The Road to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown Prep Money-Back Special Offer from 1/ST BET and Xpressbet both continue this Saturday in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Yes, that’s right the Virginia Derby has been moved from the lawn to the main track and from summer to spring to accommodate the change in the Derby qualifying schedule. The 10-race card is part of a special three-day meet at Colonial Downs that gets started on Thursday. Here are a few horses I like on Saturday afternoon. Get up to $10 back if your Virginia Derby win bet finishes second or third when you bet with 1/ST BET and Xpressbet.
Race 9: Virginia Derby
This $500,000 race at 9-furlongs will reward 50 points to the winner on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard and is led by Sunland Derby victor #6 Getaway Car. The Curlin colt had to work hard at 6-5 to hold off Caldera in his 3YO debut in mid-February, but showed some grit in doing so. The Bob Baffert trainee attracts Irad Ortiz Jr. and should be involved from the get go as the 9-5-morning line favorite.
I prefer #7 Rapture. The Uncle Mo colt debuted going the challenging one-turn mile at Gulfstream Park in mid-December for Brad Cox and ran a good second to a next out Todd Pletcher winner. As expected, Cox stretched the $300K Keeneland 2023 purchase out to two-turns at Oaklawn Park and he responded with a dominant win at odds-on. He faces an obvious class test here over a surface he has never competed over, but he gets Flavien Prat and looks like a pretty serious colt. I will use my Money Back Special offer on him.
Play: #7 Rapture (5-1 ML)
Race 8: Virginia Oaks
Like the Virginia Derby, the $250,000 Virginia Oaks has also been moved from turf-to-dirt and will award the winner with 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks.
#3 Gowells Delight (pictured) appears to be the right filly. The 3-1-morning line favorite dominated a field at Fair Grounds on debut at double-digit odds before an adventurous voyage in her first try against winners in the Martha Washington. The Practical Joke filly was no match for undefeated Good Cheer in the Rachel Alexandra (G2), but finished second in a compact group of 4. She gets some class relief, has the tactical speed to find a prominent position off what could be a moderate early tempo, and retains Kenny McPeek’s main man, Brian Hernandez Jr. I will be disappointed if she fails to get to the wire first.
Play: Gowells Delight (3-1 ML)
Race 10:
The three-day meet concludes with a first-level allowance event at 1 1/16-miles where #6 Supreme Law is listed as a heavy 6-5-ML choice off of two romps over off tracks for trainer Jaime Ness. Perhaps this horse woke up and is set for a third straight huge effort, but I am willing to let him beat me on the class hike and a likely fast main track.
I will take a swing with #7 Deadpan. The Distorted Humor gelding has never raced over dirt, but will do just that after being purchased at the FTDGJA 2025 sale for $55K. He moves into the high-percentage Brittany Russell barn and has trained forwardly over the Laurel main track leading up to his return. There is certainly reason to believe the full-time brother to 6-time winner on the dirt Calibrate will take to the surface switch in the afternoons. I doubt we get the morning line price if he is live, but he should offer solid value nonetheless.
Play: #7 Deadpan (10-1 ML)
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