To add to the excitement, this month’s jam-packed schedule features four crucial prep races that will determine which horses earn their coveted spots in the Derby. This month’s stakes race schedule features four final prep races.
Meanwhile, one of the horse racing biggest betting events of the year will also take place in the United Kingdom in the form of the 2024 Grand National. You can find out more about the stakes races today and learn more about the stakes races for April here.
Races to Watch
Blue Grass Stakes
The action on the Road to the Kentucky Derby continues at the start of April, with one of the standout horse racing events coming in the form of the G1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland. The winner secures a spot in the field for the Triple Crown opener on April 4.
Tapit Trice won 12 months ago, but no Kentucky Derby winner has completed this prep in 20 years. That could change this year, as Sierra Leone is among the likely runners in the race.
The three-year-old is already among the market leaders in Derby betting and was very impressive when winning the G2 Risen Star. Dornoch, who won the G2 Fountain of Youth last time out, could be an interesting opponent.
- Pick: Sierra Leone.
Santa Anita Derby
April’s big stakes day is on the 6th. The Santa Anita Derby covers a distance of 1 1/8 miles. This race will be staged at Santa Anita, and it is one of the key Derby preps. Justify was the last horse to win this race and the Derby, but recent victors have been standout contenders, with runners such as Practical Move, Taiba, and Rock Your World landing victory at Santa Anita.
A typically high-quality field of runners will line up in the race this year, but the betting could be dominated by Bob Baffert runners, who are ineligible to pick up Derby points. The Hall of Famer’s leading chance could come in the form of Imagination, who was excellent in the G2 San Felipe.
Several unexposed runners will also be making the jump into the graded company, with Maymun, Indispensable, and Tessuto among the likely dangers to the market leader.
- Pick: Practical Move.
Wood Memorial
The Wood Memorial is also one of the top stakes races for April, and it will be over 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct. Like the Blue Grass Stakes, this race has enjoyed limited success in terms of producing Derby winners in the last 20 years, but a high-quality field will go to post for the 2024 edition on April 6.
Deterministic could be among the leading contenders for Christophe Clement after landing victory in the G3 Gotham Stakes on his previous start. Resilience could also hold interesting claims, despite finishing fourth in the G2 Risen Star.
However, Tuscan Sky could be the most interesting runner in this company on his stakes debut for Todd Pletcher. Uncle Heavy also brings in a different Derby prep form line after scoring in the G3 Withers Stakes.
- Pick: Tuscan Sky.
Grand National 2024
Coming up on April 13th is one of the most anticipated betting events of the year. Aintree in the United Kingdom is hosting the 2024 Grand National. With a sizable field set to take on the challenging four-mile distance, there will be 30 fences separating runners from the opportunity to etch their names among the legends of National Hunt racing.
Corach Rambler has a lot of qualities that make him a strong contender for the National. He finished third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last month and jumped well. Historically, runners that re-appear in the National have not performed well, but Corach Rambler’s recent performance suggests he could break that trend. I am Maximus, trained by Willie Mullins, succeeded at the Irish National last year and shouldn’t be far from the top
Comparatively, Vanillier enjoys a weight advantage over Corach Rambler this year and has received significant backing in the ante-post market. Galvin could be one of the most interesting horse racing predictions after being pointed toward the National throughout the season by Gordon Elliott.
- Pick: Galvin.
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