There's turmoil in ranks of Kentucky Derby prospects after upsets, banishment

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- After a tumultuous weekend that shook up the standings, the Road to the Kentucky Derby has a single official stop this weekend -- that at Tampa Bay Downs for the $250,0000 Grade III Sam F. Davis Stakes.

Meanwhile, Santa Anita struggles back to its operational best after a tumultuous weekend of another kind -- extreme rain and wind that canceled Sunday racing and forced rescheduling of two stakes. As a result, Saturday's card has three graded events.

The Las Virgenes Stakes for 3-year-old fillies is one of those Santa Anita events. The Oaks hopefuls also have Saturday's Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

Oaklawn Park, Turfway Park, Gulfstream Park and Aqueduct also have stakes action. And Saturday's El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields' all-weather track might have some Triple Crown implications.

The Road to the Roses

If trainer Todd Pletcher's Kentucky Derby stock took a dip with Fierceness' flop last week (see below), it could get a nice rebound in Saturday's $250,000 Grade III Sam F. Davis at 1 1/16 miles at Tampa Bay Downs.

Pletcher has two colts in the race and one of them, Agate Road, could be favorite. He finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup and returned with a second-place showing in Dania Beach Stakes on the Gulfstream Park turf Jan. 6.

The morning-line favorite, at a lukewarm 3-1, is Change of Command, who won his last two starts at Gulfstream and makes his stakes debut for trainer Shug McGaughey. Also in the field is Patriot Spirit, who stretches out from a 6-furlongs victory in the local Inaugural Stakes on Dec. 2.

The Sam F. Davis provides 20 "Road to the Kentucky Derby" points to the winner and 10, 6, 4 and 2 for minor placings.

Saturday's $100,000 El Camino Real Derby is contested at 1 1/8 miles on the Golden Gate Fields all-weather track, and the 2-1 morning-line favorite is Endlessly.

The cleverly named Oscar Performance colt won two graded stakes on the grass on the Southern California circuit before finishing eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Otherwise, there are some recent maiden winners and a few coming out of state-bred competition in the eight horse field.

The foundations of the division were shaken last weekend as early Kentucky Derby favorite and reigning Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Fierceness wasn't able to sustain a drive in the stretch run of Saturday's Holy Bull Stakes, finishing third, while Nysos romped home first in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita.

The contrast was great enough that Nysos jumped to the top of the weekly poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association with Muth, second in last year's Breeders' Cup, as No. 2. Fierceness dropped to No. 3.

The catch is, neither Nysos nor Muth is eligible for the Kentucky Derby as their trainer, Bob Baffert, has been banned by Churchill Downs. The colts are two of 15 Baffert trainees on the list of early Triple Crown nominees released Monday by Churchill Downs.

It's 12 weeks to the Run for the Roses, which, relatively speaking, is early innings, yet with plenty of races to be run in the interim. Still, a situation is shaping up in which the Kentucky Derby could be run without several of the best 3-year-olds.

The Path to the Oaks

Grade III Las Virgenes at Santa Anita has a field of just five fillies, two of them trained by the aforementioned trainer Baffert.

One of those, Kinza, is the even-money favorite off a blistering maiden win. Richard Mandella saddles Kopion, undefeated after two starts, including the Grade III Santa Ynez on Jan. 7.

Saturday's $150,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs has eight and the aforementioned trainer Pletcher sends the odds-on favorite, Life Talk, whose last start produced a victory in the Grade II Demoiselle at Aqueduct in December.

Also:

Aqueduct offers Saturday's $100,000 Heavenly Prize Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 mile.

Gulfstream Park's features the $125,000 Turf Sprint Saturday and the $125,000 Ladies' Turf Sprint Sunday, both at 5 furlongs.

At Oaklawn Park, 3-year-olds tackle 6 furlongs Saturday in the $150,000 Ozark Stakes.

Tampa Bay Downs, in addition to the aforementioned 3-year-old Derby and Oaks preps, has the $100,000 Pelican Stakes and $50,000 Minaret Stakes for fillies and mares, both Saturday at 6 furlongs on the dirt.

Turfway Park's weekend feature is Saturday's $125,000 Valdale Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather course.

Around the world, around the clock

Qatar

Russian Emperor is headed back to Doha to defend his crown in the Feb. 17 H.H. The Amir Trophy in Doha.

Trainer Douglas Whyte said the 7-year-old Galileo gelding, a three-time Group 1 winner in Hong Kong, may face a tougher test this time around in Doha with the likes of 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Rebel's Romance; Point Lonsdale, last seen third in the Group 2 Bahrain International Trophy; and Japan's Zeffiro, second in the Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Vase in his last expected to contest the $2.5 million race.

Dubai

Friday night's program at Meydan is a relatively light affair with no pattern races. The biggest question might be whether Godolphin can improve on winning all four turf races two weeks ago and four of five last week.

The answer to that, should the sharpie on the next stool offer a friendly wager, is: No. Sheikh Mohammed's team is represented in only three of the turf races and well represented in only one.