When the Kentucky Derby is run next month, two Minnesota-owned horses could be in the starting gate at Churchill Downs.
Two Minnesota-owned horses could be ticketed for Kentucky Derby
Jeff Drown-owned Zandon won the Blue Grass Stakes, one of three major Derby prep races held on Saturday.
April 10, 2022 at 4:28AM
Zandon, owned by Jeff Drown of St. Cloud, and Zozos, owned by Barry and Joni Butzow of Eden Prairie, both are among the top 20 on the Derby points list after three major prep races Saturday.
Zandon locked up his spot with a victory in Saturday's $1 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The colt moved from last to first over the final three furlongs and defeated favorite Smile Happy by 2 ½ lengths. He earned 100 Kentucky Derby points for his first graded stakes win and now is second in the standings with 114 points, second only to Epicenter (164 points).
The May 7 Kentucky Derby is limited to 20 starters, with horses earning berths based on qualifying points.
Saturday's prep races — the Blue Grass, the Santa Anita Derby and the Wood Memorial — all offered 100 points to the winners, with 40, 20 and 10 points for second through fourth place. Mo Donegal won the Wood Memorial to jump to fourth in the standings, and Taiba won the Santa Anita to move into eighth place.
Zozos finished second to Epicenter in the $1 million Louisiana Derby on March 26, collecting 40 points. After Saturday's results, he dropped to 19th on the list. Only one minor prep race remains: next Saturday's Lexington Stakes, which offers 20 points to the winner.
In the final weeks of the season, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli focused most on current improvement over long-term growth.
