(Monday, April 5) The top two rated three year olds were in action on Saturday, with Lookin At Lucky getting either an unlucky or a “horrendous” ride in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) while Eskendereya topped his impressive Fountain of Youth (G2) win with an even more impressive victory in the Wood Memorial (G1) at Aqueduct.

While the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) and the Arkansas Derby (G1) are still on tap next Saturday, it seems very unlikely anything will occur in those two races to knock Eskendereya off the mantle as the Kentucky Derby favorite come the first Saturday in May.

The colt’s 9 ¾ length win over Jackson Bend and Awesome Act gives trainer Todd Pletcher the needed ammunition to overcome a zero for 24 mark in the Run for the Roses.

The 109 Beyer Speed Figure tops the 106 for his win in the Fountain of Youth, and this colt has distanced himself nicely from the rest of the pack chasing the Derby dream.

Pletcher shipped the colt back to Palm Meadows in Florida on Sunday, and plans on shipping him to Churchill Downs ten days out from the race.

“I like the surface at Palm Meadows, as does he,” said Pletcher Sunday morning. “And, the weather will be more reliable there.”

Runner up Jackson Bend and third place finisher Awesome Act both came out of the Wood in good shape and are headed to the Derby.

Awesome Act stumbled coming out of the gate and lost a shoe, and got as curious ride from Julien Leparoux, who seemed to have a hammerlock on the colt going around the far turn.

The real drama occurred 3000 miles away from the Big Apple, where Sidney’s Candy got a dream trip on the front and wired the field to win the Santa Anita Derby.

Lookin At Lucky, with jockey Garret Gomez aboard found themselves down along the inside, and had to steady and was shuffled back when a tiring Who’s Up with jockey Victor Espinoza up nearly put Lookin At Lucky and Gomez over the rail.

The colt recovered nicely and finished third, with punches reportedly thrown after the race between Gomez and Espinoza.

Espinoza even got an earful from trainer Bob Baffert’s wife Jill, who did not have anything nice to say to the jockey when she confronted him outside the jockey’s room after the race.

The stewards suspended Espinoza for three days on Sunday morning, while Gomez was fined $750 for his actions.

Baffert did not mince words after the race, stating, “He (Garrett Gomez) took him back and he was fighting him. It was horrendous; his ride was horrendous. It’s unfortunate. The horse is a good horse . . . that’s the thing about synthetic. They’re not going to go fast. Keep him up there. He’s so afraid to let this horse run early, and it’s a shame, because that’s not Garrett. I don’t know why. He threw an interception.”

He added, “He must not have seen Jerry Bailey’s tape. We’re going to buy him some DVDs.”

Both Look At Lucky and Sidney’s Candy came out of the race in good order.

Horses on the Bubble
Opportunities to earn graded stakes money are becoming slimmer, with just five races left on the Derby Trail:
April 10
Keeneland: $750,000 Blue Grass S. (G1)
Oaklawn Park: $1 million Arkansas Derby (G1)

April 17
Keeneland: $300,000 Coolmore Lexington S. (G2)

April 24
Aqueduct: $150,000 Withers S. (G3)
Churchill Downs: $200,000 Cliff’s Edge Derby Trial (G3)

It appears the cutoff is going top be around $200,000, which would exceed 2008 when Denis of Cork was the last to get in with $165,000.

Last year the cut off was Nowhere to Hide, who came into the race with $55,500. In other recent years, Imawildandcrazyguy (2007) got in with $104,000 and Flashy Bull (2006) got in with $109,000.

I have said it before and will again, using graded earnings as the sole criteria is idiotic. For a horse to get in off winning graded sprints as a two year old is stupid.

A two year old can basically wrap up a spot in the Derby field eight months in advance by winning the Bashford Manor (G3), Sanford (G2), and Hopeful (G1) without going beyond seven furlongs.

Having the $750,000 Delta Jackpot (G3), which is run in December, count as much as the Wood Memorial (G1) and Santa Anita Derby (G1) in April is just downright silly.

Here are the Bubble Boys:
17. Jackson Bend $230,000
18. Backtalk $225,916
19. Aikenite $218,000
20. Make Music for Me $215,000
21. Mendip $200,000
22. Radiohead $196,332
23. Uh Oh Bango $187,952
24. Odysseus $180,000
25. Setsuko $180,000
26. A Little Warm $180,000
27. Super Saver $163,832
28. Pleasant Prince $162,500
29. Tempted to Tapit $156,000
30. Caracortado $153,000
31. Yawanna Twist $147,000