Two new longshots enter Kentucky Derby field

Further Ado wins Saturday's Grade I Blue Grass at Keeneland and is set for the Kentucky Derby. Photo courtesy of Keeneland

April 6 (UPI) -- Saturday's trio of Kentucky Derby preps all but settled the field for the May 2 renewal of the Run for the Roses, with two longshots entering the fray and a commanding performance at Keeneland likely spotlighting one of the favorites.

Thirty-five of the qualifying races in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series are in the books, with only Saturday's Lexington Stakes at Keeneland offering a last chance for minor changes in the 20-horse field.

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Here's how the last three big races shook out:

The Road to the Roses

So Happy wins Saturday's Grade I Santa Anita Derby and is set for the Kentucky Derby. Photo by Benoit Photography, courtesy of Santa Anita

After Saturday's tour de force, 11-length victory in Keeneland's $1.25 million Grade I Toyota Blue Grass, Further Ado looms as one of the likely favorites for the Kentucky Derby.

The Gun Runner colt, trained by Brad Cox for Spendthrift Farm, came into the race with just two wins from five starts. One of those wins, though, was his maiden victory Oct. 10 at Keeneland -- by 20 lengths.

Albus upsets Saturday's Grade II Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York and is set for the Kentucky Derby. Photo by Susie Raisher, courtesy of NYRA

He looked like the same colt Saturday, easily leaving six rivals well in his wake. And he doesn't seem to need Keeneland's track to excel as he also won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs on Nov. 29 before starting his 3-year-old campaign with a second in the Grade III Tampa Bay Derby.

Cox said he's confident Further Ado can handle the 1 1/4 miles of the Kentucky Derby.

Croix du Nord wins Sunday's Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Racecourse in Japan. Photo by and courtesy of Katsumi Saito

"No doubt about it," Cox said. "Obviously he's able to break and put himself in a race and relax, so I think he's got a lot of great qualities when it comes to his ability to stay forward, then relax and then push home."

The 100 points for the win put him in the No. 2 spot on the leaderboard behind only Florida Derby winner Commandment. Blue Grass runner-up Ottinho also earned a spot in the Derby.

So Happy, third in the Grade 2 San Felipe in his previous start, turned the tables in Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Santa Anita Derby.

Utilizing the extra sixteenth of a mile to great advantage, the Runhappy colt blew by pacesetting Potente, the San Felipe winner, in deep stretch and ran on to win by 2 3/4 lengths over that one. Vitruvian Man was third, 6 3/4 lengths farther back.

So Happy, trained by Mark Glatt, ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.01, with jockey "Big Money" Mike Smith again living up to his nickname. Glatt said the two-turn experience in the San Felipe made a difference.

So Happy, a 7-1 longshot, earned 100 Road to the Kentucky Derby points, moving to No. 4 on that leaderboard. Potente got 50 to go with 50 collected in the San Vicente and appears to be trainer Bob Baffert's last remaining hope to secure a record seventh Kentucky Derby win next month.

At Aqueduct, another longshot converted an upset into a slot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate as Albus, last seen breaking his maiden on his third try at Tampa Bay Downs, rallied through traffic under jockey Jaime Torres to win Saturday's $750,000 Grade II Wood Memorial by 1 1/4 lengths over Right to Party.

A third longshot, Ocelli, completed a trifecta that returned $2,309.55 for a 50-cent ticket. The favorite, Iron Honor, reported seventh.

Right to Party also qualified for the Run for the Roses, and his owner promptly ponied up a $6,000 supplemental nomination fee to get him into the race.

The path to the Oaks

Percy's Bar, in her first start since a third-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last November, dove through an opening along the rail in the stretch run of Friday's $750,000 Grade I Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and scooted away to a 2 1/4-length victory over the favorite, previously undefeated Zany. Both are headed to the Kentucky Oaks.

Meaning took over the lead at the top of the stretch in Saturday's $200,000 Santa Anita Oaks and got away to a 2-length victory over Brooklyn Blonde. The others were well back.

A Gun Runner filly from the Michael McCarthy barn, Meaning got her third win from four starts. She finished fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and was the odds-on favorite in the Oaks.

Always a Runner, making just her second start, found her best stride in the stretch in Saturday's $200,000 Grade III Gazelle at Aqueduct, shot by the leaders while moving out to the center of the track and got home first by 1 1/4 lengths over Pashmina. It was another 8 1/2 lengths to the favorite, Paradise, in third.

Always a Runner, by Gun Runner, won on his debut Feb. 6 at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Chad Brown.

Sprint

Point Dume took the lead early in Saturday's $300,000 Grade II Carter Stakes at Aqueduct and just did hold off the odds-on favorite, Book'em Danno, by a neck at the end of the 7 furlongs.

With Edwin Gonzales riding for trainer Timothy Kreiser, Point Dume won his third straight race. Book'em Danno, whose connections scrapped plans to contest the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen, had not raced since August.

Also, Trouble Calling won Friday's $400,000 Lafayette for 3-year-olds at Keeneland by a head over Oscar's Hope and Saudi Crown took Saturday's $350,000 Grade III Commonwealth at Keeneland by 2 3/4 lengths.

Filly & mare sprint

Eclatant hooked up in a stretch duel with Grand Job in Saturday's $650,000 Grade I Resolute Racing Madison Stakes and prevailed by a head over that foe.

Grammy Girl, the longest shot in the four-horse field, came from last to win Saturday's $150,000 Grade III Distaff at Aqueduct by 1 1/2 lengths over the odds-on favorite, Immersive.

A Fine Chardonnay won Friday's $400,000 Grade II MiddleGround Capital Beaumont Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland with a late move.

Turf

Remember Mamba won Friday's $600,000 Grade III UK HealthCare Transylvania Stakes for 3-year-olds at Keeneland with a dramatic stretch rush.

Mike Smith reprised his Santa Anita Derby victory with another longshot win on Spirited Boss in the very next race, the $100,000 Grade III Monrovia for fillies and mares down the hillside course.

Filly & mare turf

Storm's Wake, winless in her last four starts, came with a late rush from the back of the pack to upset Saturday's $500,000 Grade II Appalachian Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Keeneland.

On Sunday at Santa Anita, Lilo Lil led all the way in the $100,000 Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies and held on to win by a nose and a head in a three-way photo.

Turf sprint

My Boy Prince won his second straight turf sprint in Saturday's $400,000 Grade II Valvoline Global Shakertown at Keeneland by 1 1/4 lengths.

Classic

California invader Vodka Vodka won Saturday's $250,000 Casa Ford Sunland Park by 2 1/4 lengths over Malarchuk, who last raced at Saratoga.

Yo Daddy chased the leaders three-wide in Saturday's $150,000 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct, drew even outside them at the top of the stretch and outfinished Interceptor to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Around the world, around the clock

Japan

Croix du Nord chased down long-time leader Meisho Tabaru in the final 100 meters to win Sunday's Grade 1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin Racecourse by 3/4 length, stirring hopes among his connections for good things to come in the rest of the season.

With Yuichi Kitamura up, the 4-year-old Kitasan Black colt started from the outside gate in a field of 15 and idled just back of midfield through most of the backstretch run.

He quickly picked things up around the turn and, straightening for home, had only the breakaway Meisho Tabaru to catch. Catch him he did, seemingly effortlessly.

Danon Decile, who had been set to try for a repeat in the Dubai Sheema Classic last weekend, finished third.

Australia

With one notable exception, it was a chalky Saturday at Randwick as the favorites clicked in two of the three Group 1 fixtures.

Joliestar, benefitting from the trainer-jockey combo of Chris Waller and James McDonald, beat Giga Kick to the finish by 1/2 length in the T J Smith Stakes at 6 furlongs over the soft turf. Skybird was just another neck back in third at 40-1.

Sheza Alibi kicked loose late in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile and finished 4 1/4 lengths to the good of runner-up Autumn Boy.

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