Reincarnate – Kentucky Derby Context

A frontrunning winner of January’s Sham (G3) at Santa Anita, Reincarnate will look to show speed from the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Whether he can make the lead is a fair question; the gray colt was outsprinted in the early stages of the Arkansas Derby (G1) before winding up third, but Reincarnate has the right jockey, as two of John Velazquez’s three wins have come on the front end.

The three-year-old appears built for longer distances, and his tactical ability offers appeal for vertical exotic wagers, but Reincarnate will need to improve upon recent efforts to play a major role in the final outcome.

Owner: Reincarnate is owned by the conglomerate of SF Racing, Jack and Laurie Wolf’s Starlight Racing, Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine M. Donovan. Kumin and Starlight were members of the ownership groups for Triple Crown star Justify (2018) and Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (2020).

Trainer: A former assistant to Hall of Fame trainers Bob Baffert and Charlie Whittingham, Tim Yakteen went out on his own in 2004. He took over training duties last spring for Taiba and Messier, who finished 12th and 15th in the Kentucky Derby, and both runners were transferred back to Bob Baffert afterward. With Baffert being suspended for the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Reincarnate was transferred to Yakteen in late February. Yakteen is also responsible for Practical Move, giving him multiple Kentucky Derby runners for the second consecutive year.

Jockey: John Velazquez is two wins short of tying Eddie Arcaro and Bill Hartack for the most Kentucky Derby wins, piloting Animal Kingdom (2011), Always Dreaming (2017), and Authentic (2020). The Hall of Famer also finished first aboard Medina Spirit, who was disqualified after leading all the way in 2021, and the 51-year-old rider has recorded a pair of seconds from 24 starts, missing only three editions since his first Kentucky Derby appearance in 1996. A native of Puerto Rico and a two-time Eclipse Award winner, Velazquez owns a pair of Belmont wins. Victor Espinoza, who will be aboard Skinner, also has three wins in the 2023 Kentucky Derby field, 

Breeder/Sales: Bred in Kentucky by Peter O’Callaghan’s Woods Edge Farm, Reincarnate commanded $775,000 as a yearling at the 2021 Keeneland September sale. He will be their first Kentucky Derby starter as a breeder.

Sire: Named champion two-year-old male, Good Magic rallied to finish second to eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in the 2018 Kentucky Derby. The chestnut son of Curlin went on to add the Haskell (G1) to his laurels, heading to stud with nearly $3 million in career earnings, and Good Magic immediately proved a success with his first crop, dueling with Bolt d’Oro and Justify for leading freshman sire honors before finishing second. Out of a mare by 2007 Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun, Good Magic also has Mage in the main body of the Kentucky Derby field. And another son, juvenile Grade 1 winner and Blue Grass (G1) third Blazing Sevens, is pointing to the Preakness.

Dam: Reincarnate is the first stakes winner from the stakes-winning Allanah, a daughter of Scat Daddy, who is best known as the sire of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify. A multiple Grade 1 winner, Scat Daddy counts 2020 champion male sprinter Whitmore among his best performers as a broodmare sire.