The Kentucky Derby takes place on May 2 and Journalism has confirmed his place as the favorite to win the race.
Trained by Michael McCarthy, the three-year-old is unbeaten and has won two Grade 2 races.. His most recent success saw him up in class in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby held on Saturday April 5. He only finished three-quarters-of-a-length ahead of Baeza but it was a performance that showed he has plenty of fight in him.
He was outpaced and at the three-eighths pole matters got even worse as Westwood impeded him. His battling spirit came into play and he fought back and stayed on well to win the race. Journalism is now available at 4/1 to win the Kentucky Derby, reports horse bet.
Before the Santa Anita Derby, Citizen Bull was the second favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. The Bob Baffert trained runner had won four of his five races and that included three Grade 1 wins with one at last year’s Breeders’ Cup.
However, he has drifted out to 14/1 in the market after only finishing fourth in the Santa Anita Derby. He showed little in the latter stages of the race as he raced over a mile and one furlong for the first time. After the race, Baffert said that Citizen Bull “got tired” and a decision will have to be made on his next race. He admitted that Journalism’s win was a “pretty impressive” one.
While both Citizen Bull and Barnes disappointed for Baffert in the Santa Anita Derby, he had better news with Rodriguez. He won the Grade 2 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and has earned enough points to be able to compete in the Kentucky Derby.
Rodriguez is 16/1 to win the big race and that win on April 5 was the first of his career. His second outing saw him take on stablemate Journalism and finished third but 11 lengths behind. Unless significant improvement is shown, a place seems the best he can hope for in Kentucky.
The current second favorite is Sovereignty who can be backed at 8/1. Trained by William Matt, he has won three of his five races. His most recent run was at the end of March when finishing second behind Tappan Street in the Florida Derby ran at Gulfstream Park. Sovereignty had won his previous two races before that defeat.
Tappan Street is also one to consider in this Kentucky Derby. Available at 10/1 the Brad Cox trained runner had previously finished second in the Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park at the start of February. This improving horse could be a good each-way selection.
Could we see a Japanese winner of the Kentucky Derby? Admire Daytona has qualified for the race after winning the UAE Derby at Meydan and is 20/1. However, he will have to make history as never before has a runner who has raced in the Middle East gone on to win the Kentucky Derby. He only won the UAE Derby by a nose but could be a good each-way bet if adapting to the dirt of Kentucky. His previous three races had all been in Tokyo.
Luxor Cafe is another Japanese contender and the Kentucky Derby is really becoming an international affair. Qualifiers are held all around the world and Luxor Cafe is the third favorite at 10/1. The Noriyuki Hori trained runner is unbeaten in his four races. His most recent run saw him win the Fukuyu Stakes by five lengths in a nine furlong race.
Sandman has had a busy time since making his debut last June. The end of March saw him give trainer Mark Casse success in the Arkansas Derby. Sandman won that Grade 1 race despite some bumping and veering right towards the finish.
Second in that contest was Publisher who finished two-and-a-half lengths adrift. That was Sandman’s third win but after beating Publisher, can he defeat Journalist? He’s now 12/1 to win the Kentucky Derby.
A decent outsider looks to be Tiztastic at odds of 20/1. Last month he won the Louisiana Derby by two-and-a-quarter lengths. He has something to find with Sovereignty who has beaten him. The same goes for Sandman, who he has finished behind twice this year, though he did finish ahead of him last October.
Journalism put in an impressive performance to win the Santa Anita Derby. Plenty of guts were shown when winning that race and that is just what he will need if wanting to win in Kentucky.
