\nThe final chance for three year olds to earn an automatic berth in\nthe Bluegrass Derby comes in the Arkansas Juvenile Lock Prep. Run at\na mile and an eighth over a fast track this may just be the most\ncompetitive field from all the Lock Preps. There is only one horse\nin the field who has not won at least a listed stakes and many are\neither graded winners or graded placed. There are five grade three\nor grade two winners in the field although there are no grade one\nwinners. Several of the runners are running back after trying\nprevious Lock Preps which means they are coming back on two or three\nweeks rest, a big ask for young three year olds. Let\u2019s take a look\nat the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#1 Groin\nIrritation\t\t\t8\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Poor horse. There\nare some names that just make you sad and the celebration of gelding\nGroin Irritation is one. The name police would certainly issue a\nticket. Yet often those names that get flagged by the name police\nare attached to horses with a lot of talent and Groin Irritation fits\nthe bill. He\u2019s got five wins and a second from seven career starts\nincluding the Grade Three Risen Star in his 2021 debut. In that\nstart he went wire to wire in the mile and a sixteenth race, winning\nby almost two lengths with a 107 speed. He followed that up with a\nvery poor showing in the Florida Derby where he never reached the\nlead and faded late. That race was likely a bounce off the huge\nshowing in the Risen Star. He doesn\u2019t need the lead, the Risen\nStar was a bit of a fluke for him being there but now he\u2019s running\nback on just three weeks rest so even if the Florida Derby was a\nbounce he\u2019ll have to overcome the short turnaround here. He\u2019s a\nscratchbred son of West Coast x Unbridled x Alydar and he was gelded\nprior to his first start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#2 Runaway\nEdge\t\t\t9\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his last two\nstarts Runaway Edge has finished second in races at today\u2019s\ndistance. The first race was a listed where he ran in seventh early\non before closing to lose by a length and three quarters. His most\nrecent start was easily his most impressive. That came in the Grade\nTwo Land\u2019s End over this course and he was further back early in\ntenth before unleashing a rally to lose by a length and a quarter\nwhile running a 109 speed. The winner of that race, Tumescent is the\nfavorite here today so Runaway Edge deserves a legitimate look. He\u2019s\nonly got one win routing and is by Hopeful Stakes winner Competitive\nEdge out of a Candy Ride x Unbridled mare. He is her second foal and\nfirst stakes winner. That backend should give him the stamina he\nneeds to get the Derby distance but his dam never won beyond eight\nand a quarter furlongs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#3 Gojira\nBlast\t\t\t10\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gojira Blast is\nentering off just one race in 2021 and that race came back at the end\nof January. He\u2019s got a very interesting pedigree as he is a son of\nTriple Crown winner Justify based on a grade one winning Arrogate x\nBernardini hemare The Glaive. The Glaive scored his biggest win in\nthe Corkscrew \u2013 Derby Lock and ran a creditable sixth in the\nBluegrass Derby back in 2019. He was also second by a head in the\nmile and three sixteenths Clerk of Scales Stakes so you know this is\na stamina laden pedigree. Gojira Blast even traces back to 2015\nChampion Older Dirt Female Barden Bella, a three time grade one\nwinner. But let\u2019s get to his race record. Gojira Blast has never\nbeen out of the money in six career starts, with three wins. Two of\nthose wins came in his only sprint starts. He won an allowance going\na mile and a sixteenth back in October and jumped straight to graded\ncompetition in the Grade Two Ransom Stakes at a mile and an eighth in\nNovember. In that race he closed from eleventh to be second by just\na half length behind Slash Dot Murder who just lost the All Saints\nDerby Lock by a head. He ran a 99 speed that day, a number he bested\nin his January start by six points. That race was the Grade Three\nScam Stakes at the same distance. Again he was far back early on but\nhis closing kick only got him to three lengths off the winner while\nsecond. The winner of that race, The Free World just won the Florida\nDerby Lock Prep. You\u2019ve got to love this colt\u2019s chances to score\nan upset here considering the company he\u2019s been keeping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#4 Dark Voodoo\t\t\t9\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A winner of his\nfirst three starts, Dark Voodoo did not start his career until last\nJune. In his second race he won a mile allowance with a 90 speed and\nhe made his stakes and graded debut next time out, winning the Grade\nThree Charcoal Breeder\u2019s Cup with a 95 speed. In all three of his\nvictories he lead wire to wire. Next stop was the Breeders\u2019 Bowl\nJuvenile where he failed to get the early lead and faded to\nthirteenth. Given a bit of a rest he\u2019s made two starts this year. \nHe was fifth in the Grade Three Scam and second in the Grade One\nFunky Buddha. Both races came at a mile and an eighth and in both he\ndid get the early lead fairly easily. He ran a 101 and 103 speed in\neach race respectively. He\u2019s a scratchbred son of Good Magic x\nPioneerof The Nile x Ghostzapper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
#5 That Makes\nSense\t\t\t14\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That Makes Sense\ncomes in after the unkindest cut. The son of Goldencents out of a\nGhostzapper x Seeking the Gold mare is the second foal and first\nstakes winner for his dam who won her only race sprinting. \nGoldencents is a son of leading sire Into Mischief who won the\nBreeders\u2019 Cup Mile twice and has been very successful as a young\nsire in real life. That Makes Sense won a seven and a half furlong\nstakes race in July before moving up to routes and graded\ncompetition. He was second in the Grade three Cryogenics Juvenil in\nSeptember and second by a head in the Grade Three Nashua Special. \nBoth races were at one mile. That Makes Sense was sixth in his next\nstart, a one mile grade one. He\u2019s only had one start this year,\nthe Grade Three Scam at a mile and an eighth back on January 30th<\/sup>\nbut he ran a 97 speed there. He tends to come from far back and make\none run. If you like the angle of first off the geld he\u2019s your\nhorse, especially at 14\/1. But he\u2019s never won a route and his\npedigree suggests that he might not be able to get the distance\ntoday. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n #6 Honest\nHeart\t\t\t16\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another colt\nentering after a poor performance in another Lock Prep is Honest\nHeart. He was last in the All Saints Derby on March 20th<\/sup>.\n That race was run over an off track and it was Honest Heart\u2019s\nfirst try over one so certainly you can throw it out. His previous\nrace was a very strong win in the Grade Three Legoland Stakes at one\nmile in early January. In that race he sat third before taking the\nlead down the stretch to win by a length with a 104 speed. As a two\nyear old he was a grade two winner sprinting. He\u2019s a son of Lion\nHeart who was second to Smarty Jones in the Kentucky Derby back in\n2004 out of a Johannesburg x El Gran Senor mare. She only raced five\ntimes, all sprinting but her pedigree suggests that she probably\nwouldn\u2019t have done well beyond a mile. This is her first foal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #7 Chips N Gravy\n\t\t\t12\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chips N Gravy has\nthree wins and three seconds from seven starts with all but one of\nthose races coming in routes. He has two starts this year, a second\nplace finish in an allowance back in January and a win in a listed\nstakes in his most recent outing at the end of February. In both\nraces he stalked the early leaders before making a run in the\nstretch. That run came up just a half length short in the allowance\nbut propelled him to an almost two length win in the listed which was\nat one mile. He did run a 103 speed that day which, if he improves\nupon it should make him competitive here but it is always\nquestionable how a horse will do trying graded company for the first\ntime and this is a very salty field. He\u2019s a scratchbred son of\nGraydar x Summer Squall x Kingmambo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #8 Gray Spirit\t\t\t8\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gray Spirit is a\nscratchbred son of Tapit x Maria\u2019s Mon x Seattle Slew. There\u2019s\nobviously a lot of stamina in that pedigree. Although Maria\u2019s Mon\nnever won beyond a mile that was due to an injury but he sired two\nKentucky Derby winners in Monarchos and and Super Saver, while Tapit\nand Seattle Slew really speak for themselves. He\u2019s got a great\nrecord of four wins and a second from six starts. His only off the\nboard finish came in a grade three back in October. That was his\nstakes and graded debut and he can be forgiven for the hiccup. He\u2019s\nwon two of three starts this year and in his loss he was second by a\nquarter of a length. He\u2019s got a lot of early speed but doesn\u2019t\nhave to be in front early on, he\u2019s been successful battling for the\nearly lead in second or third before assuming the lead down the\nstretch. His most recent win came in the mile and a sixteenth Grade\nTwo Felipe Alou Stakes which he won with a 105 speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #9 Auglaze\nCounty\t\t\t21\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s surprising\nthat a horse with Auglaze County\u2019s credentials is the longest shot\nin the field but that just goes to show how strong a field this is. \nAuglaze County won his first three starts, all sprinting including a\nseven furlong listed. He was actually available for $60,000 in a\nmaiden claimer in his initial start but luckily for his connections\nhe was not snatched up. In his first two routes he was second in a\ngrade three and a grade one last fall, with both races coming at a\nmile. This season he has been less successful, finishing tenth and\nthirteenth in two graded races, the last of which being the All\nSaints Derby. That was his first try on an off track so it may be\nwise to throw the race out but it still came three weeks ago which is\na very short turnaround. Auglaze County is a son of the Ohio based\nstallion Cowtown Cat out of a Macho Uno x Halo mare. He is her third\nfoal and first stakes winner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #10 Corona\nEvac\t\t\t11\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only horse in\nthe field who is not already a stakes winner is Corona Evac. He\u2019s\na scratchbred son of Arrogate x Street Cry x Deputy Minister but he\nonly has two wins from nine career starts. His last win came in\nAugust in a one mile allowance where he ran an 89 speed. He jumped\nstraight to graded company and finished second in the Grade Three\nCharcoal Breeder\u2019s Cup at a mile and a sixteenth. Since then he\nhas hit the board once, finishing third by over seven lengths in a\nlisted two starts back. That race came at a mile and three\nsixteenths. He\u2019s another horse who enters off a previous try in a\nDerby Lock, this time the Sand Castle Derby just two weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #11\nBlythenthefastlane\t\t\t12\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Blythenthefastlane\nwas gelded at the end of his two year old season which saw him win\njust one time in five starts (although he was second in three\nothers). His only off the board finish came in his only sprint race.\n The scratchbred son of Bernardini x Mr. Prospector x Nijinsky II\nreturned this year to win a first level allowance at a mile and three\nsixteenths. That propelled him to his first stakes race which came\nat the same distance and he won it as well. In both races he went\nwire to wire and held off the closers at the end of the race. He ran\na 96 speed in the allowance and a 98 in the listed. There\u2019s a lot\nof speed in this race and the question mark is how he will handle the\ndrop down in distance. Certainly though if he wins this race he\nshould have plenty of stamina going into the Bluegrass Derby. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n #12 Tumescent \t\t\t5\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tumescent is the\nfavorite here and the horse with the most starts of any horse in the\nfield with eleven. He\u2019s won five of those and finished on the\nboard in four others. He exits a win in the Grade Two Land\u2019s End\nstakes which came over this track and at this distance. He also\nholds the highest last out speed of any horse in the field with a\n107. In that race he sat sixth early on but took the lead around the\nturn and held it down the stretch. He was entering off four straight\nturf stakes races. He won a listed and a grade three before running\nsecond in two grade ones. His pedigree is an interesting one as he\u2019s\na son of Bernardini out of the grade three winning Galileo x Farrh\nmare Feel Me Up. Like him she was capable on both surfaces and as\nfar as distance goes she was a stakes winner up to a mile and five\nsixteenths. His first four dams were all graded winners in routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #13 Otto\nJenius\t\t\t9\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n Never off the board\nin seven starts, Otto Jenius enters off a third place finish in the\nGrade One Funky Buddha at a mile and an eighth. Prior to that he won\nhis stakes debut in a mile and a sixteenth listed. He ran over this\ncourse and distance in his 2021 debut in an allowance and won albeit\nagainst only four rivals. His speeds have been pretty strong though.\n He won the allowance with a 98, the listed with a 103 and in his\nthird start he ran a 102. He\u2019s a good stalker which will help him\nin this race considering the number of speedsters in the field. He\u2019s\na son of Union Rags out of the Distorted Humor x Giant\u2019s Causeway\nstakes winning mare Jenius. Jenius did her best running at a mile\nbut was second against allowance company at a mile and a quarter. \nShe was a daughter of the grade one winning hemare Otto Causes who\nscored his biggest win going a mile and an eighth but was third in\nthe 2007 Breeders\u2019 Bowl Classic by just a half length behind the\nlegendary Solar Song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n #14 Spastic\nMax\t\t\t11\/1<\/p>\n\n\n\n The last horse\ncoming out of the All Saints Derby is Spastic Max. He also is the\nhorse who finished best in that field as he was sixth. Unlike the\nother two entrants he had previous experience on an off track as he\nhad a win and a second in two other starts. The scratchbred son of\nFusaichi Pegasus x Giant\u2019s Causeway Awesome Again colt entered that\nstart off a win in a listed stakes at a mile and an eighth. The All\nSaints Derby was his only off the board finish from six career starts\nof which he\u2019s won three. His early races saw him run on the lead\nearly on but in that listed stakes he showed a different dimension,\ncoming from fifth early on before winning by a head. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Good luck to all!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The final chance for three year olds to earn an automatic berth in the Bluegrass Derby comes in the Arkansas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54665,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54664\/revisions\/54665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btb.ehorseracing.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}