Kentucky Derby Roundup: Journalism among three prep winners

Last week, three Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifiers took place over the course of four days. Many new names emerged on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

There’s a lot to analyze, so let’s dig in:

Journalism upsets Gaming in Los Alamitos Futurity

Of the three Kentucky Derby qualifiers contested last week, the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) drew the strongest field. Del Mar Futurity (G1) winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) runner-up Gaming started as the 1-2 favorite, with Best Pal (G3) winner and American Pharoah (G1) runner-up Getaway Car adding further depth to the field.

But Gaming faltered to finish third in a subpar performance, and Getaway Car weakened from a pacesetting position to take second place. In the meantime, it was up-and-coming maiden winner Journalism who powered clear down the homestretch to triumph by 3 1/2 lengths, completing 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.04.

A beautifully bred son of Curlin out of Mopotism, Journalism has the pedigree to improve with maturity and thrive over classic distances, so you can bet this Michael McCarthy trainee will be a popular choice in upcoming Kentucky Derby future wagers.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Journalism

Journalism joins the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard in 10th place, having earned the lion’s share of the 10-5-3-2-1 qualification points up for grabs in the Los Alamitos Futurity. Gaming (18 points in total) remains in second place on the leaderboard, while Getaway Car (16 points) has climbed from fourth place to third.

Rank (two points, 31st place) and Mellencamp (one point, 38th place) finished fourth and fifth in the Los Alamitos Futurity.

Coal Battle rallies late in Remington Springboard Mile

The Remington Springboard Mile at Remington Park likewise awarded 10-5-3-2-1 points to the top five finishers. First prize went to Coal Battle, who brought his record on dirt to a perfect 3-for-3 with a stretch-running triumph.

Coal Battle spent the first six furlongs rating in midfield as Speed King and Dr Ruben M dueled through fractions of :23.93, :47.46, and 1:12.21. As the leaders began to tire, Coal Battle advanced smoothly through the pack and got up in the shadow of the wire to beat Speed King by half a length in 1:39.25.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Coal Battle

Now a two-time stakes winner, Coal Battle debuts in eighth place on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 10 points. Speed King picked up five points to rank 18th, while Dominant Spirit (three points, 24th place), Dr Ruben M (two points, 30th place), and Jolly Samurai (one point, 32nd place) rounded out the Remington Springboard Mile top five.

Filly Myriad Love tops Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard

The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun is Japan’s most important dirt race for juveniles. It’s the second leg of the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby, and the last two winners (Derma Sotogake and Forever Young) went on to compete in the Kentucky Derby, finishing sixth and third.

This year’s Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun went to Myriad Love, a filly who is now undefeated in three starts. After tracking the pace in second place, she seized command and opened up a daylight lead before holding off a late charge from Happy Man to prevail by three-quarters of a length, completing a metric mile in 1:42.4. For comparison, Forever Young and Derma Sotogake respectively posted winning times of 1:43.5 and 1:43.3.

RELATED: Kentucky Derby pedigree profile: Myriad Love

The Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun awarded Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby qualification points on a 20-10-6-4-2 basis to the top five finishers. Myriad Love has vaulted to the top of the leaderboard with her 20 points.

Natural Rise, the previous leader after winning the Cattleya S., finished fourth in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun. He’s slipped to second place on the leaderboard with 14 points in total, followed by Happy Man (10 points) and Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun third-place finisher Soldier Field (six points). Jugemoon (two points) finished fifth in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun and currently ranks outside the leaderboard top five.

Gun Runner S. draws five entries

The final Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifier of 2024 is the 1 1/16-mile Gun Runner S. coming up on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Only five horses have entered, so every starter is guaranteed to earn at least one of the 10-5-3-2-1 Kentucky Derby qualification points up for grabs.

The field is led by Admiral Dennis, a sharp 3 1/2-length maiden winner racing one mile at Churchill Downs last month. He’ll face fellow maiden winners Built and Chris’s Revenge, as well as Road to the Kentucky Derby alumni Magnitude and Render Judgment, who have respectively finished seventh in the Iroquois (G3) and fifth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).

Kentucky Derby contender workouts

Here are the latest workouts recorded by Road to the Kentucky Derby points earners:

Citizen Bull: In his first workout since winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), Citizen Bull clocked half a mile in :49.40 on Friday at Santa Anita.

Dapper Moon: After finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1), Street Sense (G3), and Kentucky Jockey Club on the Kentucky circuit, Dapper Moon shipped to Fair Grounds in Louisiana, where he breezed an easy three furlongs in :38.80 on Friday.

McKinzie Street: The American Pharoah (G1) third-place finisher blazed half a mile in :46.80 on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Owen Almighty: The Iroquois runner-up continues to breeze like clockwork at Palm Meadows, getting half a mile in :48.95 on Saturday.

Render Judgment: In preparation for his start in the Gun Runner, Render Judgment worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 on Saturday at Fair Grounds.

Tiztastic: Two weeks after finishing third in the Kentucky Jockey Club, Tiztastic returned to the work tab on Saturday with a slow half-mile in :51.80, his first exercise since shipping from Churchill Downs to Fair Grounds. 

American Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Citizen Bull (40 points)
2. Gaming (18 points)
3. Getaway Car (16 points)
4. Jonathan’s Way (15 points)
5. Chancer McPatrick (10 points)

European-Middle East Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Hotazhell (20 points)
2. Wimbledon Hawkeye (13 points)
3. Camille Pissarro (10 points)
4. Rashabar (5 points)
5. Delacroix (5 points)

Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard top five

1. Myriad Love (20 points)
2. Natural Rise (14 points)
3. Happy Man (10 points)
4. Soldier Field (6 points)
5. Clay King (5 points)