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Arkansas Derby 2013: Entries, Post Positions & Odds

The Arkansas Derby will serve as the last opportunity for 10 colts to qualify for this year's Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May.

By Frankel
Wesley Hitt

Oxbow, winner of the G3-Lecomte Stakes at the Fair Grounds in late January and runner-up to Will Take Charge in last month's G2-Rebel Stakes, heads a field of 10 in the $1 million Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, April 13. (Post Time: 6:28 pm Eastern; TV: NBC SportsNetwork). As son of Awesome Again out of a Cee's Tizzy mare (Tizmazing), Oxbow is looking for a top three finish in Arkansas to solidify a spot in the 2013 Kentucky Derby. He's currently 13th on the Derby standings with 36 points.

Most of the horses in the Arkansas Derby field need a top two finish if their connections have any hope of qualifying for a place in the starting gate in Kentucky.

Among the horses joining Oxbow in the Arkansas Derby, along with their current Kentucky Derby points, are:

  • War Academy (0 points): A Bob Baffert trainee shipping in from SoCal who sports the stamina-drooling pedigree of "by Giant's Causeway out of an A.P. Indy mare". The average winning distances of the sire and dam sire are 8.3 and 8.2 furlongs, respectively. He's the 2/1 (!) morning line favorite.
  • Frac Daddy (4 points): Struggled after grabbing a quarter in the Holy Bull and then didn't do much of anything when finishing 7th in the Florida Derby on March 30. Could be in line for some improvement as he probably needed that race down at Gulfstream.
  • Divine Ambition (0 points): He's the AE horse in the Blue Grass Stakes; one would think he'll run in this spot.
  • Texas Bling (9 points): Second by a neck in the Smarty Jones earlier in the Oaklawn meet and the winner of an ungraded stakes race at Remington in early December. Jockey Calvin Borel will take over on Saturday.
  • Overanalyze (10 points): Finished 5th, beaten 4 1/4 lengths, in the G2-Gotham in his first start in 2013. He won the G2-Remsen at Aqueduct back on Nov. 24.
  • Den's Legacy (20 points): He doesn't win a whole lot of races, but he's excellent at finishing in the money time and time again. Third in last month's G2-Rebel; second in the G2-Lewis at Santa Anita; third in the G3-Sham; third in the G1-CashCall Futurity at Betfair Hollywood Park; and winner of the G3-Generous on the lawn at Hollywood in late November. He's finished in the Top 3 in his last seven races and in all but one of his 11 career starts.

Below are the entries and post positions for Saturday's Arkansas Derby. Morning line odds will be added when released.

PP Horse Jockey Trainer ML
1 Carve R. Santana S. Asmussen 20/1
2 War Academy M. Smith B. Baffert 2/1
3 Divine Ambition B. Hernandez D. Miller 10/1
4 Falling Sky M. Garcia A. Sano 10/1
5 Den's Legacy R. Albarado B. Baffert 6/1
6 Heaven's Runway I. Ocampo W. Martin 30/1
7 Texas Bling C. Borel D. Durham 20/1
8 Frac Daddy V. Lebron K. McPeek 15/1
9 Overanalyze R. Bejarano T. Pletcher 4/1
10 Oxbow G. Stevens D.W.Lukas 5/2