts will be gunning for that coveted title.
Breaking down
the top contenders in each of these races, below are my top picks to finish in
the money.
Saturday,
April 2
2022
Arkansas Derby- Oaklawn Park
Win- Secret
Oath
Opened as a 5-2
favorite on the morning line, the lone three-year old filly in the field
appears to be the one to beat. Trained by D Wayne Lucas, she drew the No. 6
post for this race with Luis Contreras as her jockey. Coming off a victory in
the Grade 3 Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 26, she has now won her last
three races at this park for some serious home track advantage.
Place- Un
Ojo
This three-year
old colt was my “one to watch” in last month’s Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn and he
stunned the field by winning that race. Trained by Rickie Courville, he will
break from the No. 5 post on Saturday with jockey Ramon Vazquez. Opened at
longer 6-1 odds on the morning line, Un Ojo would definitely be my top-value
play in this race.
Show- We The
People
Moving to the
far outside No. 9 post at 7-2 odds, the son of Constitution will have Flavien Prat
on board as his jockey. Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, this Kentucky-bred colt
caught my attention with a recent victory at Oaklawn in a 1 1/16 miles
Allowance Claimer on March 12. This will be the three-year old’s first major
graded stakes event but he is ready to make his mark with a late bid to qualify
for the Kentucky Derby field.
2022 Florida
Derby- Gulfstream Park
Win- Simplification
Coming off a
solid victory in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream on March 5,
I have to go with the Florida-bred colt in this race. Trained by Antonio Sano,
the son of Not This Time appears to be the most complete contender in the
projected field with a Horse Racing Nation rating of 7.55.
Place-
Charge It
Trained by Todd
Pletcher, this three-year old Kentucky-bred colt looked sharp his last time out
in a victory at Gulfstream in a one mile Maiden Special Weight race on Feb. 12.
The son of Tapit will be stepping up in class this Saturday in his first major
graded event. However, I believe he is up to the task of competing for the win.
Show-
Pappacap
Sired by Gun
Runner and trained by Mark Casse, this Florida-bred colt is one of the more
experienced contenders in the field. Coming off a poor showing in the Grade 2
Risen Star at Fair Grounds on Feb. 19, he is ready to redeem himself after
placing third earlier this year in the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes at that same
track. Pappacap’s biggest claim to fame is a third-place run in last year’s
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
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