Pletcher Loaded for Bear in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby Preps
- Who: Thoroughbreds – Aikenite, Interactif, Super Saver
- What: Horse Racing Betting Tips – The Blue Grass, The Arkansas Derby
- Where: Keeneland, Oaklawn Park
- When: Saturday, April 10th
Todd Pletcher’s stable of three-year-olds is an embarrassment of riches. He’s got the big gun in Eskendereya, and Rule, Mission Impazible, and Discreetly Mine have already posted enough graded earnings to make the Derby field. Interactif and Aikenite are also in the top 20 in graded earnings, and could add to their numbers in Saturday’s Blue Grass at Keeneland. Super Saver is currently 27th among Derby hopefuls in graded earnings, but can punch his Derby ticket with a top-three finish in The Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park later that afternoon.
Of the nine starters in The Blue Grass, two (Odysseus, 7-2 ML and Paddy O’Prado, 10-1 ML) have never raced on poly-track, and two others (Codoy, 30-1 ML and Interactif, 4-1 ML) have never raced on Keeneland’s main track. That leaves five that have started on Keeneland’s poly-track surface, and none have been able to muster a win. Without question, the best race run by any of those five was Aikenite’s second-place finish in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity prior to his eventful trip in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita (in which he wound up 5th by 2½ lengths despite being steadied in the stretch). He’s gotten bumped around in both starts as a 3YO, but should be set for a top effort over a surface he obviously likes. It won’t hurt having the masterful Garrett Gomez in the irons for the first time, either. I’ll take Aikenite to win at odds of 3-1 or better. Stablemate Interactif appears capable of handling any surface, and should enjoy a nice outside stalking trip. He appears to be the main threat to the top selection.
When Super Saver wins, he wins in dominating fashion. The highly-regarded Pletcher trainee closed out his 2YO campaign with a 5-length romp in The Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (Grade 2) at Churchill Downs. That bodes well for his chances in The Kentucky Derby, provided he makes the field. He tuned up for the Arkansas Derby with a gutty 3rd-place finish in The Tampa Bay Derby. I’m expecting a significant move forward off his 3YO debut. Noble’s Promise is as tough as nails, but he’s had trouble closing the deal lately. Dublin still has his share of supporters, but he’s running out of excuses. I’ll take Super Saver to win (in gate-to-wire fashion) at odds of 3-2 or better.
Those are my horse racing betting tips for the weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!
