The Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve heats up in a big way on Saturday when Fair Grounds hosts the $400,000 Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford.
It was the two out-of-town shippers, Blackadder and Mackinnon, that invaded the Bay Area and stole the show Feb. 12 in Golden Gate Fields’ signature event for 3-year-olds, the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby.
Trainer Bob Baffert took home his third El Camino Real trophy when the lightly-raced Blackadder blitzed by slow-starting Mackinnon in deep stretch by a neck.
The Grade 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance at Del Mar was the most prestigious race for 2-year-olds in North America last fall, but the Nov. 27 Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs has been the more impactful race in the months since.
At first glance, Saturday’s El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields might not seem like the most important race. It’s not a graded stakes, and the purse is only $100,000.
Northern California racing takes a bow Saturday on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve as Golden Gate Fields hosts the $100,000 El Camino Real Derby.
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