Lawyer Ron, Sinister Minister head to Derby after big wins
Next stop: Churchill Downs.
Lawyer Ron broke to the lead at the start of the backstretch Saturday and never looked back, winning the $1 million Arkansas Derby at Hot Springs, Ark., for his sixth straight victory.
Trainer Bob Holthus’ chestnut colt is 7 for 7 on dirt – and remains one of the favorites to win three weeks from now at the Kentucky Derby.
The last two Arkansas Derby winners – Smarty Jones in 2004 and Afleet Alex last year – each went on to win two legs of the Triple Crown.
Lawyer Ron had already won Oaklawn Park’s first two big prep races for 3-year-olds – the Southwest in February and the Rebel last month. He was a heavy favorite all week and paid $3.00, $2.60 and $2.20.
Steppenwolfer, the runner-up in the Southwest and third in the Rebel, was second in the Arkansas Derby, 2 3/4 lengths behind. He paid $4.40 and $3.20. Third-place Private Vow paid $3.60.
With a record crowd – announced at 72,484 – cheering him on, Lawyer Ron stayed toward the middle of the pack on the inside early, then moved quickly to the front coming out of the first turn. From there, jockey John McKee had little trouble staying ahead of the field.
The 71-year-old Holthus, a Hot Springs resident, has been racing at Oaklawn since 1953. His only other Arkansas Derby win came in 1988 with Proper Reality. He’s had four Kentucky Derby horses, but this one could be his best shot at a win. Lawyer Ron is ranked No. 3 in the NTRA 3-year-old poll behind Brother Derek and Barbaro.
Lawyer Ron’s owner, James T. Hines Jr., died in February. The horse’s winnings go into a trust overseen by Ron Bamberger, the lawyer the colt is named after.
Lawyer Ron covered the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:51.38.
Smarty Jones was the last horse to sweep the Southwest, Rebel and Arkansas Derby.
Blue Grass Stakes
Bob Baffert has himself a trio of horses for the Kentucky Derby.
Sinister Minister became the latest to join the trainer’s assault on a fourth Derby victory with an eye-opening, gate-to-wire romp in the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky.
With Garrett Gomez urging Sinister Minister into the lead right out of the No. 7 post, the colt took charge and rolled to a 12 3/4-length victory over 65-1 long shot Storm Treasure.
The winning margin was the third largest in 82 runnings of the Blue Grass: Arts and Letters won by 15 lengths in 1969; and Alydar won by 13 in 1978.
Bluegrass Cat and First Samurai were supposed to be the ones to beat in this final major prep before the Derby in three weeks. But neither threatened, with Bluegrass Cat finishing fourth and First Samurai fifth.
Baffert closed out his prep campaign with a flourish. Sinister Minister will join stablemates Bob and John and Point Determined in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Last week, Bob and John won the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and Point Determined finished second in the Santa Anita Derby.
Before the Blue Grass, Baffert said he was bringing Sinister Minister to Keeneland to “upset the applecart” and see if “we can get the lead and hold it.”
“The horse is waking up at just the right time,” said Baffert, who won the Derby with Silver Charm in 1997, Real Quiet in 1998 and War Emblem in 2002. “When he got to the quarter pole, I thought, ‘Son of a gun, I’m going to win the Blue Grass.’ “
Sinister Minister, sent off at 8-1 by the crowd of 30,660, picked a perfect time for his second career victory.
In earning $465,000 for owners Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable and Bernie Schiappa, the 3-year-old colt has more than enough graded stakes earning to run in the Derby if more than 20 horses are entered.