Though excited about his Arkansas Derby (G1) entrant, debut winner Cornucopian and the Arkansas Derby's 7-5 morning-line favorite, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert says Coal Battle is the deserving public choice.
"Him being the favorite? I don't know about that," Baffert said of Cornucopian in remarks to Oaklawn Park publicity. "I don't think he should be the favorite because he has just one out.
"Coal Battle should be the favorite. I think he might end up the favorite. He's a good horse and that Sandman's a good horse. Grade 1s are always tough, but they're supposed to be tough."
Coal Battle, forecast to start at 7-2 odds, and Sandman, listed at 3-1, ran 1-3 in the Feb. 23 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn Park in a prep for the 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby. Coal Battle, who is unbeaten in five dirt starts for trainer Lonnie Briley and owner Norman Stables, also won the Jan. 4 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn. Coal Battle will attempt to become the first horse to win all three races. (He skipped the Southwest Stakes (G3), which was won by Speed King, another Arkansas Derby competitor.)
Neither of those two 3-year-olds ran as quickly as Cornucopian did in his debut from a speed-figure standpoint. The son of Into Mischief sped six furlongs in 1:09.02 at Oaklawn in rolling by 5 3/4 lengths, generating a 108 Equibase Speed Figure.
Expectations were always high for the well-bred Cornucopian, who sold for $1.1 million at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and now races for owners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Bob Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.
Further adding apparent wagering popularity is Baffert's winning history with shippers to Oaklawn. Baffert has won five runnings of the Arkansas Derby, all since 2012.
Baffert flew Cornucopian from his base in Southern California to Arkansas after a series of sharp post-maiden workouts from Cornucopian, who outfinished the highly regarded Barnes in a March 17 drill at Santa Anita Park. Most recently, he breezed five furlongs in 1:00 there March 22.
"I waited for the work," Baffert said. "He's nominated everywhere. I could have run him in the Lexington (April 12 at Keeneland) or whatever. He's a big, strong, beautiful horse and he shipped and ran really well up there, going six furlongs. That was a pretty stiff race into him.
"He came back and worked well. The pace makes the race. He'll be forwardly placed. I think we're all going to know the answer turning for home. I just hope he's right there."
Success in the Arkansas Derby may be influenced by whether Speed King outsprints or occupies Cornucopian early. They are the only regular front-runners in the nine-horse lineup.
With Speed King, drawn in post 5, disappointing in the Rebel when rated wide behind a fast pace, jockey Rafael Bejarano may desire to revert to front-running tactics on Speed King. The Ron Moquett trainee's initial three races, two of which resulted in victories, came when the Volatile colt dared his rivals to catch him.
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who teamed with Baffert to win the 2020 Kentucky Derby (G1) aboard Authentic , is aboard Cornucopian from the outside post in the $1.5 million race.
