Fed Biz earned a dominant victory in a $58,000 allowance race on Feb. 9 at Santa Anita as one of Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert's top Kentucky Derby hopefuls.
Fed Biz won by 5-3/4 lengths while covering one mile in 1 minute, 34.74 seconds under Rafael Bejarano. He paid $3.40 as the 3-5 favorite.
The 3-year-old colt purchased for $950,000 has been established as a 20-1 shot in Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby future wager, which opens Friday and closes Sunday.
Asked how good he thought Fed Biz might be, Bejarano said, ''This is my Derby horse, buddy.''
Fed Biz won his first race, going one mile in his previous start.
''He's still a little green,'' Baffert said. ''When he hit the top of the stretch, he had his ears up and he didn't switch leads until real late. I'm glad I got a race into him. That's part of the process. You know he has the pedigree, and he has a lot of just natural talent.''
Baffert didn't specify a next start for Fed Biz, whose victory worth $34,800 increased his career earnings to $71,100, with two wins in three races.
''It's a long way to go,'' said Baffert, who has won the Kentucky Derby three times.
