Ocho Ocho Ocho blows out three furlongs; Derby duo try Churchill’s main track

Ocho Ocho Ocho blows out three furlongs; Derby duo try
Churchill’s main track

Ocho Ocho Ocho blew out three furlongs at Churchill on Wednesday (Rickelle Nelson/Horsephotos.com) Delta Jackpot S. (G3) hero Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense) had an easy three-furlong breeze in :38 2/5 under exercise rider Amie Williams on Wednesday at Churchill Downs ahead of Saturday’s 141st running of the $2 million Kentucky Derby (G1). “Got a little something out of it,” trainer Jim Cassidy said. “I didn’t want anything too aggressive and I thought she did a good job.” “He’s got a huge stride for a little horse and feels awesome,” Williams said of Ocho Ocho Ocho. “He just floats across the ground. He wanted to keep on going and I kind of had to bring him down a little bit. His ears were pricked the whole work, he was really happy.” The dark bay visited the paddock during Tuesday’s races without incident. “He’s good-minded,” Cassidy stated. Wood Memorial (G1) winner Frosted (Tapit) and Grade 2 victor Upstart (Flatter) made their initial morning training appearances at Churchill on Wednesday. The two colts had arrived from South Florida Tuesday afternoon.

Frosted galloped 1 3/8 miles
under exercise rider Rob Massey Wednesday morning. He put in his final major
move for the Derby on April 25 when breezing five furlongs in 1:01 at Palm
Meadows.

“We’ll do the same tomorrow, but we might
go to the paddock and go to the gate,” trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said.

Frosted needed a nap after his morning tour of Churchill Downs (Lauren J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) Following the morning activity, McLaughlin made the short walk from Barn 42 to the barn of Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas for a photo opportunity that brought together Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer, and five former assistants. McLaughlin was joined by Todd Pletcher, Mike Maker, George Weaver and Dallas Stewart, who all entered horses in the Kentucky Derby Wednesday, to pay tribute to their former boss. “Wayne, not only was he a great coach and teacher on the racetrack, he also mentored me off the racetrack. I feel blessed to be with him early in life and see how he behaved and acted. It’s helped us all in life,” McLaughlin said. “He’s a special individual.” Upstart stretched his legs during a morning gallop under exercise rider Vicki King Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs. “It was a normal, regular gallop for him. She picked a good spot for him. There wasn’t a lot of action when she turned around to gallop,” trainer Rick Violette Jr. said. “He’s a pretty cool character. He takes everything in.”

Upstart raced three times at Gulfstream Park
this year, winning the Holy Bull S. (G2), finishing first in the Fountain of Youth
S. (G2) before being disqualified and placed second, and checking in second behind
Materiality (Afleet Alex) in the Florida Derby (G1).

“Between racetracks and trips, it hasn’t been
ideal as far as results. But, still, only one horse beat us all winter,” Violette said. “He’s run fast enough to win the Derby, numbers-wise,
sheets-wise, and he’s trained great coming into this. I don’t think I could
change anything for the bettor, if I wanted to.”

Upstart took in the sights under the Twin Spires on Wednesday (Lauren J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) Violette said he thought Upstart is being underestimated. “I think because of the slowness of the racetrack in Florida on both Florida Derby Day and Fountain of Youth Day, it was kind of easy for people to dismiss them as slow horses,” Violette explained. “When those slow horses finish 10 and 12 (lengths) in front of the field, and the field is OK — and when Frosted goes and wins the Wood Memorial after (a fourth-place Fountain of Youth finish) — you have to put things in perspective.” Grade 2 scorer El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) went to the racetrack Wednesday morning for the first time since arriving from New York early Monday morning, getting reacquainted with the racing surface over which he scored one of his most important victories last fall. “He went out for a jog. Everything went great. Perfect. He was full of energy,” trainer John Terranova said. “He got a view of the track again, and on we go.” Exercise rider Simon Harris was aboard for the morning activity as the gray colt took a spin around the same track over which he posted a front-running victory in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) last fall. “He was striding out great. He was looking around at everything. He handled the track beautifully,” Harris said.

In other Kentucky Derby news:

A surprise horse joined the possible Kentucky Derby field when Tale of Verve
(Tale of Ekati) was entered Wednesday
morning by trainer Dallas Stewart.

Tale of Verve, whose only victory came in a maiden race at
Keeneland in his most recent start on April 23, ranks 22nd in Derby qualifying
points, with 0, among the 22 horses entered. He’ll be the second also-eligible
runner when post positions are drawn later Wednesday, and won’t draw into the
race unless two horses are scratched before 9 a.m. (EDT) Friday.

“I know it’s a longshot for him to get in the race, but
we’ll still get a shot,” Stewart said.

The colt’s victory at a long distance and his affinity for
the Churchill Downs surface were reasons for wanting to take a shot at the
Derby, Stewart said.

Tale
of Verve has only run in maiden races, two last year and four this year. The
Keeneland race was at 1 3/16 miles and he won by two lengths.

“The horse had two nice works here (at Churchill Downs)
going into that race, and he’s trained phenomenal after the race,” Stewart
said.

Tale of Verve worked five furlongs April 5 in :59 2/5
seconds, the fastest of 21 workouts at the distance that day under the Twin
Spires. On April 12, he
worked five furlongs in :59 4/5, the second-fastest workout of 38 at the distance.

“He’s won going farther than any horse in America except that horse from
Dubai,” Stewart said. “It was a mile and three-sixteenths. The other (horses’)
races were a mile and an eighth. They were better races, don’t get me wrong, but
he’s a fit, sound horse.”

While Tale of Verve will attempt to make the field, Grade 1-placed Bold
Conquest (Curlin), wasn’t entered Wednesday by trainer Steve Asmussen. The
chestnut colt stood 22nd in Derby qualifying points as of Tuesday, but Asmussen said Wednesday morning that he and
the owners talked Tuesday night and made the decision to withdraw the colt from
consideration. Bold Conquest was fifth in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in his most
recent effort.

Trainer Mike Maker also confirmed Wednesday that Spiral S. (G3) third-placer Firespike
(Flower Alley), 24th on the Road to the
Kentucky Derby points leaderboard, would not be entered in the Derby and instead
will go in Saturday’s $250,000 American Turf S. (G2).

For the full Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) tracknotes for April 29,
please click
here.

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