Renegade established himself as one of the top contenders for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday with a commanding four-length victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.
The win earned Renegade 100 qualifying points, securing a spot in the starting gate for the Kentucky Derby on May 2 in Louisville, Kentucky. Silent Tactic finished second, followed by Taptastic in third. Bricklin was fourth and Blackout Time rounded out the top five.
Breeder and co-owner Robert Low said Renegade’s performance puts him in strong position heading into the Derby.
“If he runs like this, I think he’ll be really tough,” Low said.
The Arkansas Derby was the feature race on a 14-race card that drew a record crowd of 73,000 on a sunny and windy afternoon. Total handle from all sources exceeded $23 million.
Renegade, the betting favorite, settled off the early pace before making his move on the final turn. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. guided the colt five wide into the stretch, where he pulled away from the field and finished the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:49.70 over a fast track.
Trainer Todd Pletcher earned his record sixth Arkansas Derby victory with the win and praised Renegade’s late surge.
“It looked like he got shuffled around a little bit early, but he was traveling well,” Pletcher said. “I was really impressed with how he finished over the final eighth of a mile.”
Renegade, a son of Into Mischief, is owned by Robert and Lawana Low along with Mike Repole. The colt has now won two of five career starts and earned $832,500 for the victory.
Pletcher said Renegade is scheduled to return to his South Florida base at Palm Beach Downs on Tuesday.
Silent Tactic continued a strong run through Oaklawn’s prep series, adding a runner-up finish after previous efforts in the Smarty Jones, Southwest and Rebel stakes.
There is no racing scheduled Sunday at Oaklawn.
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