Road to Kentucky Derby had some weekend potholes - and new contenders - UPI.com

1 of 2 | Coal Battle wins Sunday’s Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park to take the top spot on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby” leaderboard. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park

Feb. 24 (UPI) — The Road to the Kentucky Derby is seldom a smooth one, and the 2025 edition hit a few potholes along the way on a busy weekend of horse racing across North America.

A good bit of international racing could impact the Triple Crown, too.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby developed more than its share of potholes this weekend. Old Man Winter forced Oaklawn Park to delay its Saturday program, including the $1.25 million Rebel, until Sunday. The hot favorite was scratched from the Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, And the lone U.S-based contender in the Saudi Derby fizzled.

On the flip side, Derby contenders sprouted like weeds in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

When Oaklawn finally got the Rebel field into the starting gate Sunday, the race was worth the wait.

Coal Battle, stepping up against tougher rivals after upsetting the Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 4, overcame the inside post position with the help of a canny ride by jockey Juan Vargas, rallied by the early leaders at mid-stretch and snagged his third straight victory.

Bob Baffert‘s California shipper Madaket Road held second after leading most of the way and Sandman was third.

“This was a tough field,” winning trainer Lonnie Briley said. “The No. 1 position and he’d have to go around a lot of horses. He did it.”

The win earned 50 points for the Coal Front colt on the “Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, vaulting him to the top spot with 70.

Trainer Lonnie Briley said Coal Front will try to add to that total, and to his bankroll, in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby on March 29. Madaket Road moved to No. 5 and Sandman to No. 6 with their placings.

At Turfway Park in northern Kentucky, Saturday’s $175,000 John Battaglia Memorial lost its only real legit Derby contender when 2024 Kentucky Jockey Club winner First Resort was scratched with soreness.

California Burrito led all the way to a 1/2-length score over the favorite, Baby Max. It was the first stakes start for the Army Mule colt. He earned 20 points on the “Road” leaderboard.

At Laurel Park in Maryland, Barbadian Runner, a Barbados gelding, got a nose in front of Pay Billy at the finish of Saturday’s $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes. The race is more a proving ground for potential Preakness Stakes “new shooters” than Kentucky Derby candidates.

In Saudi Arabia, Golden Vekoma rallied by Japanese rival Shin Forever to win Saturday’s Grade III Saudi Derby by 1 3/4 lengths. The only American contender, Iowa-bred Cyclone State, finished ninth.

Golden Vekoma, by the highly successful young sire Vekoma, won his third straight race, and trainer Ahmed Bin Harmash said his next stop likely is the UAE Derby on April 5 in Dubai. That race is a qualifier for the Kentucky Derby, but Harmash said the owners will make that call.

In Dubai, Galactic Star saved ground behind the pace in Friday’s Al Bastakiya Stakes, and then gradually wore down the early leader in the stretch to win by a head over onrushing Heart of Honor. The winner, a Kentucky-bred gelding by Improbable, trained by Bhupat Seemar, automatically becomes a hot candidate for the UAE Derby.

And in Japan, Luxor Café hit the front in the stretch run of Sunday’s Hyacinth Stakes, the third and penultimate race in the “Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby,” and held off a strong late bid by a filly, Promised Gene, to win by 1/2 length.

Rachel King flew in from Saudi Arabia to take the mount, which earned 30 points on the leaderboard, good enough to put Luxor Café in first place. The colt is Triple Crown nominated.

The series concludes with the Fukuryu Stakes on March 29 at Nakayama. That heat awards 40 points to the winner, so the Japanese bid to the Run for the Roses remains up in the air.

Quietside pressed the pace made by Five G in Sunday’s weather-delayed $500,000 Grade III Honeybee Stakes at Oaklawn Park, worked by that rival in upper stretch and went on to win by 1 length over that rival. Previously undefeated odds-on favorite Muhimma settled for third.

A Malibu Moon filly trained by John Ortiz, Quietside got just her second win from six starts, but has never finished worse than third while racing in top company. She now leads the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” series with 68 points.

White Rocks opened a huge lead in Friday night’s $175,000 Cincinnati Trophy Stakes at Turfway Park and had enough left to win by 1 1/4 lengths from Admit. The favorite, Girl Math, was fifth with a mild rally from well back in the field.

A Frosted filly trained by Arnaud Delacour, White Rocks won her second straight race, earned 20 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” standings and is stuck in a six-way tie for the No. 8 through No 13 spots.

Onyx Ten stalked the pace in Saturday’s $100,000 Wide Country Stakes at Laurel Park, and then ran on to win by 1 length over Safe Trust. The Street Magician filly is trained by Gary Capuano.

Churchill Downs could see its most international Oaks competitor yet after Norwegian-trained Queen Azteca rallied from a halting start to win Friday’s Grade III UAE Oaks. The Sharp Aztecz filly already had beaten many of her Oaks rivals in the Cocoa Beach Stakes, but looked an unlikely winner at the top of the stretch after her gate issues.

It took most of the rest of the 1,900 meters to get the job done and slip by pacesetter Arigatou Goziamasu for a 1-length victory.

The win earned 50 points on the “Road to the Kentucky Oaks” leaderboard, most likely enough to get into the race. However, she is not nominated to the race and Churchill Downs accordingly did not list her as an official candidate.

Still, two previous winners of the Dubai race have progressed to Louisville, and trainer Niels Peterson seemed enthused enough after the win.

Sunday’s $500,000 Grade III Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park ended in a spirited, three-way battle to the wire, with Alexander Helios getting a head in front of Banishing under the wire.

The favorite, First Mission, came with a bold late run, but flattened out through the final strides to finish third, another neck in arrears. Alexander Helios, a 5-year-old by Cairo Prince, ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:41.88 with Tyler Gaffalione up for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Bernietakescharge did just that in Saturday’s $125,000 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct. The 4-year-old Neolithic filly was quickly on the lead but then hit the afterburners and ran off to win by 6 1/4 lengths over the odds-on favorite, Weigh the Risks.

Bernietakescharge ran 1 mile on a fast track in 1:38.53 with Leonel Reyes in the irons for trainer Victor Barboza Jr.

Rauki and Horsepower stalked the pace in Saturday’s $125,000 Turf Dash at Tampa Bay Downs, and then rallied to finish 1-2, both at odds of more than 20-1. South African-bred and raced Isivunguvungu settled for third with a wide trip.

Great Venezuela came from well back to win the $125,000 Lightning City for fillies and mares by 2 lengths as the favorite. Both races were 5 furlongs over firm turf.