At Palm Meadows on Saturday, Florida Derby (G1) runner-up DUNKIRK (Unbridled’s
Song) worked five furlongs in 1:01.05 on the fast track, posting his final major
work in advance of next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1). The Todd Pletcher
trainee turned in the fastest of four moves at the distance.
Dunkirk worked in company with multiple Grade 1-placed stablemate Munnings (Speightstown),
who finished up in 1:01.25.
“I was very, very pleased with the work,” Pletcher said. “I caught him
(Dunkirk) in splits of :12 4/5, :24 4/5, :36 4/5 and 1:01, and I had him
galloping out (six furlongs) in 1:14 2/5. He started out about a length and a
half or two lengths behind the other horse, then he finished up about a
half-length ahead. It was a very good move for him.”
The four-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer said he
couldn’t be happier with the way his $3.7 million yearling was coming up to
Derby 135.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the way things have gone as he’s come up to
this race,” Pletcher said. “Everything has fallen into place. Every one of his
works has taken place when we wanted it to and they have all come off the way we
hoped. He’s coming up to the race right and we’re feeling very good about him.
We couldn’t be happier.”
Pletcher said Dunkirk would fly from Florida to Louisville, Kentucky, on
Tuesday. Pletcher himself was coming to Louisville late Sunday.
At Churchill Downs, five Kentucky Derby contenders recorded works on the fast
track.
Regal Ransom blitzed in a bullet :59 1/5, while Desert Party zipped in :59
Regal Ransom was first out shortly after the track opened at 6 a.m. (EDT).
Desert Party came out without a pony after the renovation break. The
Chapman, who has been wearing a finger watch for 10 years when working
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“They both worked nicely this morning,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. “They
are really in good form here and that is a good sign. They will walk tomorrow,
jog Monday and then gallop up to the race. They both may go to the gate and
paddock one time next week.
“Regal Ransom goes out with a pony because he is always keen in the morning.
Desert Party is more laid back and relaxed and always easy to train.”
The works were the second for each at Churchill Downs. Regal Ransom worked
five furlongs in :59 4/5 and Desert Party went in 1:00 1/5 last Saturday.
Desert Party and Regal Ransom will represent the sixth and seven Kentucky
Derby starters for Godolphin. They had three starts in Dubai before shipping to
Churchill Downs and only one of the stable’s previous starters had had more:
Curule, who had four starts in Dubai in 2000 before running seventh here.
“They are fit and ready to go,” bin Suroor said in explaining why this year
may be different than in previous Derby attempts. “There will be no excuses for
our horses.”
Illinois Derby (G2) winner MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska) had his final Kentucky
Derby breeze Saturday morning, and the move was a little more exciting than
trainer Derek Ryan would have liked.
“A horse crossed in front of him when he broke off,” Ryan said, “and that got
him a little excited. Then, near the eighth-pole, some guy going the wrong way
of the track ducked over toward the rail. A little excitement, but no big deal.
Nothing happened.”
With Derby jockey Eibar Coa aboard, Musket Man broke off at the 5 1/2-furlong
pole and breezed straight through the wire to the 15/16ths pole. He was credited
with a move of five furlongs in 1:01 3/5, galloping out the six furlongs in 1:14
4/5.
“It was a good work, just what we wanted,” Ryan said. “I didn’t want him to
do too much a week before the race.”
This was the second time Musket Man had worked over the Churchill Downs
strip, having breezed six furlongs in 1:13 last Saturday.
“I was happy with him today, and I know Coa was more impressed this morning
than he was last week,” Ryan said.
“I was happy with him this morning,” Coa said. “He was more aggressive than
usual, I think because that horse crossed in front of us when we broke off. He’s
usually a very quiet horse.”
Musket Man has now won stakes at 1 1/16 miles (the Tampa Bay Derby [G3]) and
1 1/8 miles (the Illinois Derby) in his past two starts. Ryan, who is
participating in his first Derby, has no doubts the colt can get 1 1/4 miles.
“I’ve been hearing about his distance limitations since October,” the trainer
said. “So far he’s handled every track and every distance. He’s improved off his
last start each time, and each race he gets a little better.”
Coa rode Musket Man for the first time in the Illinois Derby and has been
impressed since.
“He’s an easy horse to ride,” Coa said. “He’ll sit behind horses and wait. He
runs better with a target. He’ll have plenty of targets Saturday.”
“The main goal was just to get him tired,” Stute said of Saturday’s drill,
“He broke off kind of fast and got a little ‘late’.”
Exercise rider Mundo Gonzalez was aboard for the workout and had a few
“With him,” Stute said, “I always take him with a pony. He gets to feeling
Fitness should not be a question with Papa Clem, who has rattled off four
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“He had trouble on the first turn and got dirt in his face,” Stute said of
the Oaklawn experience. “Everything wasn’t just handed to him. He had to work
for it.”
Papa Clem will walk the shedrow for the next two days and is expected to
return to the track Tuesday morning.
“I told ‘Stew’ to go in :48, so it was just what I wanted,” trainer Kelly
“The track has been kind of dull, so I think that was a very good work. And
“He got something out of the work without knocking himself out. The time was
Breen, who will be saddling his first Kentucky Derby starter, said that West
This was the first recorded breeze West Side Bernie has put in since he
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“I want to have a sharp horse in the Derby,” Breen said. “That’s why he
worked a half-mile.”
Elliott, who won the Derby aboard Smarty Jones in 2004, said he thought the
work was perfect.
“He went just like we wanted him to,” the rider said. “A very good work.”
And was the rider happy to be back at Churchill Downs?
“Thrilled,” he said. “It’s great to have a horse in the Derby.”