Concert Tour Headlines the Field for Saturday’s Arkansas Derby

The countdown to May 1 and the running of the 2021 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs is on. While the 20-horse field for the Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown racing season is just about set, this Saturday’s Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park will have an impact on the final lineup.

Best Online Racebooks for Horse Handicappers

The Arkansas Derby is the last of the major graded prep races on the 2021 Kentucky Derby Trail. The field for this year’s race will have four entries from the top five colts in the finishing order of this year’s Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn on March 13.

2021 Arkansas Derby Predictions

Where: Oaklawn Park

When: Saturday, April 10th 2021

What Are Exotic Bets in Horse Racing?

The Arkansas Derby is a Grade 1 stakes race open to three-year old Thoroughbreds. This year’s event offers a $1 million total prize purse along with the final qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. The race will be contested on the dirt track at Oaklawn covering 1 1/8 miles in distance.

Famed trainer Bob Baffert is set to run Concert Tour this Saturday in his final Kentucky Derby prep. This three-year old Kentucky-bred colt has already secured a spot in the Kentucky Derby field after winning this year’s Rebel Stakes.

The son of Street Sense did not run competitively as a two-year old. He made his racing debut at Santa Anita Park on Jan. 15 with a victory in a six-furlong Maiden Special Weight event on dirt. Ahead of that victory at Oaklawn in the Rebel, Concert Tour won the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes at Santa Anita on Feb. 6. He covered the seven furlongs on dirt in 1:24.6.

Concert Tour has been opened as a heavy 3-5 favorite on the morning line for Saturday’s main event. He will break from the No. 5 gate with Joel Rosario as his jockey.

Following last weekend’s prep race results, he is listed as a +450 second-favorite to win this year’s Kentucky Derby on the futures betting board. Trainer Brad Cox’s Essential Quality remains the favorite at +375 after winning the Grade 2 Bluegrass Stakes at Keeneland on April 3.

Scanning the rest of the field for Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, my ‘one to watch’ in this race would be Hozier as another colt trained by Baffert. Breaking from the third post position, this Kentucky-bred three-year old is set at 4-1 odds on the morning line. Jockey Martin Garcia will get the ride.

Sired by Pioneer of the Nile, he took second in last month’s Rebel Stakes behind the favorite. This followed a victory and a fourth-place finish in a pair of MSW events at Santa Anita earlier in the year. This is another Baffert-trained colt that did not compete as a juvenile.

Betting Guide:Learn How to Bet on Horse Races

The second-favorite on the morning line for this race is Caddo River at 7-2 odds. Breaking from the No. 2 gate, jockey Florent Geroux will be on board. Also trained by Brad Cox, this three-year old Kentucky-bred colt faded to fifth in the Rebel Stakes after winning the ungraded Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn on Jan. 22. He covered that race’s mile run in 1:38.19.

Caddo River was sired by Hard Spun. The Rebel was the first time he finished out of the money in five career events.

The other three colts listed as entered for Saturday’s race are Super Stock (12-1), Get Her Number (12-1) and Last Samurai (30-1).

Start your own online racebook using a pay per head service.