In this weekend’s $1.5 million Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, Coal Battle will be aiming to make history by becoming the first horse to win the track’s Smarty Jones Stakes, Rebel Stakes, and Arkansas Derby in the same season. Trained by Lonnie Briley, Coal Battle has already taken the first two races, including a victory over Bob Baffert’s Madaket Road in the Rebel.
Baffert will also be represented in the Arkansas Derby by Cornucopian, the 7-5 favorite, who is coming off an impressive debut win. Baffert, however, believes Coal Battle should be the favorite based on his strong performances so far.
The Arkansas Derby, the final Kentucky Derby qualifying event at Oaklawn, will feature a competitive field of 3-year-olds. In addition to the main event, the day will include five other stakes races with a total purse of over $2 million.
The top five finishers in the Arkansas Derby will earn points towards qualifying for the Kentucky Derby, with Cornucopian likely needing a top-two finish to secure a spot in the race. Coal Battle, currently fourth in the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, has already secured his spot with impressive performances in his last five starts.
The Arkansas Derby promises to be a thrilling race, with top contenders like Coal Battle, Cornucopian, Speed King, and Sandman vying for the win. The race is set to take place on Saturday, with a full day of racing action leading up to the main event.
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