Trainer Art Sherman, coming on strong despite running on very little sleep,
Both trainer and horse had jetted in from their Southern California
The California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit backtracked all the way around the
“He shipped good and he’s doing good, just like we thought,” Art Sherman said
Sherman said he’d have his horse back to galloping Wednesday, though he
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“He’s plenty fit to run,” the trainer said. “It’s mostly schooling now;
getting him used to the place.”
Sherman belayed his 77 years by working on about five or six hours sleep over
The whole California Chrome saga has just gone from good karma to better
Even the seemingly bad luck turns to good for the “Chrome Boys,” as Art
“So my wife Faye and I were flying on Southwest out of L.A. yesterday and
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“So we get on the plane and we’re all sitting together and we’re telling
stories. And I mean to tell you this crew of guys can spin stories with the best
of them. I can’t tell you half the tales that were told, but there were some
beauties. We are laughing and laughing and laughing. It was a riot. The people
on the plane around us couldn’t believe how much fun we were having.
“And then, to cap it all off, as we’re starting to come into Louisville,
Ronnie jumps up and gives a call of the Kentucky Derby. It was terrific; the man
should be a race caller. And he knew his audience. He had the race between
California Chrome, Hoppertunity (Smith’s mount) and Candy Boy (Stevens’ mount).
And he takes us right up to the finish as the plane’s coming in and he says:
‘And it’s too close to call at the wire!’ Oh, I’m telling you the whole plane
loved it. Everyone was cheering. And it was the best plane ride I’d ever had.”
In other Kentucky Derby news:
Starlight Racing and Skychai Racing’s General a Rod worked a half-mile
“I never worked him in the morning, and Mike asked me to be on him, and yeah,
Rosario won last year’s Derby aboard Orb.
My Meadowview Farm’s Samraat went to the track for the first time Tuesday
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“It was almost like he was beamed here,” Violette quipped and said the son of
Noble Causeway out of the Indian Charlie mare Little Indian Girl handled the
journey well. “He was squealing and throwing his head walking around here after
we got unpacked. He likes traveling.”
Samraat and Uncle Sigh will be the ninth and 10th New York-breds to run in
the Derby since Funny Cide became the first winner from the Empire State in
2003. Violette noted that Funny Cide also finished second in the Wood.
“It’s a horse race. This is a real horse,” Violette said. “He’s beat all but
one horse in six starts. I think he’s a high-quality horse, period, as is Gary
Contessa’s horse, Uncle Sigh. It’s a little bit of a different breed than it
might have been years ago.”
That difference, Violette said, is that the New York program has continued to
improve.
“I just think New York-breds and the breeders have stepped up their game,” he
Trainer Todd Pletcher chose to go light on his quartet of Derby contenders (Danza,
In light of his “audible” call, Pletcher was asked about instructions and
“Overall, I don’t like to give riders too many instructions,” the trainer
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“But I realize that races often don’t come up the way you think they will.
And that’s why you’ve got to leave room for that ‘audible’ by a rider. I’ve got
to have trust in my riders that they’ll do the right thing. And they’ve got to
have trust in me to understand that things don’t always go as you’ve planned.
“In the case of a race like the Derby, the situation changes because of the
multiple entries. With a regular race where I’d only have one runner going, you
can talk your strategy in the paddock. But with the Derby, the paddock is just
too busy. I talk to my riders ahead of time then, leaving me time to deal with
all there is to do in the paddock that day.”
Pletcher’s four riders for the Derby are Joe Bravo (Danza), John Velazquez
(Intense Holiday), Javier Castellano (We Miss Artie) and Joe Rocco Jr. (Vinceremos).
Asmussen was pleased with Tapiture a day after the colt breezed four furlongs
“I’m very happy to get it in,” Asmussen said. “I loved how he moved over it.
Asmussen typically does not ask much of his workers in their final work
“He’s got a beautiful stride to him,” the trainer said. “He’s an extremely
Chitu schooled in the gate and jogged about a mile for Hall of Fame trainer
Meanwhile Hoppertunity walked the morning after his final pre-Derby work,
“I do a lot of gate (schooling); the gate is very important here,” Baffert
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Wildcat Red returned to the Churchill Downs racetrack Tuesday morning for a
strong 1 1/8-mile gallop under exercise rider Juan Belmonte.
“The way he went today was amazing. I’m very happy with it,” trainer Jose
Garoffalo said. “We’re still very optimistic.”
The Fountain of Youth and Hutcheson winner had walked the shedrow Monday
morning after breezing five furlongs in 1:04 2/5 at Churchill Sunday morning.
“It seems he likes the track. I saw a big difference between today and
Sunday,” Garoffalo said of the Florida Derby runner-up. “He’s full of himself.”
Ride On Curlin galloped Tuesday under exercise rider Bryan Beccia for trainer
Billy Gowan. Gowan is quick to praise the legendary trainer Jack Van Berg for
bringing him up in the business. Gowan completed an internship under Van Berg as
the final requirement for Gowan to receive an equine degree from Louisiana Tech.
He wound up working 4 1/2 years for Van Berg.
“He makes you learn,” Gowan said. “He wants you to learn. Where a lot of
people won’t tell you anything, Jack, he will explain stuff to you. He’ll feel
the horse’s legs, and he’ll make you feel the horse’s legs, and he’ll ask you,
‘What did you feel?’ And then, if you don’t see what he sees, he’ll call you a
dumbass, and he’ll show you what it is. You just learn.
“And I remember one time we were going to look at horses’ legs, walking down,
he’d check 60 horses’ legs every morning. And the grooms had to stand there with
the webbings open, and he’d go in there and check them, and there was a note
pad, and he’d write down what to do them up in — ice, this, blah, blah. blah. I
walked in there one morning, probably about half-asleep or whatever. He slapped
me on the back and he said: ‘You look at that horse when you walk in that stall.
See what you see.’ It’s attention to detail. And he would explain
everything…We’d be out on the pony. I galloped a lot of horses for him. And
he’d tell you about times, or why you do this, or why you gallop this way.
Always just telling you. Always teaching. He loved to teach.”
Medal Count galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Faustino Aguilar during
the Oaks and Derby training session. Prior to the exercise, the Blue Grass
Stakes runner-up stood motionless by the half-mile gap for five minutes,
enjoying another opportunity to acclimate to his surroundings.
“Everything went fine,” trainer Dale Romans said.
Medal Count could be the last Derby starter by Dynaformer, the hugely
influential stallion who died two years ago today — April 29, 2012.
“I think he was a very good sire,” Romans said. “If we could get a good
Dynaformer colt in the breeding shed I think it would be important for the
future of racing. Those are good, rugged, hearty horses”
Dynaformer most famously sired ill-fated 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.
Trainer John Sadler sent his Kentucky Derby charge Candy Boy to the track
Tuesday morning just as the special Derby/Oaks training period began following
the mid-morning renovation break. Exercise rider Jelani Grant was at the
controls and steered the husky colt through a strong gallop of 1 1/2 miles on
the big Churchill oval. Back at Barn 43 afterwards, Sadler was pleased with the
exercise for his son of Candy Ride and said everything was moving forward in
their quest for honors in Derby 140.
“He’s doing well here,” Sadler said. “Tomorrow and Thursday, I’ll stand him
in the gate. He’ll school with horses for the first race this afternoon.”
When Robby Albarado commited to ride Medal Count in this Derby, veteran
jockey Shaun Bridgmohan landed the mount on Commanding Curve for trainer Dallas
Stewart.
“It’s always nice to ride in the Derby,” said Bridgmohan, who will be riding
in his sixth Derby. His best finish was sixth on Santiva on 2011.
Bridgmohan called Commanding Curve “a very improving three-year-old that’s
coming into himself at the right time.”
“Definitely, the distance is in his favor,” Bridgmohan said. “He’s such a
kind horse. He does everything nice and easy.”