The China Mail - Early favorite Renegade faces tough Kentucky Derby draw

"We're going to be on pins and needles like everyone else just hoping everything goes smoothly," Pletcher said this week at Churchill Downs, where Renedgade will break from the first post with Puerto Rican jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons.

Renegade was priced at 4-1, even though Ferdinand, 40 years ago, was the last Derby winner to break from the No. 1 gate.

Pletcher said the switch to a single 20-horse gate -- rather than two side-by-side gates -- has not greatly improved the chances of ending that drought, as he has reason to know.

"I still think it's a tough spot," said Pletcher, who has now had three Derby runners draw the inside post.

In 2021, his Known Agenda finished ninth and Mo Donegal was fifth in 2022.

"The break becomes so critical," said Pletcher, who saddled Derby winners Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. "Mo Donegal, he didn't break well, and he got shuffled way back.

"Known Agenda was, like, 11th at one point after breaking and then got shuffled all the way back to 18th. He was never able to recover from that," added Pletcher, who admitted that when he learned, while in flight to Kentucky, that Renegade had drawn the first post he "reached for the air-sickness bag".

Renegade owner Mike Repole is chasing a first Kentucky Derby winner, having come up empty with eight prior runners in the first jewel in US flat racing's Triple Crown.

Renegade confirmed his status as a contender with a victory in the Arkansas Derby last month.

Trainer Brad Cox's Commandment and Further Ado were both priced at 6-1. Commandment will start from the sixth post under jockey Luis Saez. Further Ado drew the 18th post and will be ridden by John Velazquez.

Cox's Fulleffort, coming off a victory in the Jeff Ruby Stakes, was scratched on Thursday with a hind ankle injury and was replaced in the field by the also-eligible Ocelli -- who is seeking a maiden win.

Silent Tactic, trained by Mark Casse, was ruled out on Wednesday with a "very, very slight" foot injury.

"The timing's poor, but it's not a big deal and that's the most important thing," Casse said, indicating the horse would be pointed at the Preakness on May 16.

- Baffert seeks record-breaker -

The Triple Crown will conclude with the Belmont Stakes on June 6, although neither the Preakness nor Belmont will be run at their historic venues.

The Preakness will be run at Laurel Park in Maryland as Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations while the Belmont will be run at Saratoga for the third and final year due to renovations at Belmont Park.

Only 13 horses have completed the coveted treble, most recently trainer Bob Baffert's American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

Baffert has two chances to win a seventh Kentucky Derby and break a tie with Ben Jones for the most of any trainer. He sends out Litmus Test and Potente.

Trainer Riley Mott has his first Derby runners in Albus and Incredibolt while his father Bill Mott, who saddled last year's Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, seeks a repeat with Chief Wallabee.

M.Chau--ThChM