Baffert's leading Kentucky Derby hope Concert Tour suffers shock prep run defeat

Leading Kentucky Derby hope Concert Tour's claims for the first leg of American racing's Triple Crown were dealt a significant blow on Saturday as he suffered a shock defeat behind surprise winner Super Stock in the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park.

The Bob Baffert-trained three-year-old had been the 7-2 joint-favourite for the Kentucky Derby, which takes place at Churchill Downs on May 1, following an unbeaten start to his career and was an impressive victor the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes over 1m½f at Oaklawn last month.

Sent off the 30-100 favourite to win the final recognised Kentucky Derby trial, Concert Tour was hard pressed by jockey Joel Rosario three furlongs out and despite staying on, he could only finish a three and a quarter-length third behind 122-10 victor Super Stock, with Caddo River separating the pair.

There was further disappointment for six-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Baffert as his other representative, Hozier, trailed in last of the six runners.

2021 Arkansas Derby full result

"He just got tired there at the end. He's a young horse," Baffert said of Concert Tour. "It was a good race, but I was more disappointed in my other horse in the race [Hozier], he got tired early. Those things happen. You get beat and try to figure it out.

"They're still young. Sometimes, you learn more from a loss than a win. He got beat and I can't make any excuses for him right now."

Super Stock's success provided trainer Steve Asmussen and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr with successive wins in the race following Basin's victory last year, when it was split into two divisions, while the duo also combined to land the 2016 running with Creator.

Should he go on to be successful at Churchill Downs, Super Stock would be the first horse to complete the Arkansas/Kentucky Derby double since the great American Pharoah in 2015.

It also cemented the position of Breeders' Cup juvenile winner Essential Quality – successful in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland last Saturday – at the top of the betting for the Kentucky Derby and he was shortened into 5-2 (from 100-30) with bet365, while Concert Tour was pushed out to 7-1 by the same firm.

Also in the US on Saturday, the former Charlie Hills-trained Juliet Foxtrot landed the first top-level success of her career with an authoritative front-running success in the Jenny Wiley Stakes at Keeneland.

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