Stronghold among eight in Santa Anita Derby; Kopion seeks Oaks points

Apr 04, 2024 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Last seen landing the Sunland Park Derby (G3), Stronghold bids for his second straight victory on the Road to the Kentucky Derby in Saturday’s $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (G1). The companion race for fillies earlier on the card, the $300,000 Santa Anita Oaks (G2), marks the final opportunity to score points toward the Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Both races offer the maximum number of points, on the 100-50-25-15-10 scale, to the top five eligible finishers.

Santa Anita Derby (G1)

Stronghold has yet to finish worse than second in his five career starts for trainer Phil D’Amato. The son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper was runner-up in both the Bob Hope (G3) and Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) before his stakes breakthrough at Sunland Park. But he was the 6-5 favorite that day, and Stronghold must overcome a deeper cast to win on Saturday.

STRONGHOLD wins the Sunland Park Derby and earns 20 points on the Road to the #KyDerby! 🌹 pic.twitter.com/JsyzjbAc6C

— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) February 19, 2024

The 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby will be a new distance test for nearly all of the entrants, with the exception of Tapalo. The John Sadler pupil has experience over the trip when second in the Feb. 10 El Camino Real Derby. Making a bold early move on the Golden Gate Fields Tapeta, Tapalo was run down late by Endlessly, who came back to take the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3). A steadier race flow may make a big difference for Tapalo, a grandson of Tapit and Empire Maker.

The Bob Baffert duo of Imagination and Wynstock rate as main contenders, but neither is eligible for Derby points because their trainer is suspended by Churchill Downs Inc. Imagination comes off a hard-fought decision in the March 3 San Felipe (G2), while Wynstock aims to rebound from an uncharacteristic last in the Southwest (G3) at a muddy Oaklawn Park. Wynstock had won his prior two starts, including the Los Alamitos Futurity over Stronghold.

The John Shirreffs-trained Mc Vay, a distant third in the San Felipe, is still a maiden. Doug O’Neill sends out E J Won the Cup, who just wired the Turf Paradise Derby. Tessuto steps up from his maiden score for George Papaprodromou, and Curlin’s Kaos needs to improve from his fourth behind Stronghold in the Sunland Park Derby.

Santa Anita Oaks (G2)

Kinza, the unbeaten winner of the Las Virgenes (G3) and Santa Ysabel (G3), will be heavily favored to make it 4-for-4. As a Baffert filly, however, she is ineligible for the Kentucky Oaks.

Her rival with the best claims to secure an Oaks berth is Kopion, who enters with 20 points on her ledger for Richard Mandella. The daughter of Omaha Beach rolled in the Jan. 7 Santa Ynez (G3), but couldn’t catch Kinza in the Feb. 10 Las Virgenes. Freshened since that mile contest, Kopion hopes to bridge the two-length gap with Kinza over an extra sixteenth of a mile here.

Rounding out the five-filly field are Baffert’s Nothing Like You, the Starlet (G2) winner who faded to fourth in the Las Virgenes; Corposo, a recent maiden winner from the Peter Eurton barn; and Ifuaintfirsturlast, who was pulled up in the Santa Ysabel.

The Santa Anita Oaks is scheduled as the sixth race, with a post time of 5:30 p.m. (all times ET), and the Santa Anita Derby goes off as the 10th race at 7:30 p.m. You can watch and wager at TwinSpires.com.