The Saturday work at Keeneland for Spiral S. (Grade 3) winner Animal Kingdom in preparation for the Kentucky Derby (Grade 1) on May 7 “didn’t go as
planned” in the eyes of trainer Graham Motion as the colt was clocked in 1:02
4/5 from the half-mile pole to the seven-eighths in a steady rain.
“Unfortunately, his workmate (Meistersinger) struggled (this
morning),” Motion said. “My rider (David Nava) waited for him and finally went
on with it. I got him for five-eighths around 1:02.”
Clockers caught the two horses through a first quarter-mile in :30 with
Animal Kingdom then going :50 2/5 from the half-mile pole to the wire and then
an extra eighth in :12 2/5 over the Polytrack.
Motion initially planned to work Animal Kingdom at Churchill Downs on
Saturday, but with heavy rain in the forecast elected to remain at Keeneland to
work on the all-weather surface instead of taking a chance on the Churchill
track condition, which was sloppy on Saturday.
Despite overnight rainfall of 1.4 inches, and early morning storms which
forced the track to close for training for nearly an hour, 70 works were
recorded at Keeneland on Saturday.
“He will ship (to Churchill) Wednesday or Thursday,” Motion said about Animal
Kingdom. “I want him to gallop at least once over the track before working next
Saturday.”
Animal Kingdom worked five furlongs in :59 1/5 at Keeneland last Saturday in
what Motion described as an “ideal work. It was unfortunate that it didn’t work
out today, but he’ll be fine.”
Motion has another Kentucky Derby prospect in Toby’s Corner,
winner of the Wood Memorial S. (Grade 1). Currently stabled at Fair Hill Training
Center in Maryland, Toby’s Corner is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs on May
2 after a work the previous day.
A strong five-furlong work over a sloppy Churchill Downs track by Shackleford
on Saturday reinforced trainer Dale Romans’ belief that his colt is a strong
contender to win the Kentucky Derby. All Romans has to do is find a way to get
Shackleford into the Derby 137 starting gate.
Shackleford breezed five furlongs in 1:00 1/5. The training move under former
jockey Tammy Fox, which came just after the track maintenance break during a
special training session reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (Grade 1)
horses, was the fastest of nine works at the distance. Shackleford covered the
distance more than two seconds faster than the second-best work.
“I thought he worked as good as he could possibly work,” Romans said. “Now
we’ve just got one more work next Saturday and hope we get in.”
Shackleford covered the distance over the soggy track in fractional times of
:12, :23 4/5, :35 3/5 and :47 4/5. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.
While Shackleford is clearly doing well since his return to Churchill Downs,
his earnings total in graded stakes races remains a major concern for Romans.
The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 starters and in the case of an
overflow field of entries, which seems likely this year and almost every year,
preference is given to those with the highest earnings in graded stakes races.
Shackleford has collected $212,000 in graded earnings, which places him 22nd on
the current list of horses considered or possible for this year’s renewal of the
Run for the Roses.
The $200,000 Derby Trial S. (Grade 3) on April 30, opening night of
Churchill’s spring/summer meet, could provide a final opportunity for
Shackleford to boost those earnings, but Romans said it is not an option and
Shackleford was not nominated to run.
“We’re not going to do anything crazy,” Romans said. “If it’s going to
compromise our chances of winning (the Derby) we don’t want to be in there. If
we don’t get in, we’ll wait for the (May 21) Preakness S. (Grade 1).”
Romans found himself in a similar position last year with First Dude, who was
training exceptionally well for Romans but was not entered in the Kentucky Derby
because of insufficient graded stakes earnings. He ran a close second to
eventual three-year-old champion Lookin at Lucky in the Preakness two weeks
after that Derby.
“It’s frustrating because I think a lot of people are going to run because
they have the earnings and they can get in, whether they should or shouldn’t,”
Romans said. “I think we’re a legitimate contender if we get in.”
In other Kentucky Derby news:
A trio of Kentucky Derby contenders is set to work on Sunday at Churchill
Downs, although weather could be an issue as rain is forecast to continue in the
region over the next few days.
Risen Star S. (Grade 2) winner Much Macho Man, Gotham S. (Grade 3) winner
Stay Thirsty and Spiral runner-up Decisive Moment are expected to work during
Sunday’s Derby/Oaks training session at approximately 8:30 a.m. (EDT). All three
horses galloped during Saturday.
Pants on Fire, winner of the Louisiana Derby (Grade 2), is set for a Sunday
arrival at Churchill Downs after working five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 on Saturday
at Florida’s Palm Meadows Training Center.
Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan will ride Santiva in the Kentucky Derby. The Eddie
Kenneally trainee won the Kentucky Jockey Club S. (Grade 2) last fall at
Churchill Downs, but finished ninth as the favorite in the Blue Grass S. (Grade
1). Santiva galloped over the sloppy track on Saturday, as the did the Bob
Baffert-trained pair of The Factor and Midnight Interlude.