Two California horses racing at opposite ends of the country each solidified their status as Kentucky Derby favorites on Saturday.
Pioneerof the Nile won the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby by a length over Chocolate Candy on Santa Anita's artificial surface. In New York, California-based I Want Revenge overcame a horrible start and rallied to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial by 1 1/2 lengths on the dirt.
Their victories pointed both colts squarely on a collision course for the May 2 Kentucky Derby.
Also in the Derby picture is Musket Man, who used a big stretch run to win the $500,000 Illinois Derby at Hawthorne by two lengths.
Pioneerof the Nile gave Bob Baffert a record fifth Santa Anita Derby victory, and will be the white-haired trainer's first Kentucky Derby starter since 2006. Baffert has won the Run for the Roses three times.
"I knew he was going to win the Santa Anita Derby and once he came out of the gate clean, I felt real good about him," Baffert said in Arcadia, Calif. "I'll just keep him healthy and happy. He's ready to go."
Pioneerof the Nile was helped by the late scratch of morning-line favorite The Pamplemousse because of a soft tissue problem in an unspecified leg. The colt was due to undergo more exams, and his future racing status wasn't immediately known.
Pioneerof the Nile ran 1 1-8 miles on the artificial surface in 1:49.17. He was sent off as the 4-5 wagering favorite under jockey Garrett Gomez.
Pioneerof the Nile, whose name is a nod to owner Ahmed Zayat's Egyptian roots, was fourth in the early going before charging to the front on the backside. Gomez took a strong hold and the colt dropped back to second before regaining the advantage into the stretch.
"With all the scratches, it just jeopardized the pace for us," Gomez said. "I tried to get in behind and settle early on. He was OK for a while, but then as they kept slowing down in front of him, I tried to take hold and get him back a couple times."
Pioneerof the Nile is still learning how to run races.
He was a May foal, so he isn't yet 3 years old, although racing rules dictate that all thoroughbreds' birthdays are Jan. 1. He ran Saturday with two teeth dangling after they came loose Friday night.
"I'm going to sell them on eBay," Baffert cracked.
Baffert also had his eye on the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct in New York, watching I Want Revenge recover after breaking poorly and falling to last in the field of eight.
Under Joe Talamo, who flew in from Santa Anita to ride, I Want Revenge got around a wall of horses in the stretch to win.
"You don't want to see that kind of trouble, and nine out of 10 times they don't overcome it, so for him to do what he did today is just unbelievable," trainer Jeff Mullins said. "That's as good as it gets right there."
With a second straight stakes win on the dirt, I Want Revenge joined Florida Derby winner Quality Road and Pioneerof the Nile as Derby favorites.
Talamo, a rising star who appears on the new show "Jockeys" on Animal Planet, is now looking at his first trip to the Derby.
"It's phenomenal," he said. "I've never been in this spot before ... it's like a fairy tale."
I Want Revenge is co-owned by IEAH Stable, the same group that campaigned Big Brown to victories in last year's Kentucky Derby and Preakness before the colt's stunning last-place finish in the Belmont.
At Hawthorne, trainer Derek Ryan is wasting no time planning Musket Man's next destination. He plans to send the colt to Churchill Downs on Sunday.
"He really ran a big race today," Ryan said. "Everybody has been questioning his ability to get the distance, but they don't know the horse I do."
Musket Man was in fifth place approaching the final turn when jockey Eibar Coa maneuvered him into position on the far outside for a dynamic stretch run.
"He placed himself in a great position and just allowed me to do whatever I needed to do," said Coa, aboard Musket Man for the first time. "He showed today that he definitely has the potential to go to the Derby."
At Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., 24-1 shot Hooh Why scored a stunning neck victory in the $400,000 Ashland Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Hooh Why had never won a Grade 1 race until the Ashland, and now she's on a path toward the Derby-eve Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Stardom Bound finished third, ending her winning streak in Grade 1 races at five.
She was last in the nine-horse field halfway through, and finished four lengths behind the winner.
"My mare ran well, but she certainly didn't run her A-game," said jockey Mike Smith, who flew in from California to ride. "A little eager down the backside, there was nowhere to go at that point. I had to tap on the brakes one time. She kind of dropped it and never was really into it after that."
Trainer Rick Dutrow, who handled Big Brown last year, said he would re-evaluate plans to run Stardom Bound in the Kentucky Oaks.