De Kock ‘blown away’ by Derby experience

Mugtaahij is taking the Derby hoopla in stride (Lauren J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

U.A.E.
Derby (UAE-G2) winner Mubtaahij (Dubawi) “cantered one mile, or galloped, as you’d say,”
trainer Mike de Kock reported of Wednesday morning’s exercise after the
renovation break. Jockey Christophe Soumillon, who has the return mount in
Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (G1), was aboard as the bay colt took a spin around
Churchill Downs.

“I might give him a little blowout tomorrow,” de Kock added. “We’ll see if he
eats well again. I might let him stretch his legs for three furlongs. He was
quite alert taking everything in this morning. It was like he’d been here every
day. Head down, relaxed, chilled. He’s got a good mind and doesn’t get too fazed
by anything.”

The Irish-bred colt has been among the most
popular horses for the growing throngs of visitors. Every step Mubtaahij makes
in the morning — from the track to his bath — seems to be chronicled by dozens
of fans, photographers and journalists.

“I thought it would (bother me) but it actually hasn’t,” de Kock said. “I
understand it and I get it — the media have their job to do and it’s good for
the sport that the man on the street can get that close to the horses and the
big players in the industry. I think it’s good to keep the sport strong.”

Even de Kock, who has won nearly 100 Group 1 events at many
of the most prestigious race meets around the globe, wasn’t fully prepared for
the hoopla that surrounds the Kentucky Derby.

“I’m blown away,” he admitted. “I expected it to be big, but
not this big. You get told about it, you read it, but until you experience it,
you don’t really know.

Tencendur munched on some grass a few days before his date with destiny (Lauren J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Birsh watched the bustle
around Barn 42 that is the temporary home of several Derby runners and watched
his colt gallop once around the track under exercise rider Blair Golen.

Birsh is a New York City resident who has owned
Thoroughbreds for 25 years. He is the president and CEO of Playbill, which
publishes the monthly theatrical magazine that is the program for most Broadway
shows and many entertainment events across the country.

“It’s a really remarkable experience,” Birsh, 57, said. “The Kentucky Derby
has such a place in American culture and to be just a part of it is truly a
gift. I and my family are so excited.”

Birsh is no stranger to Churchill Downs, but Tencendur is
his first Derby runner. The bay colt earned his
qualifying points with a second-place finish in the Wood Memorial (G1) on April
4.

“I’ve raced here. I’ve won here. I’ve been to the Derby many times and I must
say that is better,” Birsh said.

With a Derby runner, Birsh had access for the
first time to what goes on in the barn area and around the backside on the days
leading up to the race. The normally quiet space is loaded with horsemen,
spectators and media. A few feet away from where Birsh and his farm manager,
Mike Tobin, were standing Firing Line (Line of David) was being bathed and de Kock was in the midst of a television interview.