War of Will enters Kentucky Derby Top 10

Jan 21, 2019 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

With a resounding victory in last weekend's Lecomte (G3) at Fair Grounds, War of Will entered the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for the first time at #9 after earning 10 qualifying points.

The only other horse to enter the Top 20 via the Lecomte was runner-up Hog Creek Hustle, whose four points for second places him at #18 on the list.

Two other horses in the Top 20 that raced in the Lecomte failed to increase their point total. Tight Ten (#16) and Plus Que Parfait (#19) entered the Lecomte with four points each, but both finished out of the money.

The final point-earning opportunity in the month of January is Friday's $150,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park, where points of 10-4-2-1 will be awarded to the top four finishers.

Springboard Mile winner Long Range Toddy could shoot up to second place on the leaderboard with a win in the one-mile Smarty Jones. He currently sits at #5 with 10 points from his Remington victory. The remainder of the nine-horse field are all looking for their first appearance on the leaderboard.

The Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard should see a lot a more movement on February 2 when three preps are conducted coast-to-coast. These are the Holy Bull (G2) at Gulfstream Park, the Withers (G3) at Aqueduct, and the Robert B. Lewis (G3) at Santa Anita.