FROM OFF THE PACE: Coast-to-coast Derby preps

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — After a slow start in Jan. – the San Vicente Stakes (G3) and Lecomte Stakes (G3) were the only graded stakes for three-year-old males run during the entire month – action picks up in earnest this Saturday with G3 Derby preps scheduled at four tracks: Gulfstream Park (Holy Bull Stakes), Santa Anita (Robert B. Lewis), Oaklawn (Southwest) and Aqueduct (Withers). Here’s a brief look at the fields in each.

Holy Bull Stakes – The Holy Bull will probably attract the most attention. That’s because the eight entrants include Todd Pletcher’s Fierceness – the 3-5 morning-line favorite – the decisive winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile who was recently voted 2023 champion two-year-old. Dismissed at 18-1 in the Juvenile – in his two previous starts, the City of Light colt had broken his maiden at Saratoga and finished seventh after a nightmarish trip in a sloppy Champagne Stakes – Fierceness wrecked a Juvenile field that included four G1 winners, Muth (American Pharoah Stakes), Locked (Breeders’ Futurity), Timberlake (Champagne) and Prince of Monaco (Del Mar Futurity). The four also-rans went off at odds between 2-1 and 5-1.

Otello (9-2) is the only other stakes winner in the Holy Bull field. The Curlin colt came on late to best a field that included three other starters in today’s Holy Bull, getting up to take the ungraded Mucho Macho Stakes at Gulfstream on New Year’s Day. In his only other start, Otello broke his maiden by a neck in his career debut at Aqueduct on Nov. 24.

Other Holy Bull entrants include unbeaten Hades (6-1), an impressive eight-length allowance winner on New Year’s Eve. Domestic Product (8-1) broke his maiden by 4 ½ lengths going eight furlongs on Oct. 27 but was a well-beaten seventh in a muddy Remsen five weeks later.

Robert B. Lewis Stakes – Since Bob Baffert has won this race 11 times (including the last five) since he sent out General Challenge in 1999, it’s probably a good idea to take a close look at his three starters in this year’s edition of the race. One of them is Nysos, the overwhelming morning-line favorite at 4-5 and the only graded-stakes winner in the field. The son of Nyquist romped by 8 ¾ lengths in the Bob Hope Stakes (G3) back on Nov. 19, flying seven furlongs in 1:21.71.

Stronghold (6-1) and Coach Prime (5-1) ran two-three behind Wynstock in the Los Alamitos Futurity.

Southwest Stakes – Allowance winner Maycocks Bay gets the nod here at 3-1 on the morning line. The Godolphin homebred son of Speightstown exits an impressive 10 ¾-length allowance win at Fair Grounds on Jan. 7. Second choice Wynstock (4-1) comes in off a gate-to-wire score at 13-1 odds Dec. 16 in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2). The New York-bred son of second-crop Curlin stallion Solomini is conditioned by Bob Baffert, who will be bidding for his seventh win in the mile and a sixteenth race.

The Southwest boasts a tempting casino-fueled purse of $800,000. Other entrants in the 12-horse field include Carbone (9-2); Otto the Conqueror (5-1), who exits a win in the ungraded Remington Springboard Mile in Oklahoma; and a trio of 8-1 shots in Liberal Arts, Just Steel, and Awesome Road.

Withers Stakes – As the most experienced horse and one of three stakes-winners in the field, El Grande O rates as the top choice here at 3-1. Off the board only once in nine starts, the New York-bred son of Take Charge Indy finished first or second in four state-bred stakes as a 2-year-old and comes in off a runner-up finish in the ungraded Jerome Stakes last month at Aqueduct, his stakes debut in open company.

Lightline is next at 8-5, followed by Speed Runner (5-1), Mission Beach (6-1), and minor stakes winners Uncle Heavy (10-1) and Seminole Chief (12-1).