Derby News

The $600,000 purse of the 1 1/8 miles WinStar Derby may not have lured any of the top Kentucky Derby contenders, but it did entice horsemen from all over the United States to take a stab at a big payday. While the money earned in the ungraded race will not count towards the Kentucky Derby earnings criteria, most of the entrants realistically are not aiming at Louisville anyway.

The WinStar, which will go as the seventh race on Saturday and shown live on ESPN2, has attracted horses from California, Arizona and Florida. Indeed, the field of nine, including an entry, has only two locally-based horses.

Topping the list of invaders is an uncoupled pair of Bob Baffert trainees: Skydiving and Wanna Runner. Sky Diving made some noise when he broke his maiden by 14 lengths at Bay Meadows, but since then was upset in the Turf Paradise Derby and ran last of nine in the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita just two weeks ago. Wanna Runner won both of his starts, a maiden and allowance race, at Hollywood Park late last year. He made two starts this past January, running a credible third behind Brother Derek and Stevie Wonderboy in the San Rafael (GII) and then a more disappointing effort when fifth to Cause to Believe in the El Camino Real (GIII) at Bay Meadows. Off since that January 29 outing, Baffert has worked the son of El Corredor regularly at his Santa Anita base, including a very quick five furlongs in 58.80 last Thursday.

Doctor Decherd ran horribly in the Borderland Derby here last month, but is a stakes winner at Gulfstream earlier in the year. That last race was too bad to believe, and it looks as if trainer Steve Asmussen has put a line through it and is expecting a big effort in the WinStar. Doctor Decherd has been working well over the local surface and will likely be among the top three choices.

Keagan, the Turf Paradise Derby winner, also has been training at Santa Anita and will have regular rider Scott Stevens, brother of retired Hall of Famer Gary, in the irons. Blaze It is yet another California shipper. The trainer-jockey team of Sal Gonzalez and David Cohen are fresh off a huge win in the $2 million Golden Shaheen (GII) in Dubai last Saturday.

Wait in Line and Belligerence will run coupled as a same-owner entry. Wait in Line was well-beaten by Keagan and Sky Diving in the Turf Paradise Derby, but came back to be just a head back, at 17-1, of Indy Wildcat in the Borderland Derby. Belligerence has spent most of his 11 race career on the grass, and was most recently fourth in the Borderland. Rounding out the field are the seemingly overmatched Might Be Hooked and the recent Tampa Bay Downs maiden winner Welfare Cadillac.

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