Stuart Janney III and Phipps Stable’s Orb galloped 1 1/2 miles
under exercise rider Jennifer Patterson Sunday morning at Churchill Downs.
“He was the most settled he’s been. He just stood quietly and took everything
in. He galloped around there with his head down, happy — still bucking and
playing, but happy,” Patterson said.
The Shug McGaughey-trained Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby winner
wintered in the country setting at Payson Park in Indiantown, Florida.
“Everything was so quiet there, especially at the end when absolutely nothing
was going on,” Patterson said. “Coming from Payson to here — to be honest, he’s
handled it really well, but today was the first day, he was just happy to stand
and look around. When he galloped, he was relaxed going to the pole.”
Orb is scheduled to breeze on Monday morning.
“I was glad today was such a relaxing day,” Patterson said.
Also set for Monday works are trainer D. Wayne Lukas’ Derby contenders, Oxbow
and Will Take Charge.
Oxbow,
under exercise rider Rudy Quevedo, and Will Take Charge, with exercise
rider Taylor Carty aboard, jogged Sunday morning at Churchill.
“They had four solid gallop days; I gave them a jog day to just freshen them a
little bit,” said Lukas, who trains Oxbow for Calumet Farm and Will Take Charge
for Willis Horton.
Jockey Gary Stevens, who was riding Oxbow for the first time when he finished
fifth in the Arkansas Derby, will work him, and Quevedo will work Will Take
Charge, Lukas said.
“I don’t care for the jocks to work horses,” he said. “Oxbow, it’s not for me.
It’s for Gary. I’m letting him try to get to know him a little better. I don’t
to have the jocks work them. It’s like giving them a Ferrari and telling them to
go out on the interstate here and don’t go over 40.”
Lukas said that during the training time reserved for Derby and Oaks horses, he
looks at the competition, but he declined to comment on specific rivals.
“I see four or five horses I think are really legit, and there’re some
pretenders, like every year,” Lukas said. “I wouldn’t offend any of these guys.
I get along with all of them.”
Looking at the other horses has on impact on strategy, he said.
“What they’ve
done in the past, they’ll do Saturday,” he said. “Everybody talks about, ‘Well,
we’re going to do this. We’re going to do that.’ But they’ll be doing what
they’ve been doing all along. Don’t worry.”
It was raining off and on Sunday. Although Will Take Charge lost by 18 lengths
in the Southwest on a sloppy track at Oaklawn Park, Lukas said he doesn’t
think a wet track would hamper him.
“I think he stumbled, got away bad that day. He wears blinkers. He got all that
slop in his face and everything, and I think he wasn’t seasoned enough to maybe
handle it. Don’t worry. He’s an Unbridled’s Song, and they usually handle wet. I
hope it’s dry, obviously.
“Oxbow doesn’t care — crushed glass, Coke bottles broke up, sawdust — he’ll run
on anything.”
Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com