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1 of 2 | Skippylongstocking wins Saturday's $1.25 cardinal Oaklawn Handicap. Coady Photography, courtesy of Oaklawn Park
April 22 (UPI) -- A insignificant shakeup successful nan Kentucky Derby lineup and immoderate promising performances from 3-year-olds looking farther down nan Triple Crown way kept things jumping successful nan world of Thoroughbred racing pinch little than 2 weeks to spell to nan 150th Run for nan Roses.
Among nan older horses, Skippylongstocking, Kingsbarns and Mr Frisk each gave a bully relationship of themselves. And location was turf racing from New York to Southern California.
Three-year-olds and 2-year-olds besides were successful action connected nan world front, from Australia to France.
Away we spell ...
The Road to nan Roses
The first defection from nan apical 20 Kentucky Derby candidates recovered Gotham Stakes victor Deterministic going to nan sidelines and Grand Mo nan First drafting into nan section Sunday.
Deterministic vanished eighth successful nan Wood Memorial connected April 7, and trainer Christophe Clement announced aft a Sunday greeting workout nan colt will enactment successful New York for now.
Grand Mo nan First was a distant 3rd down nan winner, Fierceness, successful nan Florida Derby connected March 30.
While astir of nan different Kentucky Derby candidates honed their edges astatine Churchill Downs, still much talented 3-year-olds were making a lawsuit to move forward, possibly to nan Triple Crown trail, successful races successful different jurisdictions.
At Oaklawn Park successful Arkansas, Informed Patriot pressed nan gait successful Saturday's $200,000 Bathhouse Row Stakes, moved to nan beforehand erstwhile he turned for location and held disconnected stablemate Imperial Gun by a caput for nan win. Both are trained by Steve Asmussen.
Informed Patriot vanished 5th successful nan Arkansas Derby, but Asmussen said nan capacity showed improvement.
At Laurel Park successful Maryland, Copper Tax raced five-wide done nan agelong to drawback pacesetting favourite Speedyness and triumph Saturday's $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes, a accepted Preakness test.
3-year-old fillies
While nan colts were strutting their stuff, immoderate 3-year-old fillies were connected display, too, including immoderate improvers.
At Oaklawn, Winnable wore down pacesetting favourite Neom Beach successful nan agelong tally and was conscionable up to triumph nan $200,000 Valley of nan Vapors Stakes by a caput complete that one.
At Laurel Park, Call Another Play surged to nan lead successful nan agelong successful nan $125,000 Weber City Miss Stakes and shook loose from 4 rivals, winning by 3 1/2 lengths, pinch Kentucky invader and favourite Shimmering Allure eased successful nan agelong to decorativeness last.
Classic
Skippylongstocking pressed nan gait into nan agelong move successful Saturday's $1.25 cardinal Oaklawn Handicap, easy assumed nan lead and sewage clear to triumph by 2 lengths arsenic nan favourite successful a reliable field.
A quickly improving Highland Falls was second, followed by past year's Bath House Row victor Red Route One and graded stakes victor Reincarnate.
Skippylongstocking, a 5-year-old boy of Exaggerator, ran 1 1/8 miles connected a accelerated way successful 1:49.00 pinch Jose Ortiz successful for nan ride.
At Keeneland, Kingsbarns strode retired impressively done nan agelong tally of Saturday's $300,000 Grade III Ben Ali and posted a comfortable, 3 1/4-length victory. War Campaign was 2nd and Archie nan Giza vanished a long-shot third.
Kingsbarns now has 5 wins from 7 starts and his only decorativeness worse than 2nd was a 14th successful nan Kentucky Derby.
At Santa Anita, Mr Fisk caught pacesetting favourite Judge Miller successful nan agelong tally of Saturday's $100,000 Grade III Californian and drew clear to a 2 1/4-length victory. Judge Miller held second, 1/2 magnitude amended than Mixto.
Mr Fisk, a 4-year-old Arrogate colt, ran 1 1/8 miles connected a accelerated way successful 1:49.41 pinch Kazushi Kimura successful nan irons for trainer Bob Baffert.
Distaff
Raging Sea had nary problem disposing of six rivals successful Friday's $300,000 Grade III Doubledogdare Stakes astatine Keeneland. After search nan early leaders, nan 4-year-old Curlin filly sewage nan go-ahead from jockey Flavien Prat, changeable to nan beforehand and won by 3 1/4 lengths.
Coffee successful Bed dueled down nan lane pinch Super Shine and nan favorite, Desert Dawn, successful Sunday's $200,000 Grade II Santa Maria Stakes earlier putting her cervix successful beforehand nether nan decorativeness line.
Turf / Turf Mile
Silver Knott continued nan Godolphin conquest of assemblage racing pinch a convincing triumph successful Saturday's $350,000 Grade II Elkhorn Stakes astatine Keeneland.
The 4-year-old Lope de Vega gelding raced conscionable backmost of nan gait for jockey Flavien Prat, rallied boldly approaching nan agelong and kicked clear to triumph by 1 1/2 lengths from Missed nan Cut.
Spirit of St Louis rallied five-wide into nan agelong and sewage by overmuch of nan section to triumph Saturday's $150,000 Danger's Hour Stakes astatine Aqueduct by 1 3/4 lengths complete chap person Equitize. nan favorite.
Dataman rallied from past of 5 to seizure Saturday's $100,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes astatine Laurel Park by 1 1/4 lengths complete English Bee.
Filly & Mare Turf / Turf Mile
Five Towns raced past done nan early furlongs of Saturday's $100,000 Dahlia Stakes astatine Laurel Park, surged to nan beforehand precocious and won by 1 1/4 lengths. She's a girl of Japanese prima Lord Kanaloa.
Odds-on favourite Medoro worked to get by pacesetter Shiloh's Mistress successful nan agelong tally of Saturday's $100,000 Grade III Providencia Stakes for 3-year-old fillies astatine Santa Anita, and past survived a 2nd effort by that 1 to triumph by a nose.
Spirit and Glory sewage disconnected to an easy lead successful Sunday's $150,000 Plenty of Grace Stakes astatine Aqueduct and extended nan advantage done nan agelong to triumph by 5 lengths complete Midnight Mile. The favorite, Marvelous Maude, was third.
Turf Sprint
Johnny Podres came from disconnected nan gait to triumph Sunday's $100,000 Siren Lure down nan Santa Anita hillside people by 1/2 magnitude complete nan favorite, First Peace.
Johnny Podres, named for nan pitcher who migrated westbound pinch nan Dodgers, vanished nan 6 1/2 furlongs connected patient going successful 1:11.57 nether Geovanni Franco.
Witty rallied from next-last of 9 to triumph Saturday's $100,000 King T. Leatherbury Stakes astatine Laurel Park by a cervix complete Outlaw Kid pinch Charging different caput backmost successful third.
