Though an infrequent visitor to Arkansas, Todd Pletcher wields tremendous influence upon the state's richest sporting event.
The future Hall of Fame trainer, son of former Oaklawn Park horseman J.J. Pletcher, has a record four victories in the Arkansas Derby. The native Texan turned 50 last year after winning a second Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming, his first win in the Churchill Downs classic coming in 2010 with Arkansas Derby runner-up Super Saver.
Saturday at Oaklawn, Pletcher sends out unbeaten Magnum Moon in the 82nd Arkansas Derby. Owned by longtime Oaklawn patrons Robert and Lawana Low, the Malibu Moon colt is the 8-5 program favorite off his 3 1/2-length triumph in the track's Grade 2 $900,000 Rebel Stakes March 17.
Set for 6:18 p.m., the Grade 1 $1 million Arkansas Derby pits nine 3-year-olds at nine furlongs and is worth 100 points for a possible start in the May 5 Kentucky Derby. Magnum Moon, earning 50 points in the Rebel, launched Pletcher on a monthlong sweep of Derby preps with 100-point paydays for Noble Indy in the Louisiana Derby, Audible in the Florida Derby and Vino Rosso in the Wood Memorial.
Magnum Moon is rematched with runner-up Solomini and third-place finisher Combatant from the Rebel, which the bay colt won from off the pace at a mile and sixteenth. Luis Saez keeps the mount, Malibu Moon drawing post six.
Solomini races for a group including Zayat Stable, which raced 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah off successful preps in the Rebel and Arkansas Derby. The Curlin colt returns to Oaklawn after Hall of Famer Bob Baffert decided to keep Justify in California for the Santa Anita Derby, which the unbeaten Scat Daddy colt won Saturday. Flavien Prat remains aboard Soloimini, 2-1 second choice from post five.
Combatant, meet winner Tenfold and Oaklawn-raced Dream Baby Dream represent Hall of Famer and three-time Arkansas Derby-winning trainer Steve Asmussen. Combatant (6-1, post 9) has meet leader Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard, while Tenfold (10-1, post 3) lands Hall of Famer and three-time Kentucky Derby winner Victor Espinoza and Dream Baby Dream (15-1, post four) gets Luis Contreras.
Quip, last-out winner of the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, scratched from last weekend's Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland (won by reigning 2-year-old champion Good Magic). Former Bill Mott aide Rodolphe Brisset trains the Distorted Humor colt, whose Tampa Bay victory was enhanced with fourth-place finisher Vino Rosso's Wood Memorial triumph. Florent Geroux, regular jockey of 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner, has the mount on Quip (9-2 in the program) from post eight.
Completing the field are ship-ins Beautiful Shot and Machismo plus early-season Oaklawn winner Plainsman, owned by Hot Springs lumberman John Ed Anthony.
- The Arkansas Derby, Race 11, caps an Oaklawn stakes buffet including, in order, the $150,000 Northern Spur (4:33 p.m.), the Grade 3 $400,000 Count Fleet Sprint Handicap (5:09 p.m.) and the Grade 2 $750,000 Oaklawn Handicap (5:40 p.m.).
Whitmore (Count Fleet) and Inside Straight (Oaklawn Handicap) defend 2017 titles, with millionaire Whitmore unbeaten in local sprints and seeking his fourth Oaklawn stakes win in two years. Whitmore's rivals include three-time meet winner Smart Spree, King Cotton winner Wilbo and two-time King Cotton winner Ivan Fallunovalot. The six-horse field includes Wynn Time, last-out runner-up to Whitmore in the Hot Springs.
Grade 1 winner Accelerate looms the Oaklawn Handicap favorite going a mile and an eighth. Rivals include Fifth Season winner Sonneteer and Essex Handicap winner Hedge Fund plus 2017 Kentucky Derby runner-up Lookin At Lee. City of Lights, a 4-year-old Grade 1 winner in California, entered the Oaklawn Handicap after being nominated to the Count Fleet.
The Northern Spur, a mile and sixteenth for 3-year-olds, includes the Asmussen-trained pair of Title Ready and Ego Trip plus the Baffert-trained Ike. Higher Power, an early-season meet winner for Donnie Von Hemel, had the Arkansas Derby targeted until faltering in the Rebel.
Sports on 04/12/2018