Virginia Derby an Addition on the Kentucky Derby Trail

The Road to the Kentucky Derby series paused in mid-March of previous years without qualifying designated preps between the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and Louisiana Derby (G2). With Colonial Downs expanding its racing schedule this year to include an all-dirt week of racing this month, the $500,000 Virginia Derby fills that vacancy March 15. The 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby, contested out of Colonial's long backstretch chute, offers a $500,000 purse and qualifying points on a 50-25-15-10-5 basis to its top five finishers. Based on historical trends, that scale essentially provides its winner with a starting position in the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1). Churchill Downs uses qualifying points as a preference system when the first leg of the Triple Crown draws more entries than its 20-horse maximum field size. Even with the anticipated scratch of John Hancock, who Daily Racing Form reported will await the March 22 Louisiana Derby, a competitive field with as many as nine 3-year-olds could start. Getaway Car, winner of the Feb. 16 Sunland Park Derby, and the Best Pal Stakes (G3) and a maiden race last year at age 2, heads the lineup for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. The grade 1-placed son of Curlin is the leading money earner in the field, and having 36 existing Kentucky Derby points, he is already on the cusp of having sufficient point qualifications to make the Derby. A cut below California's best—having already lost to Journalism and Citizen Bull, two of the early Kentucky Derby favorites—Getaway Car is most effective when he can establish the pace. In the Sunland Derby, he set the initial fractions, was passed in early stretch by a wide-charging Caldera, and then proved a head-bobbing nose winner. Having flown across country, he is already on track at Colonial and galloped March 13 over the local surface. Out of the sprint stakes-winning Morning Line mare Surrender Now, he cost $700,000 at auction when acquired from the Gainesway consignment to the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The $585,800 earner races for partners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Bob Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan. BC Stables' American Promise, a son of Justify out of the Tapit mare Tapella, cost even more than him at the same sale when bought for $750,000 from the consignment of his breeder, Candy Meadows. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee similarly has an attractive pedigree, being a half brother to Hoosier Philly, a grade 2 winner with nearly $1 million in earnings. He is 1-1-1 in eight starts and has made $144,874, though his two graded stakes efforts have resulted in tired finishes. He weakened to seventh in the Jan. 25 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park after a premature backstretch advance and came up empty late when fifth in a swiftly run Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. A newcomer to stakes but a colt bred for success is Authentic Gallop, a son of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. Out of the Victory Gallop mare Galloping Ami, he is related to four stakes winners, three of them at the graded level. The best of his half siblings is Kopion, winner of the 2024 Santa Ynez Stakes (G3) and La Brea Stakes (G1), and victorious in this year's Santa Monica Stakes (G2). A $300,000 buy from the Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consignment to the 2023 Keeneland September sale, he went winless in his first four starts for owner Greenwell Thoroughbreds and trainer Tom Amoss before winning two of his last three. His last race Feb. 7 at Oaklawn Park in allowance optional claiming company was his strongest—scoring a determined, between-horses victory in a crowded four-horse stretch battle. Amoss removed his blinkers for the latter race. "He's a horse that doesn't have a great understanding of competition," Amoss said. "We ended up taking the blinkers off of him in his last race because we wanted him to understand that he has got to compete when he gets in a dog fight. As it turns out, although that race is not a 'wow' race when you watch it live, it helped quite a deal because it was a four-horse battle down the stretch. He took a challenge from the inside; he took a challenge from the outside. The way he prevailed in that race hopefully gets him where he needs to be in terms of understanding competition." He has trained well since, according to Amoss. "Bottom line, he is a good horse," the trainer said. "The question is, is he a 'now' horse? When they mentally get a better understanding of it, a lot of good things can happen. I think that last race could have done that for him." Getaway Car, American Promise, and Authentic Gallop are all expected to be near the pace—as should talented maiden winner Rapture and stretch-out sprinter Georgia Magic, a long shot. Lively fractions would benefit Omaha Omaha, a late-running second in the Jerome Stakes and third in the Withers Stakes, as it would Studlydoright and Render Judgment, both of whom are racing with equipment changes. The former competes with blinkers off, and the latter adds blinkers. Studlydoright is a one-turn specialist who won the Tremont Stakes and Nashua Stakes in New York last year, and Render Judgment was well beaten in three consecutive stakes contested in quick time. Render Judgment defeated American Promise in a maiden race at Churchill Downs Oct. 27.