A Saturday of Preps 🏇🏾// Sat., Apr. 4, 2026
- Fink
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Happy Multi-track Prep & National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day! 🐓🐷
For those of us who have been here for a bit, you’ll remember that one year ago we had the unfortunate chore of telling you our horse racing rankings namesake, William “Billy” Lundin, had passed away. He would have turned 80 on July 4th last year. A select few of us made the trek down the Old Seneca Highway in Plumas County, CA. This place was special to our buddy, and we wanted to make sure he knew we’re still out here capping the horses and helping others get In The Money!
Today we have a plethora of prep races, so we thought we’d simply put them all in one place for you to use throughout the day. We start in New York, head to Kentucky, and finish our day here in California. With so many big races shaping the landscape of the Kentucky Derby and Oaks standings, we didn’t want to waste time with too much fluff.
All of today’s prep races are run on dirt tracks, and each is expected to be rated fast as we move further into spring. If you’ve lost track, we’re just one month away from the Kentucky Derby and Oaks—so buckle up, and let’s ride these last couple of weeks into the winner’s circle and get In The Money!
Need help picking winners? We've got you covered! Our (Always Free) Lundin Line's top picks and best bets are below. We use them to help narrow the field while putting our tickets together. The first post will be here soon, so don't be late -
It's time to get #InTheMoney! 💰💰💰
🏇Aqueduct 🏇🏾 // Sat., Apr. 4th, 2026
R11: 200K Gazelle S. (G2)/OP
Post Time: 5:56 EDT (2:56) PDT
1 1/8 Mile on Dirt for 3 Yr. Old Filles
KY Oaks Pts = 100-50-25-15-10
Fink:1-4-3-6
Mr. W: 1-3-4-6
🏇The Gazelle Stakes, originally known as the Gazelle Handicap until 2004, was first run in 1887 at Gravesend Race Track in New York and later hosted at Aqueduct Racetrack from 1917 to 1955, 1960, and 1962-1968, before returning there permanently in 2009. This Grade III race for three-year-old fillies, now contested over 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Aqueduct, shifted from a fall Belmont Park fixture—often a Breeders' Cup Distaff prep—to a spring Kentucky Oaks prep awarding 100-50-25-15-10 points to the top five finishers. It held Grade I status from 1984 to 2012, with notable winners like Rags to Riches (2006) and Rachel Alexandra (2009), who both went on to Kentucky Oaks glory. Owners such as Greentree Stable and Godolphin Racing share the record with four victories each.
R12: 750K Wood Mem. S. (G2)/DP
Post Time: 6:34 EDT (3:34) PDT
1 1/8 Mile on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds
KY Derby Pts = 100-50-25-15-10
Fink:13-12-1-5
Mr. W: 13-12-1-10
🏇The Wood Memorial Stakes, a premier Kentucky Derby prep race for three-year-olds run at 1⅛ miles on dirt, was inaugurated in 1925 at Jamaica Race Course in New York and named in honor of Eugene D. Wood, the track's longtime president and a New York politician. Initially contested at one mile and 70 yards until 1939, then stretched to 1¹⁄₁₆ miles from 1940 to 1951, it reached its current distance in 1952; the event shifted to Aqueduct Racetrack in 1960 following Jamaica's closure. Graded as a Grade I from 1973 to 1994 and 2002 to 2016, it has held Grade II status since 2017, producing eleven Kentucky Derby winners—including Triple Crown champions like Gallant Fox (1930), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), and Seattle Slew (1977)—with Bellamy Road setting the stakes record of 1:47.16 in 2005.
🏇Keeneland 🏇🏾 // Sat., Apr. 4th, 2026
R11: 1.25Mil Blue Grass Stakes (G1)/DP
Post Time: 6:22 EDT (3:22 PDT)
1 1/8 Mile on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds
KY Derby Pts = 100-50-25-15-10
Fink: 6-2-5-4
Mr. W: 6-2-5-4
🏇The Blue Grass Stakes, a key Kentucky Derby prep race for three-year-olds run at 1 1/8 miles on Keeneland's dirt track, originated in 1911 at the Kentucky Association track in Lexington, where it was held from 1911-1914 and 1919-1926, producing early Derby winners like Bubbling Over in 1926. Revived at Keeneland during its inaugural spring meet in April 1937—won by Fencing—the race briefly shifted to Churchill Downs in the 1940s before returning permanently to Keeneland, where it has cemented its status as a Grade II event with a $1 million purse. Over the decades, it has produced fifteen Kentucky Derby winners, including Northern Dancer (1964), Spectacular Bid (1979), and Street Sense (2007), with Skip Away holding the stakes record of 1:47.20 from 1996; the race ran on synthetic Polytrack from 2007-2014 before reverting to dirt.
🏇Santa Anita 🏇🏾 // Sat., Apr. 4th, 2026
R6: 200K Santa Anita Oaks (G2)/OP
Post Time: 2:45 PDT (5:42 EDT)
1 1/6 Mile on Dirt for 3 Yr. Old Fillies
KY Oaks Pts = 100-50-25-15-10
Fink: 5-1-3
Mr. W: 1-5-2
🏇The Santa Anita Oaks is a Grade II Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held annually at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. First run in 1935, shortly after the track's opening, it covers 1 1/16 miles on dirt and serves as a major prep for the Kentucky Oaks, awarding points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks (100-50-25-15-10 to the top five). Notable winners include Rags to Riches (2007), who later won the Kentucky Oaks and Belmont Stakes, and Winning Colors (1988), the only filly to win the Kentucky Derby. Other champions like Serena’s Song (1995), Songbird (2016), and Swiss Skydiver (2020) have also triumphed, cementing its status in racing history.
R10: 500K Santa Anita Derby (G1)/DP
Post Time: 4:46 PDT (7:46 EDT)
1 1/8 Mile on Dirt for 3 Yr. Olds
KY Derby Pts = 100-50-25-15-10
Fink: 5-4-2
Mr. W: 2-5-1
🏇The Santa Anita Derby, a premier Kentucky Derby prep race for three-year-olds run at 1 1/8 miles on dirt at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, was first held in 1935, shortly after the track's opening on Christmas Day 1934, and has long served as the West Coast's most significant stepping-stone to the Run for the Roses. Inaugurated at 1 1/16 miles and briefly extended to 1 1/4 miles in 1947, it now awards 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby since 2013, with ten winners—like Affirmed (1978 Triple Crown champion), Sunday Silence (1989), and California Chrome (2014)—going on to capture the Derby itself, plus others such as Winning Colors (1988), the only filly to do so. Transitioning from dirt to synthetic surfaces (Cushion Track in 2008 and Pro-Ride through 2010) before returning to dirt in 2011, the Grade I event remains a highlight of Santa Anita's stakes calendar, often drawing top West Coast contenders from prep races like the San Felipe and Robert B. Lewis Stakes.
Photo from our friends at National Day Calendar
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/ As always, please forgive any typos and grammatical errors
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