SA Derby – Grade I [KYD]
1 1/8 Miles Dirt Graded Stake Purse $500.000 Three-Year-Olds. At SA
SA Derby has been with us since the early days when Fuji Stable’s base stallion Fuji Ninja won the initial edition in 2004 and went on to win the KYD and Prk but left the TC Bonus on the table where it remains to this day. Only other horse to have managed to win the SA Derby and go on to win the KYD is Estero Farms’ Pretty Ferro. There has only been one stable that has repeated wins in the SA Derby and that is Mb Stables who have done so five times and are back with three entries in this race, including the favourite. Here’s the field:
Horse Owner Odds SRF
Blooming Attack Mb Stables *3-1 98
Silver Hurricane Mb Stables 4-1 97
Heel Turn Bigchief Stables 9-2 95
Weaponize D J C Racing Stables 5-1 95
Excavate Acber Farms 6-1 90
Sweet N Spicy Mb Stables 8-1 92
Political Star Threshold 8-1 92
Magenta D J C Racing Stables 20-1 95
Magic Fighter Maxmillion Farm 12-1 97
Term Limits TwinTowersRacing 20-1 90
Olden Times Paradise Stable 30-1 89
1 Olden Times Paradise Stable 89
Olden Times took four races before winning a big-ticket maiden at DMR. After that, couldn’t beat a snail.
2 Political Star Big Guns Stables 92
Political Star is in the Derby having won the $150.000 ‘win and you’re in’ Jerome. Since then, though, things have not been running too smoothly, running up the track in both the Grade II Risen Star Stakes and the Grade II San Felipe Stakes, looking particularly like he is not fond of running farther than a mile.
3 Excavate Acber Farms 90
After breaking his maiden at WO, Excavate placed second in the ‘win and you’re in’ Grade III Withers. He came back in the Grade II Rebel, and it looked like the odds makers preferred he stay longer, and he ran like he might have preferred that as he ran up the track. His trainer has chosen to stick with 1 1/16 miles, though, probably because that’s the distance at which he won.
4 Silver Hurricane Mb Stables 97
Silver Hurricane, with only four races under his belt, looks like the strongest challenge for his stablemate and most likely to add another to Mb Stables’ KYD eligible. In spite of being so lightly raced, he was made favourite in the Grade III TAM Derby and nearly got his invite as he finished second a half-length.
5 Sweet N Spicy Mb Stables 92
Sweet N Spicy, Mb Stables’ least likely comes here off a deep close fourth in the $135.000 Gander. Prior to that he tried the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes but didn’t fire and the race before he ran a spectacular tenth to third deep close in the ‘win and you’re in’ $150.000 Jerome.
6 Wolf Lord John Henry 94
Wolf Lord finished third in the $500.000 VA Derby, thus also coming within half-length of a ticket to the KYD in nice time. I thought his odds were a bit long in that race as his works were sharp and his return race from time off was impressive if only against softer.
7 Heel Turn Bigchief Stables 95
Heel Turn has been third in two ‘win and you’re ins’, the Grade III Lewis Stakes and the Grade II San Felipe Stakes, and that neck loss in the Lewis was after over three months off.
8 Weaponize D J C Racing Stables 95
Weaponize nabbed his invitation to the KYD with a one-length victory in the Grade III Holy Bull Stakes. He followed that up looking for some money but was a bit disappointing as he managed only a fourth in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes.
9 Magic Fighter Maxmillion Farm 95
Magic Fighter led the field into the stretch in the Grade II San Felipe Stakes but couldn’t make the last 1/16th. Perhaps a change of tactics might help, but his 1 1/16 mile win came wire-to-wire, so tough call for Max.
10 Term Limits TwinTowersRacing 90
Term Limits looked spectacular running up to fourth from tenth in the $500.000 SUN Derby but then didn’t fire from tenth in the Grade II Mike LaRosa LA Derby. The perennial problem with deep closers.
11 Blooming Attack Mb Stables 98
Blooming Attack has already earned his way into the KYD with a handy win in the Grade II Rebel in which he posted a race high past SRF 98 and hauled in the winner’s share of the $1,000.000 purse. Obviously, he’s here looking for the winner’s share of today’s $500.000 purse since Mb Stables has their three already set for the Derby. It does look like Blooming Attack will be their top horse going into the KYD, especially if he comes through as his favouritism indicates.
12 Magenta Alydar Stables 95
Lightly raced Magenta has only sprints on his resume and surprised with a come from behind win in the six-furlong $100.000 Hutcheson Stakes at GP last out.
Categories: Grade I, STAKES ARTICLES, TC 2026
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