Essential Quality 2-1 Derby Choice from Post 14

Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox has remained cool in preparing his two horses, Essential Quality  and Mandaloun , for the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve, but the nerves finally arrived April 27 during the late-morning post-position draw for the 1 1/4-mile classic at Churchill Downs.

With 17 of the 20 horses already having been assigned posts during the random draw, but with Essential Quality still unassigned and the dreaded inside post in the Kentucky Derby still one of three left, his nerves were on edge.

Then he breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Known Agenda  had drawn the inside, a position from which no horse has won the Derby since Ferdinand  in 1986. This left Godolphin's Essential Quality, the projected Derby favorite, poised to grab preferred starting positions in either post 14 or 16. Seconds later, he drew 14, and longshot King Fury  landed the 16, the final assigned position.

Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun  received his post moments earlier and will start from post 7.

"An anxious five minutes, more than I wanted to experience this early in the week," Cox said. "It worked out for us. I'm content with the 14 hole for Essential Quality, and obviously Mandaloun with the 7. We've got good spots, good jocks, and hopefully, we can get good trips."

He wasn't alone in feeling nervous. Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin USA, shared similar feelings before the relief of drawing 14.

"Historically you just want to be somewhere in the middle, give yourself a chance," he said. "The race will be tough enough on its own. You don't need (it) to get tough before it starts."

The gray Essential Quality will try to emulate 2016 Derby winner Nyquist  , and look to wear the roses as an unbeaten juvenile champion.

Already an earner of $2,265,144, Essential Quality enters the Derby off a score in the April 3 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2). The last Blue Grass winner to win the Derby was Strike the Gold in 1991. The last Blue Grass participant to score in the Derby was Street Sense   in 2007 after a runner-up finish in the Blue Grass.

Todd Pletcher, a two-time Derby winner, can only hope the inside works out for Known Agenda, the Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) winner. 

Asked what his immediate reaction was, the stoic Pletcher quipped: "I started weeping, openly."

He did not, but admitted post 1 is a "less-than-ideal place to start."

Though the inside has produced eight Derby winners, most of them came during an era when shorter fields in the race were the norm. The Derby has an average field size of almost 19 horses this century, which can result in inside-drawn horses becoming intimidated or pinched back as other Derby runners are angled toward the inside.

That disadvantage could be limited by Churchill Downs' 20-horse starting gate, which was used for the first time last year, though only 15 horses raced in the Derby. Churchill previously used two gates for its signature race, relying on its main gate for the first 14 runners and an auxiliary gate for the remaining horses. 

Not having the space between gates results in the field being less spread out, meaning a horse starting from the rail will be starting from what might have previously been the three path, according to starter Scott Jordan. Conversely, a horse in post 20 begins where the 17 or 18 post might have been during the two-gate setup.

"I mean there is a little less concern now with the new starting gate where you actually have some room to go somewhere into the first turn. But you risk that the potential of getting shuffled way back," said Pletcher.

He noted that Known Agenda, a son of Curlin   owned by St. Elias Stable, was comfortable racing inside during the early stages of the Florida Derby, showing more professionalism than he had in his races as a 2-year-old and before adding blinkers.

Three-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., seeking his first Kentucky Derby, rides Known Agenda, while Luis Saez is aboard Essential Quality. Saez nearly won the 2019 Derby, but his mount, Maximum Security  , was disqualified from first and placed 17th for interference.

Known Agenda is the morning-line third choice with odds of 6-1.

Pletcher trainees bookend Saturday's field with Calumet Farm's Bourbonic  landing post 20. Pletcher also has two other starters: Sainthood  (5) and Dynamic One  (11).

Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World  was installed as the second choice on the morning line with odds of 5-1. The Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner drew post 15, what would have previously been the first stall filled in the auxiliary gate.

"It was a good draw for us. I think we wanted to be outside," said trainer John Sadler. "That's usually where you have a little clearer trip. He's got tactical speed and we'll just see how it shakes out. But overall we're pleased with the draw."

Post 15 has produced six Kentucky Derby winners, including last year's victor Authentic  , who broke from the outside, and eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah   in 2015. Jockey Joel Rosario, who will pilot Rock Your World Saturday, won the Kentucky Derby from post 15 aboard Orb   in 2013.

The fourth morning-line choice is Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and Bill Strauss' Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Hot Rod Charlie , who was listed as 8-1. Connections cheered when the Doug O'Neill trainee drew post 9.

"We decided we were going to give it a pump no matter what post we drew. But we're delighted with the 9. It's a real good post," O'Neill said. "And the way they load this field, it means we won't be standing in the gate very long. They'll put us in, then one other, and we're gone. We're really happy with it."

Trainer Mark Casse will send out two starters Saturday: D. J. Stable's Helium  and Live Oak Plantation's Soup and Sandwich . They will break from posts 12 and 19, respectively. Helium was assigned 50-1 morning-line odds and Soup and Sandwich received 30-1 morning-line odds.

Casse assistant David Carroll said post 12 was "perfect" for Helium and that they would rather be outside than inside. Two years ago, the Casse team drew post 1 with War of Will  .

Julien Leparoux will ride Helium, who is undefeated in three starts topped by the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G2). Soup and Sandwich, who will have Tyler Gaffalione up, won his first two starts and was second in the Florida Derby after posting a :47.73 half-mile.

"We're very happy with the positions. Twelve's a great draw for Helium. We didn't want to be stuck down inside because both colts are relatively lightly raced. This will be their fourth start, so 12's a great position," Carroll said. "Soup and Sandwich is another horse that's very immature but learning on the job. Really a horse we didn't want to see stuck down on the inside. Tyler's got the whole stretch to get position. Hopefully he'll break well and by the time he gets to the first turn, he'll have got his position and go from there. But we'd much rather have him outside and inside. Once we didn't get the 1 hole we were very happy."

Joining Cox, Pletcher, and Casse with multiple horses, trainer Steve Asmussen starts Midnight Bourbon  (10) and Super Stock  (18).

"I am 0-for-21 in the Derby, but with two second-place finishes—one from the 1 hole and one from the 20 hole. So you walk away not liking those posts that day but they worked out being very good trips from them," Asmussen said. "It's a very competitive field. It will be very interesting to see who is where early—loading 20, how you get away from the gates, and what happens after that will let us know a lot more than what posts they come out from."

Television coverage of Derby day will be on NBCSN from 12:30-2:30 p.m. ET, then the action moves to NBC from 2:30-7:30 p.m. Post time for the Derby is approximately 6:57 p.m.

Entries: Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)

Churchill Downs, Saturday, May 01, 2021, Race 12

• Grade I
• 1 1/4m
• Dirt
• $3,000,000
• 3 yo
• 6:57 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Known Agenda (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	126	Todd A. Pletcher	6/1
2	2Like the King (KY)	Drayden Van Dyke	126	Wesley A. Ward	50/1
3	3Brooklyn Strong (NY)	UMBERTO RISPOLI	126	Daniel Velazquez	50/1
4	4Keepmeinmind (KY)	David Cohen	126	Robertino Diodoro	50/1
5	5Sainthood (KY)	Corey J. Lanerie	126	Todd A. Pletcher	50/1
6	6O Besos (KY)	Marcelino Pedroza	126	Gregory D. Foley	20/1
7	7Mandaloun (KY)	Florent Geroux	126	Brad H. Cox	15/1
8	8Medina Spirit (FL)	John R. Velazquez	126	Bob Baffert	15/1
9	9Hot Rod Charlie (KY)	Flavien Prat	126	Doug F. O'Neill	8/1
10	10Midnight Bourbon (KY)	Mike E. Smith	126	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
11	11Dynamic One (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	126	Todd A. Pletcher	20/1
12	12Helium (KY)	Julien R. Leparoux	126	Mark E. Casse	50/1
13	13Hidden Stash (KY)	Rafael Bejarano	126	Victoria H. Oliver	50/1
14	14Essential Quality (KY)	Luis Saez	126	Brad H. Cox	2/1
15	15Rock Your World (KY)	Joel Rosario	126	John W. Sadler	5/1
16	16King Fury (KY)	Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr.	126	Kenneth G. McPeek	20/1
17	17Highly Motivated (KY)	Javier Castellano	126	Chad C. Brown	10/1
18	18Super Stock (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	126	Steven M. Asmussen	30/1
19	19Soup and Sandwich (FL)	Tyler Gaffalione	126	Mark E. Casse	30/1
20	20Bourbonic (KY)	Kendrick Carmouche	126	Todd A. Pletcher	30/1