Within an hour Saturday, three more Kentucky Derby hopefuls were on the Kentucky Derby points board and well on their way to the Churchill Downs starting gate on the first Saturday in May. The new points system replaces the graded earnings system and determines which horses get into the Kentucky Derby. The points payout for horses finishing first through fourth in Saturday's races was 10-4-2-1, respectively.
First, Revolutionary took down a field of eight to win the Grade III Withers Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, NY. As the odds-on favorite, the Todd Pletcher runner was content to trail the field until the final furlongs. As early leaders Siete de Oros and Escapefromreality dueled yards from the finish, Revolutionary, having made his way up the track along the rail, burst in-between the pair and stole victory by a neck over Escapefromreality.
Although the race was his first attempt beyond the maiden ranks, Revolutionary's performance showed a maturity and heart some of his rivals are still trying to achieve. Check out the replay of the race at the bottom of this article.
Revolutionary returned $3.50, $3.00, and $2.10. Escapefromreality paid $10.20 and $7.00 and completed the $2 exacta for $30. Siete de Oros paid $5.10 and completed the $2 trifecta for $115. There was no superfecta wagering. The final time for the 1 1/16 mile race over the fast track was 1:44:32.
