Tom Pedulla presents five key takeaways from the $1 million Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland Race Course, the $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park, and the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct.

Each major Kentucky Derby prep race was run at a mile and an eighth and was worth 200 qualifying points for the run for the roses. The top five finishers were awarded points on a 100-40-30-20-10 basis.

SIZZLING FINISH: Practical Move was tested as never before by Mandarin Hero and Skinner in deep stretch of the Santa Anita Derby. He displayed the heart of a heavyweight for trainer Tim Yakteen and jockey Ramon Vazquez in narrowly turning them back. Jean Pierre Amestoy Jr., part of the winning ownership group, is optimistic that the son of distance-challenged Practical Joke can handle an additional eighth of a mile in the 1 ¼-mile Derby. “I think we will catch the distance and he’s a proven fighter, he’s a winner,” Amestoy said. “We’re going to Kentucky with our heads high and hope to bring the trophy back to this side of the country.”

Fans watch the action on Blue Grass Stakes day. (Eclipse Sportswire)

ANOTHER SLOW START: As powerfully as Tapit Trice finishes, his fans have to be concerned about his penchant for starting slow. It could leave him with an awful lot to do in an expected full field of 20 horses in the Kentucky Derby. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher had hoped to see improvement from Tapit Trice out of the starting gate in the Blue Grass, but that did not happen. The colt again was able to overcome it as he did in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. “That’s him. We’re not going to make him into a quick horse. The distances, as they stretch out, we always felt they would make him better,” said Pletcher. The huge plus for the regally-bred son of Tapit is that the Derby’s mile-and-a-quarter distance should be well within him.

SWEET SECOND: Trainer Terunobu Fujita was so elated with Mandarin Hero’s nose loss to Practical Move that you would have thought he won the Santa Anita Derby. Mandarin Hero was making his United States debut. No Japan-based horse had ever run in the Santa Anita Derby. “I’m so proud of him,” Fujita said. “I thought he would not handle the early pace, but he did. I believed he would have a good acceleration in the final stretch as usual. And he did it.” Mandarin Hero was ridden by Kazushi Kimura.

TAKING A SHOT: There was little to commend Lord Miles entering the Wood Memorial Stakes. After breaking his maiden late last season, he had come in third in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park, sixth in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream, and fifth in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. drew on his past in deciding to enter the Wood anyway. His first Grade 1 win came with 31-1 Math Wizard in the 2019 Pennsylvania Derby after co-owner John Fanelli strongly urged him to take a shot there. Joseph has been more of a risk-taker since then. “From there, I learned in life to never stop taking chances,” the trainer said. “If the horse is doing good, take a chance. Each chance you don’t take is a chance you miss.” Lord Miles rewarded his few faithful at 59.25-1 odds.

LIVE LONGSHOT?: Blazing Sevens, ranked 17th on the Road to the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 46 points, may be a live longshot if he goes on to the Derby. He showed ability at 2, capturing the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes and finishing fourth in the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by TAA. The Good Magic colt, in the expert hands of Chad Brown, is giving every sign that he is headed in the right direction. After finishing a disappointing eighth in the March 4 Fountain of Youth Stakes, he was third in the Blue Grass despite a wide trip that had him in the six path entering the Keeneland stretch. “He stayed [running] and can go farther for sure,” said jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.