Kentucky Derby 2020 Blog: Los Alamitos Futurity Recap

The Kentucky Derby 2020 preps are winding down for the juvenile set. Silver Prospector took the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 30. Shotski wired the field in the Remsen (G2) Dec. 7, and Thousand Words captured the Los Al Futurity (G2) later that day for trainer Bob Baffert. The Derby trail has one more stop for the juveniles next week, the $400k Springboard Mile at Remington Park on Sunday, Dec. 15. They will all officially turn three on January 1, and the Jerome at Aqueduct is the first points race of 2020.  

Check out Today's Racing Digest for handicapping products, analysis, and more! Thousand Words capture above courtesy of Today's Racing Digest.

Kentucky Derby 2020 Points Race Recaps

Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Recap (11-30-19) - Winner: Silver Prospector ($17.80)

This graded point race was run at a mile and a sixteenth in the slop. Longshot New Eagle set the pace and favorites South Bend and Tiz the Law were in chase mode. I initially thought my value top choice Silver Prospector would dictate terms, but he was patiently handled under Ricardo Santana Jr. The eventual winner rallied while out in the clear, and that was the key to victory. 87-1 bomber Finnick the Fierce rallied to edge Tiz the Law for the place, but the latter probably could have captured this event with a different trip. He was hemmed in from the inside post for much of the running, and there is little to no doubt that he would have finished at least 2nd if he sat the same journey as Silver Prospector. Enforceable rallied from last and was gaining late in an okay 4th place finish. He ran out of ground and was in the wrong race. He should have been in the Remsen (G2) at a mile and an eighth. New Eagle faded to 5th, and South Bend, Fighting Seabee, and Two Last Words trailed. The jury is out on the strength of this race, and the wet track makes it tougher to decipher. 

Remsen Stakes (G2) Recap (12-7-19) - Winner: Shotski ($19.60)

Shotski rode the speed bias to victory in this graded affair at a mile and an eighth. He was one of five front running winners on the card, and the pace was slow in this event. He was coasting along up front, opened up in the stretch, and held on to score by a diminishing 1/2 length. I don’t think this was a strong race, and the only one I am interested in is runner up Ajaaweed. The latter was the only one making up any ground, and he really moved forward after a well-beaten 4th in the Breeders’ Futurity (G1). He has been part of my Derby list all along and seems to want more ground. Show finisher Chase Tracker chased the pace from the inside post and was almost four lengths behind Ajaaweed. Informed was best of the rest in 4th, and was followed by Prince James, a flat Alpha Sixty Six, Cleon Jones, a fading Forza Di Oro, and Amends. 

Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) Recap (12-7-19) - Winner: Thousand Words ($5.40)

Only four lined up in this graded dirt route on a good (sealed) track. All four were decent runners, and Bob Baffert trained half the field. Speaking of Baffert, he absolutely owns this race, and it was surprising that Thousand Words was not the favorite. He should have been. The pace was quick in here with High Velocity sprinting to the early lead. The other three were in chase mode, and Thousand Words was the closest pursuer. The latter took a short lead in the stretch and BC Juvenile runner-up Anneau d’Oro immediately confronted him. Those two bounded clear and battled all the way to the wire. The both had the lead late, and Thousand Words fought back and scored by a neck. Anneau d’Oro ran a winning race in defeat, and High Velocity was another five lengths back in 3rd. Wrecking Crew gave way and was eased. In the end, it was tough to read this fast early/slow late stakes on a wet track. The top two are decent sorts. 

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