After Renegade won the Sam F. Davis Stakes Feb. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs, his Hall of Fame trainer, Todd Pletcher, quickly mapped out a plan for the colt's next start.
Renegade was heading to the Arkansas Derby, a decision that co-owner Robert Low fully endorsed.
"We definitely did not need any convincing," Low said with a laugh. "We love Oaklawn. It's a great place, great venue."
Low and wife Lawana bid for their second Arkansas Derby victory Saturday at Oaklawn with Renegade, the 3-2 program favorite for the $1.5 million Grade 1 race for 3-year-olds.
The 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby headlines a 14-race program that begins at 11:35 a.m. CDT. Probable post time for the Arkansas Derby, the 13th race, is 6:48 p.m. The card also includes the $200,000 Temperence Hill Stakes for older horses at 1 1/2 miles and the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses.
Nine horses were entered in the Arkansas Derby, but Grade 1 winner Napoleon Solo will reportedly be scratched in favor of the Wood Memorial (G2) April 4 at Aqueduct.
The projected Arkansas Derby field from the rail out: Redland Rebels, Keith Asmussen to ride, 121 pounds, 15-1 on the morning line; Silent Tactic, Cristian Torres, 124, 5-2; Blackout Time, Brian Hernandez Jr., 121, 6-1; Bricklin, Jaime Torres, 121, 20-1; Taptastic, Erik Asmussen, 121, 20-1; Renegade, Irad Ortiz Jr., 124, 3-2; Exosome, Adam Beschizza, 121, 20-1; and Litmus Test, Francisco Arrieta, 124, 5-1.
The Lows won the 2018 Arkansas Derby with Magnum Moon, who was purchased for $380,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Trained by Pletcher, Magnum Moon won four of five career starts, with his only loss coming in the Kentucky Derby.
The Lows bred Renegade, but they decided to part with the son of Into Mischief who was raised on their Primatara Farm on the outskirts of Springfield, Mo. Renegade is the first foal out of Spice Is Nice, a Grade 3 winner for the Lows and Pletcher.
"You've got to sell a horse or two along the way," Robert Low said. "That's the business we're in and it keeps the IRS happy. We made a tough decision to sell him, even though we loved him, absolutely loved him."
Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the Kentucky-bred colt was entered in the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and purchased for $975,000 by prominent New York owner Mike Repole.
While Low said the sales price met "expectations," he began to have second thoughts and within 15 minutes was trying to strike a deal with Repole to buy into the colt. Low said he and Repole were both at the sale.
"We have some common acquaintances," Low said, adding he and his wife don't often partner on horses. "We asked if Mike would sell half of him back to us. Mike was kind enough to make it a square deal. He didn't charge a premium for a half and we were glad to get him back."
Renegade will be making his fifth career start in the Arkansas Derby. After finishing third sprinting in his Aug. 16 career debut at Saratoga, Renegade stretched out to a mile in his next start, Oct. 17 at Aqueduct, and crossed the finish line first under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, a head better than runner-up Paladin. Renegade, however, was disqualified and placed second for stretch interference.
Paladin and Renegade met again in the Remsen Stakes (G2) at 1 1/8 miles Dec. 6 at Aqueduct. Paladin won that matchup by two lengths over Renegade and solidified his credentials as the country's top Kentucky Derby prospect with a victory in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds to remain unbeaten in three lifetime starts.
"He (Renegade) came up with a quarter crack and I think he was a little light on training for the Remsen," Low said. "I think Todd would verify that. He missed a couple of works and got tired in that race a little bit. If he had been as fit as he is coming into this race, I think it would have been a different story."
In his 3-year-old debut, Renegade broke his maiden by 3 3/4 lengths in the Sam F. Davis at 1 1/16 miles. The final time of 1:43.54 generated a career-high 93 Beyer Speed Figure.
"That's when we really started to get excited," Low said. "I have to give Todd credit. He kind of picked him out and said the way he trains, the way he behaves, the way he's bred, I guess, everything about him Todd liked as a Derby prospect from earlier on. The Sam Davis is when he said, 'Yeah, we're going to the Arkansas Derby.'"
The Arkansas Derby will award 200 total points to its top five finishers (100-50-25-15-10, respectively) toward starting eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters. Renegade (25 points) ranks 19th on the latest official Kentucky Derby leaderboard released by Churchill Downs.
A top-two finish Saturday would push the Lows into the Kentucky Derby for the first time since 2018, when Magnum Moon ran 19th. They also finished third in the 2006 Kentucky Derby with Steppenwolfer. A late runner, Steppenwolfer ran second in the Arkansas Derby.
In addition to Renegade, the Arkansas Derby features graded stakes winners Litmus Test for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and Silent Tactic for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse.
Renegade has five published breezes since the Sam F. Davis at Palm Beach Downs in south Florida. Pletcher is adept at bringing horses up to longer races off workouts.
"He's good and the horse is doing well, but I think the race is sneaky tough," Low said. "Three to 2? I think that's a little bit rich. There are some horses in there with some nice (performance) numbers, nice connections. I think it will be a tough race."
Although the Lows consider Oaklawn their home track - they have almost 50 victories the last three decades in Hot Springs - Robert Low said he doesn't believe he's been to Oaklawn since Magnum Moon won the 2018 Arkansas Derby.
"I will definitely be there Saturday," he said.
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