VA Derby (KYD)- $500.000 Purse
CNL- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
March 15, 2025

In the first running of the VA Derby on the main track with the added benefit of 50 KYD points being on the line, The Golden Age would outlast the hard charging Olumuyiwa to put his name in the picture of being a contender for the KYD itself. With the points for the win, The Golden Age is now sixth on the points leaderboard, so in any other stable, you would say that he will likely be in the big race. However, his trainer, Mb Stables, does now have six in the top twelve. This is the fourth win for Mb Stables in the race, and they have all come in the last six years. I Ortiz Jr was aboard for his second such win. Congratulations to them! The winning time of the first VA Derby on the dirt was 1:48.21. Here’s a look at it:

(½ Mile- :47.36)- It is close at the front of the pack, with three horses trying to get that early lead down the backstretch. Golic, the post time favorite from Royalty Stables would run evenly with Doubting Indian, out of Nakamura Stables, who runs on the outside and they have McWicked, out of Mb Stables running right between them. Within a length on the rail is where we find our eventual winner, The Golden Age, maintaining an ideal position on the track for Mb Stables. Closely stalking the leaders are Ged and Aiyuk, respectively out of Keikowin Racing and Royalty Stables. Only a length behind them are Awakening Wonder (TwinTowersRacing) and Loyalist (Mb Stables). There is a gap of almost two lengths to the rest of the field, which sees Duque (TwinTowersRacing) ahead of Nothing To See (Blazin D) and Mad Jung (Riggins Racing) by a neck. At the back, Olumuyiwa (Riggins Racing) will save her energy for later.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.49)- Finishing the backstretch portion and moving into the turn, Golic starts to inch away from the three that he had been running with, but neither of Doubting Indian or The Golden Age are going to let him fully get away and remain within a length, while McWicked also continues to run with this group. Ged and Aiyuk are still right behind them, and they leave an opening now between them, and both Awakening Wonder and Loyalist look to jump on the opportunity to advance a bit. Further back, Duque still leads the trailing group and there’s not much to see out of Nothing To See and Mad Jung quite yet. Olumuiwya begins to look more interested midway through the turn but had not yet passed any of his rivals.

(Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- The field works their way around the turn and enters the stretch with Golic looking to keep his supporters happy by continuing to lead by nearly a length. While he has put both Doubting Indian and McWicked away just enough, The Golden Age is still running right there with him to his inside. They each were looking good for now, but new challengers were set to emerge from the back. Ged and Aiyuk would not be those contenders, as they were both lacking response and Awakening Wonder was fading back. Loyalist had some traffic trouble at this point as he searched for a running lane. Duque was getting a little closer, while Mad Jung looked to make a run on the inside. Olumuiwya was getting ready to make his charge now, moving to the far outside, about five wide and a clear lane to work with. Nothing To See is now the trailer.

(Finish- 1:48.12)- With a furlong to go, The Golden Age would pull ahead of Golic, but his work was not done, because Olumuiwya was coming fast on the outside. Getting closer to the wire, he was now third, and it looked he may have just enough time to snag the victory away late. I Ortiz Jr was not going to let that happen with The Golden Age, letting his horse know he needed just a little more out of him to outlast this late bid on the outside. It would be very close at the wire, and in the end, it would be The Golden Age officially winning by a neck over Olumuiwya. Loyalist worked his way through traffic to be third while Mad Jung did the same on the inside to be fourth. Golic is surprisingly left empty handed after seeming destined for better, by running fifth. The rest of the order will read Doubting Indian, Duque, Ged, McWicked, Aiyuk, Nothing To See, and Awakening Wonder.

About The Winner- The Golden Age, trained by Mb Stables and ridden to victory by I Ortiz Jr, is a three-year-old gelding by Heffalump Hanny and is out of Dalaska. He was bred as a first quarter two-year-old in New Mexico by Jive Inc and was acquired by Mb Stables for $145.000 in a January 2025 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in eight starts, and second stake win. His career earnings are now $369.960.

Track: Fast
Time: :47¹  1:11²  1:36  1:48¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 8 Paid 94.60
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 8 – 6 Paid 596.60

Scratched: Royal Devil

— NS

Categories: STAKES ARTICLES, Ungraded