Baffert's latest Derby hopeful wins Blue Grass

Lawyer Ron won the $1 million Arkansas Derby.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Bob Baffert has himself a trio of horses for the Kentucky Derby.
Sinister Minister became the latest to join the trainer's assault on a fourth Derby victory with an eye-opening, gate-to-wire romp in Saturday's $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.
With Garrett Gomez urging Sinister Minister to the lead out of the No. 7 post, the 3-year-old colt took charge all the way around the track and rolled a 12 3/4-length victory over 65-1 long shot Storm Treasure.
Bluegrass Cat and First Samurai were supposed to be the ones to beat in this final major prep before the Derby in three weeks. But neither colt threatened, with Bluegrass Cat finishing fourth and First Samurai fifth.
Other prep
In Saturday's other Derby prep, Lawyer Ron cruised to victory in the $1 million Arkansas Derby for his sixth straight win.
Baffert, meanwhile, closed out his Derby prep campaign with a flourish. Sinister Minister will join stablemates Bob and John and Point Determined in the starting gate at Churchill Downs. Last week, Bob and John won the Wood Memorial and Point Determined finished second in the Santa Anita Derby.
Before the Blue Grass, Baffert said he was bringing Sinister Minister to the race to "upset the applecart" and see if "we can get the lead and hold it."
Good call, Bob.
"The horse is waking up at just the right time," Baffert said. "When he got to the quarter pole, I thought, 'Son of a gun, I'm going to win the Blue Grass."
Sinister Minister, sent off at 8-1 by the crowd of 30,660 on a hot day, picked a perfect time for his second career victory. In earning $465,000 for owners Lanni Family Trust, Mercedes Stable and Bernard Schiappa, the colt has more than enough graded stakes earning to run in the Derby if more than 20 horses are entered.
Bluegrass Cat, trying to rebound from a second-place finish in the Tampa Bay Derby, was off his game but will still be considered for the Derby.
"We'll have to regroup and see how he comes out of it," Bluegrass trainer Todd Pletcher said. "The winner won one of those freaky Keeneland races."
Arkansas Derby
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -- Next stop: Churchill Downs.
Lawyer Ron broke to the lead at the start of the backstretch Saturday and never looked back, winning the $1 million Arkansas Derby for his sixth straight victory. Trainer Bob Holthus' chestnut colt is now 7-for-7 lifetime on dirt -- and remains one of the favorites to win three weeks from now at the Kentucky Derby.
The last two Arkansas Derby winners -- Smarty Jones in 2004 and Afleet Alex last year -- each went on to win two legs of the Triple Crown.
Lawyer Ron had already won Oaklawn Park's first two big prep races for 3-year-olds -- the Southwest in February and the Rebel last month. He was a heavy favorite all week and paid $3.00, $2.60 and $2.20.
Steppenwolfer, the runner-up in the Southwest and third in the Rebel, was second in the Arkansas Derby, 2 3/4 lengths behind. He paid $4.40 and $3.20.
Third-place finisher Private Vow paid $3.60.
With a record crowd -- announced at 72,484 -- cheering him on, Lawyer Ron stayed toward the middle of the pack on the inside early, then moved quickly to the front coming out of the first turn. From there, jockey John McKee had little trouble staying ahead of the field.
The 71-year-old Holthus, a Hot Springs resident, has been racing at Oaklawn since 1953. His only other Arkansas Derby win came in 1988 with Proper Reality.