Our Double Play will try to extend his win streak to three races when the Grand Slam colt faces six other 3-year-olds in the $250,000 Iowa Derby (gr. III) June 29 at Prairie Meadows.
J C M Racing's Our Double Play captured an allowance-optional claiming race May 4 at Churchill Downs before prepping for the Iowa Derby with a front-running score in the Prairie Mile Stakes June 1 at Prairie Meadows. Shane Laviolette, who guided Our Double Play to his first career stakes victory in the Prairie Mile, will be in the irons again for the Iowa Derby.
All seven horses in the Iowa Derby field are looking for the first graded stakes win of their careers. In fact, all seven qualify for a six-pound weight allowances.
The field also includes Prairie Mile runner-up Bashaar, a Shadwell Farm homebred; Jerry Durant's Betweenhereandcool, who has been saddled to back-to-back wins by two-time Iowa Derby winner Steve Asmussen; and Kaleem Shah's Manando, who is trained by three-time Iowa Derby winner Bob Baffert. Manando enters off a third-place finish in the Affirmed Handicap (gr. III) June 2 at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Baffert won the 2011 Iowa Derby with Prayer for Relief , the 2010 edition with Concord Point, and the 2000 renewal with Captain Steve. Asmussen won in 2006 with More Than Regal and in 2002 with Easyfromthegitgo.
$250,000 Iowa Derby (gr. III, race 7, approximate post time 9:18 p.m. CDT) 3YO, 1 1/16 miles
PP, Horse, Jockey, Trainer
1. Our Double Play (KY), S. Laviolette, K. G. McPeek
2. Kale's Korage (FL), G. W. Corbett, K. R. Von Hemel
3. Bashaar (KY), J. M. Johnson, D. C. Peitz
4. Betweenhereandcool (KY), R. Santana Jr., S. M. Asmussen
5. Manando (KY), M. Garcia, B. Baffert
6. Looking Cool (KY), L. R. Goncalves, C. A. Nafzger
7. Stormdriver (LA), R. Eikleberry, K. Eikleberry
All assigned 116 pounds.