Upstart aims to upset Derby cart from post 19

Ralph Evans and WinStar Farm’s Upstart may have not drawn the best spot when he was assigned post 19 for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), but that doesn’t mean that the graded stakes-winning colt has an impossible task.

Trainer Rick Violette, who is seeking his first Derby victory, put a positive spin on the lead-up to the Run for the Roses.

“The way I look at it is: my job the next three days is to convince (jockey) Jose Ortiz it’s the best spot in the gate. My job the next three days is to convince Jose Ortiz that it’s the exact post position we wanted.”

Upstart has trained with gusto in the past few weeks, firing a pair of bullets in his past two works. Remarkably consistent, Upstart has never been worse than third in seven starts, with first-place finishes in both the Holy Bull S. (G2) and Fountain of Youth S. (G2) (a race in which he was disqualified to second). Overall, his mark stands at 3-3-1 with earnings of $971,480.

Post time for Saturday’s Classic is 6:24 p.m. ET.