Arkansas Derby

While a decision on Golden Tempo (Curlin)'s participation in the May 16 GI Preakness Stakes at Laurel Park is still to be determined, Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, co-owner of the GI Kentucky Derby winner, has another colt waiting in the wings for the second leg of the Triple Crown in GIII Gotham Stakes winner Iron Honor (Nyquist). Viola co-owns the 3-year-old, most recently seventh in the GII Wood Memorial, in partnership with William Lawrence and Glassman Racing. "He's a nice, nice horse," St. Elias racing and bloodstock manager Monique...

Edited Press Release from Oaklawn Park Trainer William H. 'Jinks' Fires will saddle his final runner in a career that has spanned 50 years when House Trick contests the second race at Oaklawn Park on Friday afternoon. According to Equibase statistics, Fires, the older brother of Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires, has sent out 1,502 winners from 11,400 runners. Arguably the best horse Fires trained was Archarcharch (Arch), who won the GIII Southwest Stakes and GI Arkansas Derby en route to an appearance in the 2011 GI Kentucky Derby....

Several horses clustered near the bottom of the "Road to the GI Kentucky Derby" are eligible for the race based on points, but their connections have not committed to the Derby. So this list differs slightly from the official qualifying rankings with respect to a few horses who are currently outside the top 20 points leaders and looking to get in. 1) COMMANDMENT (c, Into Mischief--Sippican Harbor, by Orb). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Lee Pokoik (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. Sales history: $485,000 RNA Wlg '23 FTKNOV; $475,000 RNA Ylg '24 FTSAUG; $500,000...

The Ocala Breeders Sales Company's Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, featuring a catalogue of over 1,200 horses, opens its four-day run Tuesday in Central Florida with bidding beginning at 10:30 a.m. "I think it is the 2-year-old sale of the world," OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski said of the Spring sale. "That's what it is looked at as. The amount of international traffic, the amount of domestic traffic, has just been tremendous and continues to branch out." Carrying on from last fall's record-setting yearling auctions, the juvenile sales season...

Following his victory in the GI Arkansas Derby, Renegade (Into Mischief) has been tabbed the 4-1 morning-line favorite for the sixth and final pool for the GI Kentucky Derby Future Wager, which opens Thursday at noon and closes Saturday at 6 p.m. Other top interests in Pool 6 include GI Curlin Florida Derby winner Commandment (Into Mischief) at 6-1; GIII Tampa Bay Derby winner and Florida Derby runner-up The Puma (Essential Quality) at 8-1; and GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth runner-up Chief Wallabee (Constitution) at 10-1. To see the complete...

The GI Arkansas Derby undercard at Oaklawn Saturday produced two of the top five fastest maidens of the last week, while Pretty Boy Mia (Beau Liam) outran his auction tag with a dominant win at Aqueduct to garner the list's top spot. 5) FLEEK, OP, 3/28-12th, 1 1/8m VIDEO Beyer Speed Figure-81 (c, 3, Flat Out--On Fleek, by Curlin) O-Poindexter Thoroughbreds. B-Allen Poindexter (Ky). T-Chris Hartman. J-Rafael Bejarano. In the race before the GI Arkansas Derby at the same distance, Fleek continued his steady improvement to win going away at...

1) We still have one more Saturday of nine-furlong qualifying stakes for the GI Kentucky Derby, but it's a safe bet the GI Florida Derby will be the odds-on choice for being the prep race most likely to yield the winner on the first Saturday in May. Commandment (Into Mischief), The Puma (Essential Quality), and 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Chief Wallabee (Constitution) each overcame different aspects of in-race adversity to arrive at the Gulfstream finish wire separated by one nose and half a length. All three will be...

Mike Repole and Robert and Lawana Low's Renegade (Into Mischief) exited his victory in Saturday's GI Arkansas Derby in fine form and will return to his South Florida base of Palm Beach Downs on Tuesday, according to trainer Todd Pletcher. "I just love the progression that he's making," Pletcher said. "Very, very happy for the Lows and the Repoles. Great win for them. We're just fortunate to have a colt of this quality." In his previous start, Renegade was a 3 ¾-length winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes at...

TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack provides analysis for Saturday's GI Curlin Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and GI Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park. Both offer 100-50-25-15-10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Last Saturday's Results - Black Hornet (Essential Quality) looked to be making a winning move on the far turn, but cornered poorly and packed it in from there to finish eighth at 16-1 in the GIII Jeff Ruby Steaks. Blacksmith (Liam's Map) failed to get involved early and was a no-show sixth at 6-1 in...

This coming weekend's nine-furlong stakes at Oaklawn and Gulfstream have the potential to usher in a major shake-up within the rankings, with seven of the Top 12 listed below entered in either the GI Arkansas Derby or the GI Curlin Florida Derby. 1) PALADIN (c, Gun Runner--Secret Sigh, by Tapit) O-Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Peter M. Brant, Brook T. Smith, and Summer Wind Equine, LLC; B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-Chad C. Brown. Sales history: $1,900,000 Ylg '24 FTSAUG. Lifetime Record: MGSW, 3-3-0-0, $848,250. Last start: WON...

Sam F. Davis Stakes winner Renegade (Into Mischief) was installed as the 3-2 morning-line favorite for the $1.5 million GI Arkansas Derby March 28 at Oaklawn Park. Post positions for the 1 1/8-mile race were drawn Saturday afternoon, with Renegade leading nine horses entered in the track's fourth and final Kentucky Derby qualifying race. 5-2 shot Silent Tactic (Tacitus) will be the only horse to compete in all four qualifying races at Oaklawn after finishing second in the Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 3, winning the $1-million GIII Southwest Stakes Feb....

John Oxley's Silent Tactic (Tacitus) drilled five furlongs in 1:01.60 (7/11) Thursday morning at Oaklawn Park in advance of the Mar. 28 GI Arkansas Derby, for which he figures one of the top few betting selections. A $60,000 Fasig-Tipton October yearling turned $500,000 OBS April juvenile, Silent Tactic was returning to the worktab for the first time since dropping a nose decision to Class President (Uncle Mo) in the GII Rebel Stakes on Mar. 1. Prior to that the bay flew home to post an impressive victory in the GIII...