Second leg of Triple Crown could bear little resemblance to Kentucky Derby

This is the official photo finish of Saturday’s 150th Kentucky Derby, with winner Mystic Dan (inside), second Sierra Leone (outside) and Forever Young (middle).

May 7 (UPI) — The Triple Crown trail wends its way next to Baltimore for the May 18 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course with the potential of a significantly different cast of characters than Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.

Meanwhile, an entire weekend of top-class racing on turf and dirt, from coast to coast, largely was eclipsed on Derby weekend. But we have here, however briefly, the results of the big ones.

All of that was coupled with the shocking defeat of City of Troy in Saturday’s English 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, along with other global doings from Tokyo and Hong Kong. We have that in the separate international report.

Meanwhile:

The Kentucky Derby

Trainer Kenny McPeek took his star turn on the Churchill Downs backstretch Sunday after becoming only the fourth trainer to win the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks in the same year. McPeek did it with Thorpedo Anna in Friday’s Oaks and Mystik Dan in the Derby.

“Wow,” he said, reflecting on Mystik Dan’s ground-saving ride under jockey Brian Hernandez that got him home first by a nose while Sierra Leone and Forever Young bumped their way down the stretch to the tightest three-way Derby photo finish since 1947.

But as McPeek peeked into the future, it sounded as though the stars at Churchill Downs might be eclipsed by a new constellation at Pimlico in two weeks’ time, maybe even without the Derby winner. He took the ritual call from Pimlico officials inviting Mystik Dan to the Preakness Stakes and accepted — sort of.

“We’re not committing,” McPeek said. “When I ran him back in two weeks (at Churchill Downs last November), it completely backfired. And we skipped the Rebel (at Oaklawn Park) because it was too short as well. So we’ll watch him over the next week and probably decide then.”

By Sunday morning, the best of the rest of the Derby cast also appeared ready to bypass the Baltimore crab cakes.

Trainer Chad Brown said of Sierra Leone’s trip, “It can be brutal dealing with the agony of defeat sometimes. He’s good. But he’s not going to the Preakness.”

Forever Young and his Japanese traveling companion, T O Password, already were on their way back to Tokyo. Trainer Brad Cox said he has not laid down plans for fourth-place finisher Catching Freedom. Bill Mott said there are no plans to take sixth-place Derby finisher Resilience to the Preakness.

The Kentucky Derby favorite, Fierceness, finished 15th after contesting the lead and trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday he’s due for a rest, not the second leg of the Triple Crown.

The apparent defection by much of the Louisville cast opens the door for the proverbial “new shooters” in the second leg of the Triple Crown.

This year, that circumstance has special meaning as trainer Bob Baffert, who was banned from Churchill Downs for the third straight year, has a barnful of quality 3-year-olds who could dominate the proceedings in Baltimore.

The Kentucky Oaks

Thorpedo Anna, never worse than second in four previous starts, was first almost all the way in Friday’s $1.5 million Grade I Longines Kentucky Oaks, drawing off late on the sloppy track to win by 4 lengths from the favorite, last year’s 2-year-old filly champion, Just F Y I.

Regulatory Risk was a long-shot third, 3 lengths farther back, in a race that proved every bit as competitive as it had promised to be.

Classic / Dirt Mile

Weekend winners: First Mission in Saturday’s $750,000 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs; Seize the Grey in Saturday’s $600,000 Grade II Pat Day Mile for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs; and Strong Quality in Saturday’s $200,000 Go Knicks Go Stakes at Churchill Downs

Also, Messier in Friday’s $175,000 Westchester Stakes at Aqueduct and the McPeek-trained Frosted Departure in Sunday’s $200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Distaff / Dirt Mile

Idiomatic, last year’s division champion, returned a winner in her 5-year-old debut, taking Friday’s $1 million Grade I Fasig-Tipton La Troienne at Churchill Downs comfortably after shrugging off all challenges.

Free Like a Girl was a long-shot second with the 2023 Kentucky Oaks winner Pretty Mischievous along for third.

Soul of an Angel won Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Ruffian Stakes at Aqueduct.

Turf / Turf Mile

Program Trading got through along the rail in the final sixteenth to defeat Naval Power by a head in Saturday’s $1 million Grade I Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

Also on top: Trikari, at odds of 47-1, in Saturday’s $600,000 Grade II American Turf Stakes for 3-year-olds at Churchill Downs; Gold Phoenix in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita; and Master Piece in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Fort Marcy Stakes at Aqueduct.

Filly & Mare Turf / Turf Mile

Chili Flag, coming from far, far back in the field, hit the front in the stretch run in Saturday’s $750,000 Grade II Longines Churchill Distaff Mile and held off the late inside run of Coppice for a narrow victory.

Other winners: Fast as Flight in Friday’s $400,000 Grade III Modesty Stakes at Churchill Downs; Dynamic Pricing in Friday’s $600,000 Grade II Edgewood Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs; and Royalty Interest in Friday’s $200,000 Grade III Sheepshead Bay Stakes at Aqueduct.

Sprint

Gun Pilot sprinted to the lead in the closing furlong of Saturday’s $1 million Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes and ran on to win by 2 1/2 lengths over pacesetting Here Mi Song.

Also: Skelly in Saturday’s $200,000 Lake Hamilton Stakes at Oaklawn Park; Doncho in Sunday’s $150,000 Gold Fever Stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct; and Candy Overload in Sunday’s $100,000 (Canadian) Thorncliffe Stakes at Woodbine.

Filly & Mare Sprint

Vahva stuck close to the front in Saturday’s $1 million Grade I Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, found another gear in the final sixteenth and outfinished Alva Star to win by 2 lengths.

Also: My Mane Squeeze in Friday’s $600,000 Grade II Eight Belles Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Churchill Downs and Play the Music in Saturday’s $135,000 (Canadian) Whimsical Stakes on the Woodbine all-weather course.

Turf Sprint

The winners were:

Cogburn in Saturday’s $600,000 Grade II Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill Downs; Ova Charged in Saturday’s $400,000 Grade III Unbridled Sidney Stakes at Churchill Downs; Dancing Buck in Saturday’s $150,000 Elusive Quality Stakes at Aqueduct; Dontlookbackatall in Sunday’s $150,000 License Fee Stakes for fillies and mares at Aqueduct; Visually in Sunday’s $100,000 Grade III Senorita Stakes for 3-year-old fillies down the Santa Anita hillside course.