Churchill Downs opened its 52-day meeting on Saturday, with Macho Again the star of the day, taking the $100,000 Derby Trial Stakes by a half length over Kodiak Kowboy.
The Dallas Stewart trainee was outrun in the early going, came with a four wide run around the far turn, got the lead just inside the final 100 yards and held on for the victory, returning $14.20 for a $2 wager.
The son of Macho Uno stopped the timer for the 7 ½ furlongs in 1:28.45 under jockey Julien Leparoux and improved his record to 8-3-2-0 with earnings of $143,761.
"He broke good and was in good position," Leparoux said. "As they made the run into the stretch, we got bumped a little bit between the eighth and sixteenth (pole). When he got bumped, it made him go again."
Stewart added, "He's a really honest colt. He had a little bit of trouble at the quarter-pole. Kodiak Kowboy dug in tough at the sixteenth pole and Macho had to work hard to get by him and he finished up really well."
Kodiak Kowboy, who was sent off as the favorite in the field of nine completed the exacta, which returned $56.80. Fujita, who had the lead at the eighth pole, held on for third, completing a $416.60 trifecta for $2.
The Derby Trial kicked off the Churchill Downs meeting but is not actually a prep race for the Kentucky Derby, which will be run this Saturday.
Entries for the Derby will be announced on Wednesday, and there still is more than twenty pointing toward the race. Graded stakes earnings determine the starting field for the race.
Three horses that are currently in the top twenty are questionable for the race. Smooth Air, trained by 70-year-old Bernie Stutts, is fighting a slight fever. The Eric Guillot trainee Salute the Sarge, who was a disappointing seventh in the Grade 2 Lexington Stakes in his last start, is reportedly not going to be entered on Wednesday.
Trainer Larry Jones has a pair of talented fillies in Eight Belles and Proud Spell. Both have enough graded stakes earnings to get into the Derby.
It looks like Proud Spell may go to the Kentucky Oaks, with Eight Belles still a possibility for the Derby. Jones has said he may enter Eight Belles in both the Oaks and Derby, and wait to make a final decision which race to run in until after the post position draw.
That puts Denis of Cork and Halo Najib on the outside looking in.
Denis of Cork won his first three starts including the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, and failed to fire in his last start in the Grade 2 Illinois Derby, where he was fifth.
Halo Najib was seventh in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes in his last start. The colt was second in the G2 Lane's End Stakes in his previous start behind Adriano.
Derby Week kicks on Tuesday. There are 14 graded stakes at Churchill Downs this week.
Kentucky Oaks Day is Friday May 2. In addition to the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, there are four other graded races on the Oaks card: the Alysheba Stakes (G3), Louisville Stakes (G2), Aegon Turf Sprint Stakes (G3), and the Crown Royal American Turf Stakes (G3).
On Derby Day, there are five other graded stakes: the La Troienne Stakes (G3), Humana Distaff Stakes (G1), Churchill Downs Handicap (G2), Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes (G3), and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes (G1).