Charlatan romps to six-length victory at Arkansas Derby

Charlatan romped to victory by six lengths in the first division of the Arkansas Derby and Nadal won the second division by three lengths, giving Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert a sweep Saturday when the Kentucky Derby was postponed.

The 146th Derby usually would have dominated the first Saturday in May, but it was pushed back to Sept. 5 by the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, 3-year-olds ran in two divisions of the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn, each worth $500,000.

Each race was worth 170 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, including 100 to the winners. It was the first time since 1960 that the race was split.

No fans were allowed because of the pandemic on a day that would have been the biggest of the season at Oaklawn.

Charlatan improved to 3-0 after not racing at age 2. His first two wins by a combined 16 lengths came at Santa Anita, where the colt is based. He broke from the No. 1 post in the 1 1/8-mile race under Martin Garcia, who was replacing Drayden Van Dyke for the race. Charlatan was timed in 1:48.49 and paid $2.80 to win.

“He did in all within himself,” Garcia said. “I felt someone coming at the three-eighths (pole) and I let him go. He just took off. That’s a sign of a really good horse.”

Basin finished second and Gouverneur Morris was another neck back in third. Winning Impression finished fourth.

Nadal, named for tennis star Rafael Nadal, won his division in 1:48.34. He paid $3.80 to win. He is 4-0 in his young career and moved to the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 150 points.

“He looked good; very good race,” winning jockey Joel Rosario said. “He’s a champ.”

King Guillermo, owned by former major league catcher Victor Martinez, finished second. Finnick the Fierce, a 60-1 shot, was third.

It was Baffert’s third win in the Arkansas Derby.

“I thought both horses were going to run really well,” Baffert said. “Charlatan, what a talent he is and how fast he is. Nadal, he’s a tough horse. There’s a lot to him and he’s a cool customer, and I could see he’s getting better and better.”

The race was supposed to be on April 11, but Oaklawn reworked its stakes schedule to run it on closing day Saturday and split it into divisions because of the large number of horses that were entered.

Earlier, Baffert and Doug O’Neill joined horse racing advocates rallying outside a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday in an effort to convince government officials to allow the resumption of live racing at Santa Anita.

Even behind a mask, the white-haired Baffert was easily recognizable as he carried a sign proclaiming, “We support horse racing.” His wife, Jill, toted one noting the economic impact of racing in California: $2.47 billion and 17,000 jobs.

O’Neill has previously helped stage rallies for backstretch workers outside Santa Anita to counter animal rights activists who have urged the end of racing in the state.

“It was very nice to see them there,” Oscar De La Torre said of Baffert and O’Neill. “It sends a very powerful message.”

De La Torre, an advocate for backstretch workers, organized the rally that included several horse owners. Their early-morning duties at the track prevented many workers from attending.

De La Torre said horse racing wasn’t mentioned during the board’s meeting in downtown Los Angeles.

“But I can guarantee you that they’re very aware that our community is active and committed to bringing back live racing to Santa Anita,” he said afterward.

The board met for the first time since Santa Anita submitted a proposal to the county detailing its plans should racing be allowed to resume. The Arcadia track had been racing without fans from March 12-27. That’s when the county health department ordered a stop, saying the sport wasn’t considered an essential business during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our equine athletes do not transmit the COVID-19 virus,” De La Torre said. “We have had zero reports of COVID-19 at Santa Anita and Los Alamitos, which has been running live racing unabated since the outbreak. That gives us a precedent that we can have live racing without spectators safely.”

Associated Press