By My Standards, Cutting Humor post upset wins

Another weekend, another pair of upsets on the Road to the Kentucky Derby -- this time War of Will struggling home ninth in the Louisiana Derby and Mucho Gusto effectively eliminated from the big show after a fading third in the Sunland Derby in New Mexico.

By My Standards, at odds of 22-1, rallied from a pace-stalking trip to win Saturday's $1 million Grade II TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby by 3/4 length over Spinoff. Sueno was third and the favorite, War of Will, finished ninth after suffering a knee strain when stumbling about four strides out of the gate.

By My Standards, with Gabriel Saez up, raced close to the pace, ducked to the inside at the top of the lane and finished with enthusiasm, running 9 furlongs in 1:49.53.

The Goldencents colt is trained Bret Calhoun for Allied Racing Stable. He took four tries to find the winner's circle, finishing second twice and then third before finally having his picture taken Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds. The Louisiana Derby was his first start against winners. Now, Calhoun will ship the colt to Churchill Downs Tuesday morning to prepare for the $3 million Grade I million Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve on May 4. He will be Calhoun's first Kentucky Derby starter.

By My Standards will give Calhoun his first starter in the Kentucky Derby.

"We've never had anything that we even thought really deserved to discuss being on the Derby trail," Calhoun said. "We think this is a legitimate horse. We didn't want to get caught up in Derby fever unless we had a legitimate horse. We didn't want to just be there to be there. We want to be there if we have a contender and we believe he is a contender."

Calhoun said the six-weeks break to the Kentucky Derby gives him time to pace By My Standards' training.

"He's ready," Calhoun said. "We have to maintain what we've got. The Derby is a whole different deal. It's not just the race, it's everything that goes into going up there. We'll do a lot of stuff preparing him for that. He's got a great mind. We're lucky in that sense that he'll handle everything."

War of Will's trainer, Mark Casse, said the multiple stakes winner apparently strained a patellar tendon when he stumbled early in the Louisiana Derby. After a look Sunday morning, Casse said the War Front colt, who suffered his first loss in four starts on the dirt, shouldn't be ruled out of the Run for the Roses.

"It's amazing how much better he was today," Casse said. "I just feel fortunate that he's okay first and foremost. We're fairly certain that he probably caught his patella a little bit right at the start. So what we'll do is we'll do some exercising and probably laser treatment to strengthen the patella muscle. But we feel optimistic that we can still make the Derby."

By My Standards earned 100 points on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" leaderboard, ensuring himself a place in the Churchill Downs starting gate. War of Will already had accumulated 60 points and remains in second place on the list.

The only other Kentucky Derby trial during the weekend was at Sunland Park in New Mexico, where the Bob Baffert-trained Mucho Gusto went to the post as the odds-on favorite. But Mucho Gusto got hooked in a pace battle and faded through the stretch, opening the door for Cutting Humor to take the lead in the lane and hold off Anotherwistafate, winning by a neck. Mucho Gusto held third, 5 3/4 lengths farther back.

Cutting Humor, a First Samurai colt, finished the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in course-record time of 1:46.94 with John Velazquez riding. He came to New Mexico off a seventh-place finish in the Grade III Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park and, Like By My Standards, he scored just his second career win.

Cutting Humor scored 50 Kentucky Derby points, breathing new life into the Derby prospects of his trainer, Todd Pletcher, who uncharacteristically has been scuffling this season for a contender. Pletcher said the colt will be shipped back to Florida while he and the owners, Starlight Racing, plan his next six weeks.

The Points

By My Standards now leads the Road to the Kentucky Derby standings with 100 points, followed by Risen Star Stakes winner War of Will with 60, Code of Honor with 54 and Long Range Toddy with 53.5.

Next week

Both the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park and the UAE Derby on World Cup night in Dubai offer points on the 100-40-20-10 scale.

The UAE Derby brings together four American-trained horses, colts who earlier competed in the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and the European Road to the Kentucky Derby and a very promising Dubai-based filly who might be pointed to the Kentucky Oaks.

The Florida Derby should settle things in the Southeast. Code of Honor, Vekema, Hidden Scroll, Bourbon War are among those expected for that heat.

Kentucky Oaks preps

Street Band rallied to the lead a furlong from home in Saturday's $400,000 Grade II Fair Grounds Oaks and drew off to win by 3 3/4 lengths as the odds-on favorite, Serengeti Empress, pulled up and was vanned off, reportedly having bled. Liora, who was second to Serengeti Empress in the Grade II Rachel Alexandra on Feb. 16, again was the runner-up and Sweet Diane was third, another 2 lengths in arrears.

Street Band, a daughter of Istan who was fourth in the Rachel Alexandra, finished the 1 1/16 miles of the Oaks in 1:44.54 with Sophie Doyle up for trainer and part-owner Larry Jones. It was her first stakes win. Serengeti Empress, a daughter of Alteration, had won four of her six starts coming into the Oaks.

"The race set up the same as last time," Doyle said. "But I just managed to just get her to drop her head. In the last race, her head was up, I was getting hounded from behind and I didn't have as much room. Today we just had a beautiful trip and everything set up right."

Street Band earned 100 points toward a start in the Longines Kentucky Oaks, guaranteeing her a place in the starting gate.

In New Mexico, Chasing Yesterday, a half-sister to American Pharoah, went to the post as a prohibitive favorite in the $200,000 Sunland Park Oaks and ran to her notices, emerging from behind the leaders to win by 1 1/4 lengths in a confident ride by Drayden Van Dyke. The Tapit filly, out of the Yankee Gentleman mare Littleprincessemma, ran 1 1/16 miles on the fast track in 1:43.18.

Chasing Yesterday, trained by Bob Baffert, now has won four straight races. It was her first start since taking the Grade I Starlet at Los Alamitos on Dec. 8.

Trainer Simon Callaghan entered Bellafina in the Sunland Park Oaks but scratched her, presumably in favor of the Santa Anita Oaks on April 6.