RACE REPLAY BELOW ARTICLE
Practical Move held off Japan's Mandarin Hero by a nose to win the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby in California. At Keeneland, Tapit Trice won the $1 million Blue Grass by a neck over Verifying. At Aqueduct, 59-1 shot Lord Miles survived an inquiry to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial by a nose in New York.
Each of the winners earned 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby, which puts the trio in the field of 20 horses on May 6.
Trainer Tim Yakteen won the Santa Anita Derby for the second straight year, this time with a horse he developed.
"It's a great feeling to go back-to-back in this race," Yakteen said. "The rush you get, that's why you get in the game."
Last year, he won with Taiba, who was trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert but moved to Yakteen's barn because Baffert was serving a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc. Yakteen also had another Baffert horse, National Treasure, who finished fourth on Saturday.
But Practical Move is all Yakteen's. The colt was coming off a decisive win in last month's San Felipe Stakes. He had to work a lot harder Saturday.
Practical Move was third after a half-mile and then drifted out a bit in the final furlongs, but fought off Mandarin Hero.
"I thought we got him at the wire," said Kazushi Kimura, Mandarin Hero's jockey. "Today he was a totally different horse. He was very aggressive in company. It looks like we'll be headed to the Kentucky Derby."
Ridden by Ramon Vazquez, Practical Move ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.69. Sent off as the 4-5 favorite, the 3-year-old colt paid $4, $3 and $2.20.
Mandarin Hero returned $6.60 and $4. Skinner was another half-length back in third.
