On a day when VCU was beaten by COVID before they could try to beat Oregon, and when the epitome of durability LeBron James sat on the shelf indefinitely with a cranky ankle, horse racing was also caught in the sport wear whirlwind.
While Las Vegas settled the basketball drama, it also reacted to Life is Beautiful sharply exiting the Triple Crown trail for what turned out to be an ankle chip. Kentucky Derby the futures pools which are usually put on hold just before the Saturday preparation races were hastily closed hours earlier.
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When the lights came back on, the new favorites weren’t as expensive as Life Is Good before main owner Elliott Walden and coach Bob Baffert confirmed his setback.
At Circa Sports on Saturday night, the undefeated 2020 Youth Champion Essential Quality was reposted as a 9-2 co-favorite with Life Is Good’s stablemate Concert Tour. On Sunday morning, William Hill Nevada made Essential Quality his 4-1 favorite. These prices may have set a bar for higher value, certainly more than Life Is Good raised to 7-2.
The timing is also casting a growing shadow on the futures market. Where triple-digit odds might have been appealing at the start of winter, they’re absolutely repulsive with just 40 days to go to the Derby. As the days shrink, so does the horse list. And so are the chances.
While most of the attention was on the top of the Derby futures, four horses were added below over the past week.
Gretzky the great (80-1 approximately). With this name, he must have been brought up in Canada. Sure enough, this $ 295,000 Nyquist colt owned by Aron Wellman and Gary Barber won first year last summer on Woodbine turf. Almost four months after finishing sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Gretzky The Great set the tone before finishing third as a tied favorite last month at Battaglia Memorial. It was on the synthetic course at Turfway Park, where coach Mark Casse nominated him for Saturday’s Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). This race could have the sweetest field of all “win and you participate” Derby preparations. Since getting to Louisville is half the battle, the relatively short term price is understandable.
Rebellious romance (Approximately 125-1). Co-favorite beaten in the Saudi Derby, this gelding trained in the United Kingdom by Dubawi is trying to regain its former form during the United Arab Emirates Derby (G2) on Saturday in Meydan. A native of Godolphin coached by Charlie Appleby, he was 3-for-3 before finishing fifth last month in Riyadh. His most recent victory came as a favorite in the UAE 2,000 Guineas, a one-mile race on the same track where he will run 1 3/16 miles this weekend. A win or maybe a second place would qualify him for the Kentucky Derby, where 16 former Derby riders from the United Arab Emirates tried and failed to finish better than fifth.
Disbursed (150-1 William Hill). Baffert dropped the name of this closest when track spokesperson Mike Willman asked if Medina Spirit would have a stable mate to keep him company during the April 3 race at the Santa Anita Derby (G1 ). As the fourth pick 8-1 after a six-month hiatus, the $ 210,000 colt Dialed In beat his young daughter two weeks ago in a six-stadium sprint in Santa Anita. Defunded was “the other Baffert” in this race, so he will play a familiar role next month.
Excellent timing (150-1 William Hill). Barely bought by a partnership led by Michael Dubb and Sol Kumin, this latecomer made a strong impression in his first race for his new trainer Chad Brown. Sent as favorite on March 14 to Aqueduct, he won by 6 3/4 lengths in the Damon Runyon Stakes of seven stages for the 3-year-old bred in New York. Dubb didn’t look like he wanted to rush Excellent Timing down the Triple Crown trail afterwards. “We want him to get used to winning,” he said. “I hope once we do that he can open a business.”
Rightandjust opened at Circa last week at 250-1, but was eliminated after finishing seventh in the Louisiana Derby (G2).
25 other names, including Life Is Good, were deleted in Las Vegas, leaving those 96 to Circa Sports and William Hill Nevada, displayed along with their Kentucky Derby futures odds:
To WH
100-1 Alain barow
150-1
Barraza
125-1 Big Lake
250-1 Fern
250-1 breeze on by
100-1 50-1 Brooklyn strong
30-1 85-1 Caddo River
100-1 150-1 Rocket Man Candy
200-1 Capo Kane
100-1 Cazadero
22-1 30-1 Collaborate
9-2 6-1 Concert tour
200-1 cousin larry
200-1 Cowan
50-1 125-1 Crowded shop
150-1 Disbursed
150-1
The democracy
200-1 200-1 Donegal Bay
150-1 Clear the clock
70-1 60-1 Dream Shake
200-1 Of the day
55-1 125-1 Dynamic One
9-2 4-1 Essential quality
200-1 Ethical judgment
175-1 Excellent timing
200-1 Fire at will
300-1 225-1 Founder
300-1
I found my ball
75-1 Freedom fighter
300-1 Gagetown
200-1 150-1 Get his number
75-1 Ghazaaly
5-1 8-1 Greater honor
80-1 Gretzky the great
40-1 45-1 Helium
300-1 Herd immunity
65-1 28-1 Hidden hiding place
50-1 26-1 Very motivated
9-1 12-1 Hot Rod Charlie
35-1 25-1 Hozier
125-1 Hush of a storm
75-1 Jackie’s Warrior
100-1 Jaxon traveler
250-1
Jirafales
60-1 50-1 Keep in mind
25-1 28-1 Known agenda
300-1 110-1 Lamutanaatty
125-1 La Perouse
85-1 Pop Lemon
250-1 Friendly
175-1 Like the king
200-1
Law of luck
25-1 30-1 Mandaloun
45-1 16-1 Spirit Medina
30-1 24-1 Midnight Bourbon
110-1
Mouheeb
225-1 Mr. Impossible
200-1 Never surprised
225-1 Next
125-1 125-1 Nicky the vest
200-1 125-1 Nova Rags
60-1 100-1 O Besos
200-1 125-1 Exceeded
100-1
Papetu
300-1 Parnelli
300-1 Petruchio
24-1 14-1 Prevalence
150-1 The first factor
50-1 45-1 Agent
300-1 Real conversation
125-1
Rebellious romance
200-1 Flip the ring
400-1 Ricochet
22-1 24-1 Risk taking
40-1 50-1 Rock your world
100-1 75-1 Roman centurian
125-1 55-1 Rombauer
300-1 Magic of the track
300-1 scarred
250-1 Sitting on the road
200-1 175-1 Smiley Sobotka
100-1 85-1 Soup and Sandwich
30-1 35-1 Spielberg
200-1 Stage raider
200-1 250-1 Super Stock
125-1 200-1 Swiftsure
70-1 150-1 Tarantino
200-1 Merchant Team
125-1 The chosen Vron
100-1 75-1 The Great
300-1 250-1 The journey of a lifetime
95-1 125-1 Untreated
50-1 85-1 Weyburn
90-1 Double Whiskey
250-1
Willy Boi
250-1 Wipe the slate