Arkansas Derby, Blue Grass Stakes Next Stops on Road to Kentucky Derby

Frank Doyle previews this weekend’s big Kentucky Derby Prep races!

The Kentucky Derby is only three weeks away as the prep race season comes to its climax. There are two big races this weekend – the Arkansas Derby, run at the Oaklawn Track at Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, outside Lexington, KY.

Both races have good records of sending contenders to Churchill Downs to run for the roses. Smarty Jones won the Arkansas Derby in 2005 before going on to win at Churchill Downs, while there was a period in the 1970s when it seemed pretty much the done thing to win the Blue Grass Stakes before going on to win the Kentucky Derby.

Bob Baffert, a third time winning trainer of the Derby himself, of course, saddles two of the ante-post horse racing betting favorites at Oaklawn. Bodemeister is the favorite of the eleven horse field at Oakland but the more interesting contender could be Secret Circle.

Secret Circle won the Rebel Stakes on this same track on St Patrick’s Day and at the Southwest Stakes three weeks earlier, both times as favorite. He loves the track and is a winner on five of his six outings this year.

Over in Kentucky, thirteen horses go to post for the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. Hansen is the online betting favorite over the nine furlongs – he won the Grade III Gotham Stakes at Aquaduct earlier this year, and this is his first attempt a Grade I race as a three-year-old.

The most interesting horse at Lexington this weekend is the Russian raider, Hero of Order. Hero of Order stunned the world when he won the Louisiana Derby as 109/1 outsider, posting a Beyer figure of 90, so the big question is: can he do it again? Ramon Dominguez, who’s riding Hansen, will certainly keep his eyes peeled for the Louisiana Derby champion.