Quality Road, beaten only once in four lifetime starts, has shot to the head of the Kentucky Derby betting after a convincing display in the G1 Florida Derby after overhauling the favourite Dunkirk at the top of the stretch. The Elusive Quality colt ran home the victor by a length and three-quarters and will head straight to Churchill Downs in five weeks time.
Trained by Jimmy Jerkens, Quality Road is raced by his breeder Edward Evans. He is out of the Strawberry Road mare Kobla. His Florida Derby success followed a four-and-a-quarter length win in the G2 Fountain Of Youth Stakes on 28 February.
Quality Road’s victory was the second Group/Grade One win by a Darley sire over the weekend as several hours earlier, Singspiel's son Eastern Anthem landed the Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba on World Cup night. Desert Party, a G2-winning son of Street Cry, just failed to peg back his Godolphin stablemate Regal Ransom in the G2 UAE Derby.
Elusive Quality will be represented by ten yearlings at the forthcoming Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney, which starts on 5 April.
