The Run For The Roses Three Stops Along The Way



There are three major prep races for the 2018 Kentucky derby on March 10, 2018 at Tampa Bay Downs, Aqueduct, and Santa Anita.  Last week’s winner of the Fountain of Youth, at Gulfstream, Promises Fulfilled lit up the tote board winning wire to wire paying $38.40 to win.  Good Magic, the short money favorite finished 3rd and probably needed the race.

The Gotham is understandably run at the Big A (Aqueduct) in New York.  The race has produced several Kentucky Winners and the winner will most likely go to the Kentucky Derby.  Secretariat won the Gotham in 1973.  The race has been run since 1953, the purse is $400,000 and the favorite is Firenze Fire, trained by Jason Servis but there will be other contenders for the 100 points and the ticket to Louisville.

The Lambsholm Tampa Bay Derby, Florida’s second derby and a grade II race since 2011 is run at Tampa Bay Downs, the purse is $350,000.  The field is a wide open with trainers Pletcher, Motion, Casse, and Romans with runners in the chase.  Tapwrit, the 2017 winner went on to win the 2017 Belmont Stakes.  Flameaway is the possible favorite, but that is just my guess.
The San Felipe Stakes, grade II is run at Santa Anita and is the last prep race for the Santa Anita Derby.  It is also worth 100 points on the way to Louisville.  The purse is worth $400,000 and has had some really good horses use it as a springboard to greatness.  California Chrome won in 2014 and Pioneer of the Nile, sire of American Pharoah, won the race and the Santa Anita Derby in 2009.
The race will be a showdown between Bolt d’ Oro and McKinzie.

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