1 of 2 | Myriad Love, a filly, upsets the boys in the Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun to take the lead in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby. Photo by and courtesy of Katsumi Saito
Dec. 13 (UPI) — The winding path to the Kentucky Derby started early this week with a surprise in Japan, and then will detour through Oklahoma this weekend for Friday’s $200,000 Remington Springboard Mile, en route to Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity in California.
In other weekend action, Fair Grounds has Louisiana Champions Day. Turfway Park has a $1 million Synthetic Championship series. Gulfstream Park and Oaklawn Park contribute to the festivities.
Globally, next year’s Japanese Classics contenders have the first of two December tryouts Sunday, and there’s a “Win and You’re In” for next year’s Breeders’ Cup in Argentina.
The Road to the Roses
A filly, Myriad Love, upset the boys Wednesday in the second leg of the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby.”
The daughter of New Year’s Day stalked the pace in the 1,600-meter Zen-Nippon Nisai Yushun on the Kawasaki Racecourse dirt, shot to a clear lead in the lane and won by 3/4 length from the closing Happy Man.
The victory was her third without defeat and was worth 20 points on the “Road” leaderboard, giving her the top position with the series halfway done.
According to Churchill Downs’ rules for the series, the eventual top points-getter is offered a guaranteed spot in the Run for the Roses. If a filly wins, her connections can swap that out for a spot in the Kentucky Oaks.
Myriad Love’s owner and trainer were mum about plans, but winning jockey Atsuya Nishimura understandably was enthused about the chances of following in the footsteps of Forever Young (JPN), who finished third in a photo in this year’s Derby.
“She is a wonderful horse and she has a lot we look forward to,” he said of Myriad Love. “I would like her to be like Forever Young.”
There’s a long way to go with the two final legs of the series offering the winner 30 and 40 points each, respectively.
In weekend action back in the United States, Friday’s $200,000 Remington Springboard Mile and Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Los Alamitos Futurity deliver points on the main “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard on the 10-5-3-2-1 scale.
The Futurity is run at 1 1/16 miles and has the heavyweights of the weekend action.
Trainer Bob Baffert entered Gaming, Getaway Car and Mellencamp as he seeks his ninth Futurity win in 11 years.
Gaming won the Grade I Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 8, and then was runner-up to stablemate Citizen Bull in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
Getaway Car was fourth in the Juvenile, second in the Grade I American Pharoah and first in the Grade III Best Pal.
Mellencamp has yet to find the winner’s circle in two starts.
The remainder of the field is Journalism and Rank. The former comes off a maiden win Nov. 17 at Del Mar for trainer Mike McCarthy. Rank, trained by Doug O’Neill, was second in that same race and remains winless after six starts.
The Springboard Mile should be as much a learning experience for the bettors as for the horses. A field of 12 is topped by morning-line favorite Speed King, a Volatile colt who enters off a debut win at Churchill Downs.
Dr Reuben M ships in from California off a maiden win. They’ll see how good the locals are. Jolly Samurai is 3-for-3 with all races over the Remington strip.
Mr. Omaha also has three straight wins, also all at Remington. They’re all nice enough horses, but we’ll go out on a limb and say the Kentucky Derby winner’s not in this field.
Also: Saturday’s $500,000 Great White Way Division of the New York Stallion Series for state-breds at Aqueduct; Saturday’s $75,000 Bay Meadows Juvenile at Pleasanton; Sunday’s $100,000 King Glorious Stakes for Cal-breds at Los Alamitos; and Saturday’s $100,000 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile for state-breds at Fair Grounds.
The Road to the Oaks
It’s a slow week, with just the $500,000 Fifth Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Series for state-bred fillies.
Also:
Turfway Park
The northern Kentucky branch of the Churchill Downs Inc. empire celebrates a new “Synthetic Championship” event Saturday with four races, each worth $250,000, over its synthetic surface.
Gulfstream Park
Saturday’s program has the $140,000 Tropical Park Derby and $140,000 Tropical Park Oaks on the turf.
Oaklawn Park
Saturday’s $150,000 Mistletoe Stakes for 3-year-old fillies has a nice field of seven, with Taxed, Corningstone and Deck of Cards lumped at the top of the morning line.
Fair Grounds
Saturday is Louisiana Champions Day, with seven heats for state-bred steeds, each worth $100,000 bar the $150,000 Classic. Two are on the grass.
Around the world, around the clock
Japan
Sunday’s Grade 1 Asahi Hai Futurity has a full field set to go 1,600 meters in one of two year-end tests for the coming year’s Classics. The Fururity and the best of the Dec. 28 Hopeful Stakes at 2,000 meters have plenty of sorting out to do as many of the contenders have shown promise.
Several of those in the Futurity field are undefeated and a few have minor stakes victories to their credit. But it’s still a Harry Potter “sorting hat” situation for the youngsters.
Argentina
Saturday’s Group 1 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini Internacional at Hipodromo de San Isidro is a “Win and You’re In” for next year’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
The following horses were “scratched” by the regulatory vet at Turfway over eight race days (Dec 4-Dec 14): Warheaded – “unsound”Che
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