3-year-old Nysos to miss month's training, unlikely for Santa Anita Derby

March 15 (UPI) -- There are plenty of 3-year-olds in action on St. Patrick's Day weekend, but most of them are sprinting rather than preparing for a Derby or Oaks engagement.

The Kentucky Derby action, in fact, is off the track, as is one of the season's most promising sophomores -- at least for a while. Meanwhile, we do have results from the Turf Paradise Derby and Oaks.

Let's have a look.

The Road to the Roses

Triple Crown news is all off the track this week.

Nysos, arguably the nation's top 3-year-old, has experienced "a minor setback" and will need a month off, according to trainer Bob Baffert.

The Nyquist colt, undefeated after three starts, was scratched from the San Felipe Stakes March 3 and with no timed workouts since Feb. 25, he already was missing the Grade I Santa Anita Derby on April 6. He's not eligible for the Kentucky Derby on May 4 because Baffert is banned from Churchill Downs.

But, assuming "minor" is an accurate assessment, he could be ready for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the May 18 Preakness Stakes, for which he was the strong favorite before Tuesday's announcement.

Hawthorne Race Course has reanimated the Illinois Derby and will run the 1 1/8-mile renewal for a $200,000 purse April 21 -- just four weeks before the Preakness.

It's unlikely for many reasons that Nysos will make his return in that, although it would involve some karma: Churchill Downs Inc. generated some local ill will a few years back by refusing to include the race in its "Road to the Kentucky Derby" series. At that time, CDI owned the competing Arlington International Racecourse.

Meanwhile, Pool 5 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager opens a three-day run at noon Friday.

Risen Star Stakes winner Sierra Leone is the favorite, starting at 5-1. He's followed by Rebel Stakes winner Timberlake (8-1), Fountain of Youth winner Dornoch (12-1) and 2023 Juvenile champion Fierceness (12-1).

There are 39 individual betting interests. All other 3-year-olds are lumped together at 15-1 odds.

Otherwise:

Oaklawn Park on Saturday offers a pair of sprints -- the $250,000 Whitmore Stakes for 4-year-olds and up and the $200,000 Purple Martin Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.

King Cotton Stakes runner-up Tejano Twist and Ryvit, who is 4-for-6 at Oaklawn, are favorites among seven in the Whitmore. In the Purple Martin, Xtreme Diva, Blue Squall and Asternia are hard to separate atop a field of six.

At Santa Anita, The Chosen Vron is odds-on in a field of six for the $150,000 Grade III San Carlos Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 7 furlongs on the dirt. The $100,000 Pasadena Stakes for 3-year-olds looks like a tossup with just five to go 1 mile on the turf.

Gulfstream Park's Saturday feature is the $100,000 Hutcheson Stakes, a 6-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Valiant Force and Beeline are favored among seven entries.

On Sunday, R Harper Rose is the star as 3-year-old fillies tackle the same trip in the $100,000 Any Limit Stakes. The Khozan filly has won four of five starts and exits a victory in the Grade III Forward Gal on Feb. 3, going 7 furlongs.

Aqueduct has 3-year-old fillies going 6 furlongs in Saturday's $100,000 Cidada Stakes, aptly named as the double brood of the insects is getting ready to emerge in historical conjunction.

Already in the books:

On Thursday at Turf Paradise in Arizona, invaders from Santa Anita won three of the four big-money events, including the $60,0000 Turf Paradise Derby and $60,000 Turf Paradise Oaks. The locals salvaged something with a sweep in the last.

E J Won the Cup won the Derby. The Omaha Beach Colt, trained by Doug O'Neill, was bet down to 1-5 odds, led throughout and finished 3 1/2 lengths clear of runner-up Last Call London. It was his second straight win after a maiden-breaker at Santa Anita Feb. 23.

Sakura Blossom, a Classic Empire filly trained at Santa Anita by Leonard Powell, put a nose in front of Pink Whitney at the finish of the Oaks. She also picked up her second straight win.

Fuerteventura, a 5-year-old Summer Front gelding from the Jonathan Thomas barn, won the Cotton Fitzsimmons stakes on the turf. Although based at Santa Anita, Fuerteventura was last seen racing at Keeneland in October.

The first six spots in the order of finish of the Phoenix Gold Cup went to locally trained horses with Love My Jimmy the winner. Five raiders, including the favorite, Kingdom Heart, finished up the track.

Around the world, around the clock:

Australia

Saturday's Group 1 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill Gardens has 18 fillies and mares tackling 1,500 meters. Good luck sussing this out, although Zougatcha is the likely favorite for Chris Waller and James McDonald.

Note, though, previously winless Hell Hath No Fury came off a 486-days layoff to win the Group 2 Guy Walter Stakes on March 2. That's an impressive training job by Annabel Neasham. This is tougher.