Spendthrift Farm’s FURTHER ADO, who scored his maiden victory at Keeneland by 20 lengths last October, was the 4-5 favourite in Saturday’s $1,250,000 Toyota Blue Grass (G1) and ran to that backing, winning by 11 lengths and adding 100 points to his card for the Kentucky Derby in four weeks time. Further Ado is one of three top colts trained by Brad Cox heading to the Run for the Roses
With the Toyota Blue Grass victory, Further Ado earned 100 qualifying points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard for a total of 135 points and guaranteed a spot in the starting gate for the 152nd running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve to be run May 2 at Churchill Downs.
The top 20 point earners and invitees that pass the entry box April 25 will comprise the Derby field. Also moving into the top 20 was OTTINHO (Quality Road), who added 50 points to raise his total to 56.
Trained by Brad Cox and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Further Ado completed the 1⅛ miles on a fast track in 1:49.58. It is the second Toyota Blue Grass victory for Cox, whose initial score came with champion Essential Quality in 2021.
The victory capped off a hat trick for Cox and Ortiz, who each won three races on the program including a Grade 1 victory together in the Resolute Racing Madison with Eclatant.
Great White and Creole Chrome alternated on the lead through fractions of :23.60 and :47.71 with Talkin third on the inside and Further Ado tracking fourth while racing in the clear.
Approaching the far turn, Ortiz moved Further Ado closer to the leaders and at the head of the stretch swept past Creole Chrome and the one-horse procession was on.
Further Ado had opened an 8½-length advantage at the eighth pole and cruised to the finish with the fourth-largest margin of victory in the race’s history.
Ottinho, a half-brother to champion and top stallion Gun Runner, rallied from far back to get second.
Trainer Brad Cox said post-race, “I felt he had moved forward since Tampa (when he finished second in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) March 7), so I expected him to run well. I thought he got a great trip. I want to thank (the owners of) Spendthrift (Farm): Eric and Tammy (Gustavson). We kind of put a plan together with him last fall after he won here, to run him at Churchill and have two races leading up to what we hoped would get him to the (Kentucky) Derby (G1), and it worked out. It’s always nice when a plan works out because most of the time it doesn’t. He’s a good colt, full of quality, athletic, a great mover. I’m just happy to be part of the team.”
Jockey Ortiz, Jr., who also rides Fulleffort and Renegade, said, ““I was looking forward to being forward going into the first turn, and I was able to hold the horse outside of me with a little speed, so that was great. I was happy where I was even though I was a little wide. I was allowed to sit off and have a long hold. My horse came back to me and switched off, so that was great. After we passed the half-mile pole, I put my hands down and he kind of slowed down himself, so I woke him up a little bit and then he started going. I said, ‘All right, I don’t want to be in your way, so do your thing,’ and that was it. He was very impressive the way he does things. ”
Interestingly, Further Ado was bred by John Oxley, whose SILENT TACTIC is in the Derby field with trainer Mark Casse. Oxley bred and raced Further Ado’s dam Sky Dreamer, a graded stakes-placed daughter of Sky Mesa who made all but one of her 12 career starts at Woodbine. Casse trained Sky Dreamer, who won her career debut in a six furlong turf sprinter in August 2011 at Woodbine. She was second in the Grade 3 Arlington Oaks at 1 1/8 miles on an all-weather track, third by a neck in the Alywow Stakes, and second in the La Lorgnette Stakes.
Sky Dreamer is a granddaughter of Oxley’s brilliant mare BEAUTIFUL PLEASURE (Maudlin), who was the 1999 Eclipse Award winning Champion Older Mare who was later bred to Oxley’s Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos to get A Dream About. A Dream About did not race, but produced seven winners including Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Dream Dancing, trained by Casse. Dream Dancing is stakes producer.
Sky Dreamer has had five other named foals, four winners, including the Group 2 winner Kimbear, winner of the Conquest Al Maktoum Challenge (G2) in Dubai. Sky Dreamer has a two-year-old by Justify.
Further Ado was a $275,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by George Mellon and a $550,000 Ocala April Two-year-old purchase after working two furlongs in 21 1/5.
More News
