Kentucky Derby and Oaks Roundup: Jan. 24, 2022

On Thursday, the Road to the Kentucky Derby will reach a milestone: 100 days until the Run for the Roses.

The next few weeks are going to be busy ones on the Kentucky Derby trail, so let’s get caught up on the latest news and notes:

Changes on the Leaderboard

The Road to the Kentucky Derby has been underway for four months, but so far no horse has claimed a clear advantage on the leaderboard.

Saturday’s Lecomte S. (G3) at Fair Grounds (awarding points on a 10-4-2-1 split to the top four finishers) could have provided some clarity. Instead, it muddied the waters. Capitalizing on a solid pace, longshot Call Me Midnight rallied from out of the clouds to spring a 28-1 upset over Gun Runner S. winner Epicenter and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Pappacap.

The three horses were separated by less than a length at the finish line, and they’re similarly packed on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard. Pappacap and Epicenter rank 1-2 with 14 points apiece, the tiebreaker going to Pappacap by virtue of his higher non-restricted stakes earnings. Meanwhile, Call Me Midnight is one of 10 horses to have accumulated 10 points; he currently ranks 11th on the leaderboard due to tiebreakers.

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2

Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool 2 closed for betting on Sunday with “All Other Three-Year-Olds” favored at 9-5.

For the second straight pool, the shortest-priced individual betting interest was Kentucky Jockey Club S. (G2) Smile Happy, who settled at 8-1. His Kenny McPeek-trained stablemate Tiz the Bomb was also popular at 10-1.

For a complete list of betting interests and final odds, check out our recap.

On the Work Tab

Barber Road: Traveled five furlongs in 1:01.00 on Thursday at Oaklawn Park.

Classic Causeway: Took a spin over the Palm Meadows main track on Wednesday, breezing five furlongs in 1:01.60.

Courvoisier: Breezed five furlongs in 1:03.05 over the Belmont Park training track on Wednesday.

Dash Attack: Worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Monday at Oaklawn Park.

Giant Game: Turned in a bullet workout on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, clocking five furlongs in :59.76.

Major General: Stepped up to four furlongs for his third workout of the year, getting the distance in :50.12 on Friday at Palm Beach Downs.

Make It Big: Burned up the Gulfstream Park main track on Saturday, working five furlongs in a bullet :59.61.

Mo Donegal: Cruised through an easy five furlongs in 1:02.94 on Saturday at Palm Beach Downs.

Rattle N Roll: Made his long-awaited return to the work tab on Saturday at Gulfstream Park, clocking three furlongs in :36.13.

Slow Down Andy: Traveled five furlongs in an easy 1:02.00 on Sunday at Santa Anita.

Smile Happy: Breezed five furlongs on Sunday at Gulfstream Park, completing the move in 1:01.49.

Zandon: Worked a half mile in :49.40 on Sunday at Payson Park.

Road to the Kentucky Oaks

Two Road to the Kentucky Oaks qualifiers took place over the weekend, placing a trio of new names in the leaderboard Top 10.

The first filly to strike was La Crete, who kept her unbeaten record intact with a tenacious victory in Saturday’s Silverbulletday S. at Fair Grounds. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro and Cavorting battled back after losing the lead to win by a length, earning 10 qualification points to settle in eighth place on the current leaderboard. Runner-up Fannie and Freddie, previously second in the Untapable S., advanced to 10th place with eight points.

The following day, Magic Circle climbed the leaderboard with a decisive pacesetting victory in the Busanda S. at Aqueduct. Previously a top-four finisher in the Frizette S. (G1) and Demoiselle S. (G2) on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Magic Circle has accumulated 13 points, ranking third behind runaway leader Echo Zulu (30 points) and Grade 1 winner Juju’s Map (18 points).

Looking Ahead

The Road to the Kentucky Derby takes a trip to Oaklawn Park this Saturday for the Southwest S. (G3), a 1 1/16-mile qualifier awarding 17 qualifications point split 10-4-2-1 among the top four finishers. Expected starters include local Smarty Jones S. winner Dash Attack and California shipper Slow Down Andy, fresh off a victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2).

Also on the Saturday card at Oaklawn is the one-mile Martha Washington S., which awards Kentucky Oaks qualification points on a 10-4-2-1 basis. Starlet S. (G1) heroine Eda is the major name in the prospective entries, although she’s ineligible to earn points since her trainer—Bob Baffert—is currently suspended from racing at Churchill Downs.