Kentucky Derby preps from coast to coast in weekend horse racing

Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Welcome to 2025. Appropriately, racing gets the New Year going with a bunch of races leading to the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, including two official qualifying races.

A diverse smattering of races in other divisions seasons the holiday mix but, mostly, it's about those newly turned 3-year-olds. It's relatively quiet on the global front, too, other than two interesting Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" heats in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Road to the Roses

The official "Road to the Kentucky Derby" races, each offering 10 points to the winner, are Saturday's $150,000 Jerome Stakes at 1 mile at Aqueduct and $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park.

Oddly, the weekend's only graded stakes for 3-year-olds, Saturday's $200,000 Grade II San Vicente at Santa Anita, is not on the Churchill Downs-blessed schedule. Nor is the $165,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park.

The San Vicente easily is the most imposing of the three stakes with trainer Bob Baffert saddling two of the five entries including Barnes, a $3.2 million yearling purchase who won on debut at Churchill Downs in November.

The other, Romanesque, also won his first start, at Del Mar. Bullard is 2-for-2 for trainer Mike McCarthy after an imposing score in the Grade III Bob Hope Stakes at Del Mar.

The Smarty Jones attracted eight newly turned 3-year-olds, with Hot Property and Kale's Angel topping the morning line.

Hot Property fits his name after winning his first start by 3 3/4 lengths at Fair Grounds for trainer Brad Cox. Peter Miller sent Kale's Angel from California, where he had one win from four starts, all on the turf, to win the Advent Stakes at Oaklawn on Dec. 6 by 5 3/4 lengths in his first race on the dirt.

The Jerome also has a field of eight.

Studlydoright makes his eighth start off a fourth-place finish in the Grade II Remsen on Dec. 7. Mansetti was last seen winning the Clarendon Stakes at Woodbine in November.

The others are looking for big improvements. The field is geographically diverse, in both name and origin, also including Omaha Omaha, a Virginia-bred; Cyclone State, an Iowa-bred; and Georgia Magic, bred in Kentucky.

Saturday's Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park has a promising field of nine. Among them are two saddled by Chad Brown -- Treaty of Rome for the Coolmore "lads" in Ireland and Septarian for Resolute Racing.

Also of note is Naughty Rascal, already winner of three of his five starts and second in the Inaugural Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in his most recent race.

Saturday's $125,000 Turfway Prevue is 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather surface. Touchy, a Nyquist colt trained by Wesley Ward, is the 7-5 morning-line favorite from the inside gate.

Already in the books: Global Steve started last in Monday's $75,000 Parx Future Stars, rushed up inside rivals and drew off to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Crab Daddy. The Bucchero colt improved to 2-for-2.

The Road to the Oaks

It's a busy weekend for the fillies, too, with Sunday's $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Santa Ynez at Santa Anita; Saturday's $150,000, 6-furlongs Mockingbird at Oaklawn Park; Wednesday's $165,000 Fasig-Tipton Cash Run at Gulfstream Park; and Wednesday's $125,000 Gowell on the Turfway Park all-weather

Already in the books: Hollywood Beauty, at odds of 15-1, scooted off in the stretch to win Monday's $75,000 Parx Future Stars Filly Division by 8 1/4 lengths from the favorite, Beyond Belief.

The Honor A.P. filly ran 7 furlongs on a sloppy track in 1:27.18. She's 2-for-2 at Parx, 0-for-3 at other jurisdictions against tougher competition.

Around the world, around the clock

South Africa

The Breeders' Cup "Win and You're In" Challenge series continues Saturday at Kenilworth in Cape Town, with the winner of the US$160,000 Group 1 L'Ormarins King's Plate earning a spot in the $2 million FanDuel Mile and the victor in the US$53,000 Group 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes offered a position in the $2 million Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf.

South African racing is on the cusp on a renaissance after winning changes in equine export protocols, freeing up movement of horses in and out of the country.

Early imports to the United States have performed well against solid U.S. competition. The Breeders' Cup bids and the return of British champion jockey Oisin Murphy to ride both races provide added interest.