The New York portion of the Road to the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve kicks off its 3-year-old stakes program with Saturday’s running of the $150,000 Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.
This feature provides a capsule look at three horses who are heating up on the Triple Crown trail and three horses whose chances for the 2024 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve are not quite as strong as they were a few weeks ago.
In the second edition of this blog for the 2024 run for the roses, the focus is on the last three weeks of action as the final Derby prep races of 2023 and the first 3-year-old races of 2024 are now in the books.
Albaugh Family Stables kicked off the 2024 season for 3-year-olds the right way Jan. 1 by taking the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park with Catching Freedom, who became a stakes winner in his stakes debut.
On a day when all Thoroughbreds enjoy a happy birthday, Monday will also offer a special present for the connections of one fortunate newly turned 3-year-old in the Smarty Jones Stakes. The $300,000 stakes at Oaklawn Park will provide the winner with the lion’s share of a hefty purse plus the initial payout of 2024 Kentucky Derby qualifying points as 10-5-3-2-1 points will be awarded to the top finishers.
