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By My Standards pulled off a shocking 22-1 upset in the Grade 2, $1 million Louisiana Derby by 3/4 of a length over Spinoff, to secure his spot in the gate for the May 4, Kentucky Derby.
Ridden by Gabriel Saez, By My Standards settled in behind the front runners and saved precious ground on the rail, while 62-1 shot. Lemniscate went on with it through a 1/4 mile in 23.63 and a 1/2 mile in 47.68. At the top of the stretch, Sueno assumed the lead for a brief moment but Spinoff and By My Standards both went by that rival and pulled away from the field. By My Standards prevailed late over a stubborn Spinoff and Sueno held third while Country House rallied for fourth.
Trained by Bret Calhoun, By My Standards was a $150,000 purchase as a two-year-old and took four attempts to break his maiden but it seems like it was a pretty decent investment.
By My Standards completed the 1-1/8 mile in 1:49.53 under a perfectly timed ride by Saez. “What can I say,?” he said. “Perfect trip right off the bat. He broke right on top again, and I just kind of sat and saved as much horse as I can. When it was time to get running, it opened up perfectly for me on the rail, and he got the job done when I asked him to do it.”
As for 4/5 favorite War of Will, he broke flat-footed and then took a couple awkward steps out of the gate. After he seemed to recover and get his front legs going again, it looked like his back legs slipped a bit on the surface too. He never looked comfortable after the start and encountered heavy traffic throughout the race. He finished ninth but with his previous points towards the Kentucky Derby, we should still see him in Louisville in May providing he is alright. After the race trainer Mark Casse reported the horse was off. They will watch and evaluate him as he recovers from the race.
Results:
By My Standards $47.00 16.60 9.40
Spinoff 6.80 5.40
Sueno 6.00
Country House
$1 Exacta $165.90
.50-cent Tri $481.20
.10-cent Super $541.71
