One Arkansas Derby starter removed from the 144th Kentucky Derby has been replaced by another.
Quip, runner-up to Magnum Moon April 14 at Oaklawn Park, will skip the May 5 classic at Churchill Downs and point to the Preakness two weeks later, trainer Rodolphe Brisset said Monday.
Combatant, fourth in the Arkansas Derby, takes Quip's place on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. The Scat Daddy colt earned 32 points for first- through fourth-place finishes in selected Derby preps and was 21st in the standings before Quip's defection. The Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters and two also-eligibles when entries are drawn May 2.
Magnum Moon, the first horse since American Pharoah in 2015 to sweep Oaklawn's Grade 1 $1 million Arkansas Derby and Grade 2 $900,000 Rebel Stakes, is considered one of the favorites in Louisville. The Malibu Moon colt is one of four Derby qualifiers for future Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, who seeks his second-straight victory in the race and third overall on top of a record fifth Arkansas Derby triumph.
Solomini, second in the Rebel and third in the Arkansas Derby, represents Hall of Famer Bob Baffert in the classic the trainer has won four times. Also in the field with an Oaklawn connection is My Boy Jack, a multiple Grade 3 winner, including $500,000 Southwest Stakes on Feb. 19, trained by Keith Desormeaux.
Quip has no physical problems, said Brisset, a former aide to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, but needs time to recover from a demanding 3-year-old season. Quip won the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby in Florida before shipping to Oaklawn and pressing the pace all the way in the Arkansas Derby.
"Of course, I want to run in the Kentucky Derby but I have to think about the horse first," said Brisset. "To run in the Derby just to run is not the thing to do.
"We have a horse who could definitely win a grade 1 down the line, but that three-week time frame is just too short. He's going to need a bit more time. So, he's going to be pointed to the Preakness."
Another consideration is that Quip is owned by WinStar Farm and China Horse Club, co-owners of likely Kentucky Derby favorite Justify and Florida Derby winner Audible. WinStar also races Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy in partnership with Mike Repole.
"I have too much respect for the horse. He put us on the map and it's the right thing to do for him," Brisset said of pointing to the Preakness. "The main thing is he's sound and we really want to take care of him. And the ownership has a few other horses (for the Derby) so it was an easy decision."
Combatant, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, has been a steady performer all season despite not winning. He ran second to Greyvitos in December's Springboard Mile at Oklahoma's Remington Park, second to Mourinho at Oaklawn in the $150,000 Smarty Jones Stakes on Jan. 15 and second again to My Boy Jack in the Southwest.
Combatant, owned by Winchell Thoroughbreds and Arkansan Willis Horton, won at Churchill Downs last year, further encouraging his camp.
"He's doing fine," said David Fiske, manager of Winchell Thoroughbreds, "... and if not for a nose and a head, he would have been second in the Arkansas Derby and everyone would be going, 'Oh, he's a contender for the exotics.' And a nose and a head isn't much. So, if you're someone who likes Solomini, you have to like Combatant."
Asmussen finished second in last year's Kentucky Derby with Arkansas Derby third-place finisher Lookin At Lee, placing third in 2016 with 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner. Asmussen has the most starters (18) of any trainer not to win the Run for the Roses.
Sports on 04/24/2018