Three takeaways from the 2021 Santa Anita Derby

Apr 06, 2021 by James Scully/TwinSpires.com

The Santa Anita Derby (G1) has produced 19 Kentucky Derby
winners, including two of the last three, and a new player emerged in the major
qualifier on Saturday.

Here are three Santa Anita Derby takeaways.

Rock Your World smokes
rivals on front end

Rock Your World dictated terms from the break on a short
lead and put the field away with a sharp turn of foot into the stretch, opening
up a commanding advantage. After easily winning his first two starts on turf,
he made a seamless transition to dirt and relished the added ground, recording a
4 1/2-length decision.

His 102 Brisnet Speed rating was impressive, tied for the
top last-out figure (Essential Quality and Highly Motivated also earned a 102 in the Blue Grass Stakes [G2]) with only two qualifiers remaining before the
May 1 Kentucky Derby.

Campaigned by Hronis Racing and Talla Racing, Rock Your
World opened his racing career with a turf maiden special weight win at six
furlongs, and the Candy Ride colt was exiting a 2 1/4-length victory in the
Feb. 27 Pasadena S. over a grassy mile.

“You’re hoping, but it’s one of those things, you don’t know
until you do it,” trainer John Sadler said of the surface switch. “We’re
thrilled the way things worked out.”

The dark bay three-year-old hails from a classy female
family loaded stamina influences – his multiple stakes-winning dam is a
half-sister to Liam’s Charmer, a Grade 2 winner at 1 1/4 miles – and Rock Your
World appears well-equipped to handle the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby.

Speed added to
Derby field

Umberto Rispoli hustled his mount to the lead from the
innermost post on Saturday, and Rock Your World established solid splits
(:22.42, :46.11 and 1:10.64) along the way to completing 1 1/8 miles in
1:49.17.

The unbeaten colt was prominent from the start in his first
two outings, but Saturday marked his first wire-to-wire win.

Sadler conceded that the inside post led to the game plan for
the Santa Anita Derby.

The “catch-me-if-you-can” strategy resulted in a breakout
performance, and I think it laid the blueprints for Rock Your World’s best chance
in the Kentucky Derby.

Inexperience factor

In the last 100+ years, only two horses have won the
Kentucky Derby with only three lifetime starts – Justify and Big Brown. Both
were heavily favored on the first Saturday in May.

Rock Your World won’t compete for favoritism on Derby Day, and
it’s fair to question whether he’ll be good enough to overcome the
inexperience.

Hall of Famer Curlin couldn’t win the Kentucky Derby in his
third start, checking in third under the Twin Spires before coming back two
weeks later to capture the Preakness (G1).

Rock Your World is a frontrunning type – he doesn’t project
to be racing midpack like Curlin – and avoiding traffic trouble in a 20-horse
field is theoretically advantageous to his chances. Justify and Big Brown both
liked to be either on, or up close to the pace, as well.

But it’s still an imposing challenge for such a
lightly-raced horse.