American Pharoah, One Lucky Dane drill for Derby preps

American Pharoah was caught galloping out six furlongs in 1:10 4/5 for the Arkansas Derby (Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com) American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), the cleanup hitter in Bob Baffert’s Murderers’ Row lineup of Triple Crown contenders, worked five furlongs at Santa Anita Sunday morning in :58 3/5 for the April 11 Arkansas Derby (G1), while One Lucky Dane (Lookin at Lucky), flying below the radar until his mile allowance romp by nearly 10 lengths, went six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 under Rafael Bejarano, who has the mount in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby (G1). One Lucky Dane worked in company with Whiskey Ticket, who also clocked 1:13 2/5. Santa Anita clockers caught American Pharoah in fractions of :23 2/5, :47 1/5 and :58 3/5, with a gallop out time of 1:10 4/5. “Pharoah went really nice,” Baffert said. “He just cruised around there. One Lucky Dane went really nice, he looked really good. He was finishing up nice, so it looks like the race (on March 19) didn’t take anything out of him.” Bad Read Sanchez (Warrior’s Reward), who figures to be an outsider, also worked Sunday, going five furlongs from the gate in :59 1/5 in company with One More (Holy Bull). Mario Gutierrez was aboard for trainer Doug O’Neill, who has won the Santa Anita Derby twice in the last three years, with Goldencents in 2013 and I’ll Have Another in 2012.

“We got him in :59 and three,” O’Neill said. “He looked great, good energy,
so we’re excited. It’s exactly what we were looking for.”

Probable for the 1 1/8-mile Santa Anita Derby, one of six stakes on a
blockbuster card next Saturday that includes the Santa Anita Oaks (G1): Dortmund
(Big Brown), Martin Garcia; Prospect Park (Tapit), Kent Desormeaux; Bolo (Temple
City), Mike Smith; One Lucky Dane, Bejarano; Cross the Line (Line of David),
Juan Hernandez; and Bad Read Sanchez, Gutierrez.

Jerry Hollendorfer said California Derby winner and El Camino Real Derby (G3)
runner-up Cross the Line is scheduled to work a half-mile Tuesday morning at
Santa Anita.

“We’re planning on running,” Hollendorfer said. “We’re going to blow him out
Tuesday.”

Juan Hernandez, the third-leading rider at Golden Gate with 53 wins through
Saturday, has ridden Cross the Line in his last three races, two of them
victories, and retains the mount in the Santa Anita Derby.

The first 10,000 THOROUGHBREDS members in attendance at Santa Anita on Derby
Day will be offered free an exclusive 2015 Santa Anita Derby Day T-shirt while
supplies last. First post time for the 11-race program is noon (PDT). Gates open
at 10 a.m.

Santa Anita offers a $750,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4 pool and a $300,000
guaranteed Pick 6 pool on Santa Anita Derby Day.

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