At Churchill Downs, assistant trainer Mike McCarthy had two of trainer Todd
Pletcher’s candidates for the 135th Kentucky Derby (G1) out for exercise early
on a beautiful morning beneath the Twin Spires.
With the first set, shortly after the track opened at 6 a.m. (EDT), Tampa Bay
Derby (G3) runner-up JOIN IN THE DANCE (Sky Mesa) and exercise rider Kevin
Willey took a 1 3/8-mile tour of the oval, galloping along in the dark with only
a few other Thoroughbreds joining them.
At about 6:30, Willey switched tack to Lexington S. (G2) winner ADVICE
(Chapel Royal) and took him roughly the same distance. They had more company on
the big strip for their leg-stretching just as daylight began to arrive on the
scene.
Pletcher was scheduled to fly from Florida on Sunday and oversee Derby
preparations for Join in the Dance and Advice, which will include works for each
on Monday. Advice is slated to work a half-mile and Join in the Dance will
breeze five furlongs. The Derby status of both remains to be determined. Advice
has the earnings but may not opt to run, while Join in the Dance is 21st on the
graded earnings list and needs a defection to make it into the field.
Meanwhile, at Palm Meadows in Florida, another Pletcher charge, Florida Derby
(G1) runner-up DUNKIRK (Unbridled’s Song), went back to the track for a light
jog following his five-furlong drill in 1:01.05 on Saturday.
“He came out of that work in great shape,” Pletcher said. “His energy level
was good this morning and we’re pleased with where he is.”
Dunkirk will fly to Louisville Monday.
Pletcher also will work Sham S. (G3) runner-up TAKE THE POINTS (Even the
Score) five furlongs after the break Monday. The gray colt has $85,000 in graded
stakes earnings and would need a couple of defections from the list of Kentucky
Derby probables to secure a starting gate slot.
El Camino Real Derby (G3) victor CHOCOLATE CANDY (Candy Ride [Arg]) ambled to
the racetrack Sunday morning at 7 a.m. under exercise rider Lindsey Molina,
stopping along the way to take in the scene, eyes bright and ears pricking.
“He’ll get there, one of these days,” stable overseer Galen May said with a
smile, knowing that his big, easy-going colt liked to take his time about going
about his business.
Chocolate Candy did, in fact, make it to the track in fairly short order and
go for a good gallop of 1 1/2 miles. Molina nodded when he walked off into the
six-furlong gap.
“He’s doing good,” she said.
May noted that trainer Jerry Hollendorfer would be in from his Northern
California headquarters later Sunday and would no doubt be at the barn early
Monday morning to call the shots for Chocolate Candy’s final major work heading
toward Derby 135.
“He’ll probably go out early,” May said. “Jerry likes to get things done as
soon as he can.”
May, who for 31 years ran the testing barns at the Northern California tracks
before retiring in 2003 and signing on as Hollendorfer’s “head traveling lad,”
noted that this was his fourth trip to the Derby in that role.
“Eye of the Tiger (fifth in 2003) was my best finish so far,” May said. “But
this colt — he’s special. He might be able to do better.”
The Godolphin duo of REGAL RANSOM (Distorted Humor) and DESERT PARTY (Street
Cry [Ire]), the respective one-two from the U.A.E. Derby (UAE-G2), walked the
shedrow at Barn 41 a day after putting in five-furlong works.
The duo posted the fastest works of 30 at the distance on Saturday, with
Regal Ransom going in :59 1/5 and Desert Party in :59 3/5. Exercise rider Bob
Chapman handled both works.
Henry Spiller, an assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, said both colts came
out of their works well and would return to the track to jog in the morning with
Regal Ransom going out first at 6 a.m. and followed soon after by Desert Party.
Smarty Jones S. winner FLAT OUT (Flatter), who stood 22nd on the graded
earnings list, has been injured and is off the Kentucky Derby trail.
Trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey said a precautionary exam performed at
Lexington’s Hagyard-Davidson-McGee Equine Clinic on Saturday revealed a stress
fracture in the colt’s shoulder. Flat Out will be sidelined “about four months,”
Dickey said.
Lane’s End S. (G2) runner-up FLYING PRIVATE (Fusaichi Pegasus) galloped under
exercise rider Taylor Carty and will work “Monday or Tuesday,” according to
trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
Louisiana Derby (G2) romper FRIESAN FIRE (A.P. Indy) galloped 1 1/2 miles
under trainer Larry Jones after the renovation break. Jones plans to work
Friesan Fire five furlongs on Monday after the renovation break with jockey
Gabriel Saez up.
“We just want him to go out and come back good,” Jones said when asked what
he was looking for on Monday. “I’d just like to see him get over the track
without a lot of effort.”
Friesan Fire will work in blinkers in the morning.
“He’s looking around now and the last two days he has not been focused,”
Jones said. “Hopefully the blinkers will help.”
Friesan Fire’s final works before his three races at Fair Grounds this year
ran the gamut, but the end result was always the same: a stakes victory.
“His work before the Lecomte (G3) (:48 3/5 for a half, second-best of 69) was
the first time Gabe got on him,” Jones said. “Before the Risen Star (G3) (1:04
2/5 for five furlongs), people thought it was too slow and before the Louisiana
Derby (:58 1/5 for five furlongs), people thought it was too fast.”
Jones is following a similar pattern with Friesan Fire as he did two years
ago with Hard Spun, who would finish second to Street Sense in Derby 133. Hard
Spun worked a mile at Keeneland in 1:42 2/5 on April 23 before shipping to
Churchill Downs and then worked five furlongs in :57 3/5 on April 30. Friesan
Fire worked a mile in 1:39 3/5 at Keeneland on April 19.
“I think he’ll work well, but not like Hard Spun did,” Jones said. “They are
different types of horses. I just don’t want him going in 1:04 after seven weeks
off.”
Immediately after the Friesan Fire work Monday, Jones and Saez will return to
the track to work Canadian champion Kodiak Kowboy (Posse). The winner of the
Carter H. (G1) in his most recent start on April 4, Kodiak Kowboy is being
pointed to Saturday’s $250,000 Churchill Downs (G2) at seven furlongs.
Former Louisville high school principal Tom McCarthy, owner/trainer of Blue
Grass S. (G1) hero GENERAL QUARTERS (Sky Mesa), did not hand out any demerits or
discipline Sunday, but rather waited patiently for exercise rider Julie Sheets
to arrive at Barn 37. General Quarters, however, was not as patient, pulling
McCarthy’s son, Tom, around the barn with high energy and eventually going back
into his stall before teaming with Sheets and heading to the track.
General Quarters showed much more spark than in recent days, but relaxed
nicely as he was hand led to the track by the elder McCarthy. Once into his 1
1/2-mile gallop, it was clear that the gray colt was feeling fresh.
“He’s full of himself today. Easy Julie!” McCarthy said as his colt cruised
by.
“We only gave him a lackadaisical five-eighths work to keep some fire in the
tank,” McCarthy said trackside, referring to last week’s workout, which was
intended to be the horse’s last before the Derby. “Apparently, there’s plenty of
gas still in there.”
If General Quarters remains this fresh, McCarthy said that he could give the
colt a blowout later this week “if we need to take the edge off.”
Julien Leparoux will have the mount in the Derby. His first time getting a
leg up on General Quarters will be when they call for “riders up.”
“That’s nothing new,” McCarthy said. “Julien rides a lot of horses that way.
We’ll go over a few things right before the race.”
Wood Memorial (G1) victor I WANT REVENGE (Stephen Got Even) stayed on edge
with a two-mile open gallop around the fast main track Sunday morning. Regular
exercise rider Joe Deegan was aboard. I Want Revenge was scheduled to school in
the paddock before the 1ST race Sunday.
“He went really well this morning,” said trainer Jeff Mullins, who arrived on
the Derby scene Saturday night from California. “We plan to breeze him on
Tuesday, either a half or five-eighths — I haven’t decided yet.”
I Want Revenge, who will be one of the favorites on Saturday, has breezed the
last two Tuesdays at Churchill Downs, getting a half-mile in :50 on April 14,
and five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 on April 21.
With his final major Kentucky Derby 135 workout looming Monday morning,
Canadian champion MINE THAT BIRD (Birdstone) turned in an easy 1 3/4 miles
Sunday, jogging a quarter-mile and “loping about a mile and a half,” trainer
Chip Woolley said.
Mine That Bird is scheduled to work at 8:50 a.m., but that time could be
pushed back a few minutes given the busy schedule of jockey Calvin Borel.
“He’s working the big mare (Oaks [G1] favorite Rachel Alexandra [Medaglia
d’Oro]) at 8:30 and then my horse at 8:50,” Woolley said. “We’ll work
five-eighths and I want to see him finish. I’d like to see something in about a
minute-and-one; something that won’t kill him, but show he’s sharp. The main
part of the work I want to see is how he does down the lane.”
Woolley is among a sizable list of Kentucky Derby rookie trainers this year,
but they follow great company in recent history. Five of the past six Derbies
have been won by trainers making their debut in the race (Barclay Tagg, John
Servis, John Shirreffs, Michael Matz and Rick Dutrow).
The day after working five furlongs in 1:01 3/5, Illinois Derby (G2) star
MUSKET MAN (Yonaguska) had an easy morning Sunday, walking under the Barn 41
shedrow.
Trainer Derek Ryan said he will bring Musket Man up to the Derby with daily
gallops, and has scheduled a session at the gate for Wednesday. This is the
first Derby for Ryan, who trains primarily at Monmouth Park in New Jersey during
the summer and Tampa Bay Downs in the winter.
No news was good news around the barn of Arkansas Derby (G2) scorer PAPA CLEM
(Smart Strike), one day after he worked seven furlongs in 1:29 1/5. The Gary
Stute trainee was given an easy morning walking the shedrow and is scheduled to
walk for a second straight day Monday before returning to the track Tuesday.
Santa Anita Derby (G1) hero PIONEEROF THE NILE (Empire Maker) was out early
on the racetrack Sunday for a 1 1/2-mile gallop under exercise rider George
Alvarez.
“He went good,” Alvarez said enthusiastically afterward. “He’s doing really
well. He couldn’t be doing any better. I gallop him in California, too, and this
is the best he’s felt.”
Pioneerof the Nile is scheduled for his final major breeze Monday morning.
Arkansas Derby third SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone) jogged two miles around the
Churchill strip Sunday morning with jockey Chris Rosier aboard.
Trainer Tim Ice was on hand to supervise the exercise after traveling to Lone
Star Park Saturday to saddle runners in two stakes. Affirmed Truth (Proudest
Romeo)ran third in the Richland S., while Catmantoo(Vision and Verse) finished
out of the money in the Texas Mile (G3), both with Rosier aboard.
This is the first Derby experience for Ice, a 34-year-old Ohio native who
went out on his own after serving as assistant to Morris Nicks, Cole Norman and
Keith Desormeaux.
“To make it here to the Derby in my first year as a trainer is
extraordinary,” Ice said Sunday while watching Summer Bird graze behind the
barn. “Just extraordinary. I’m thrilled to be here.”
Summer Bird’s final breeze, six furlongs in 1:15 4/5 on Friday, was dismissed
by some observers as too slow, but the trainer was satisfied.
“He got what he needed out of the work,” Ice said. “He’s looking and acting
really well. I look for him to run good Saturday. He won’t disappoint me no
matter what he does.”
Wood Memorial runner-up WEST SIDE BERNIE (Bernstein), who had his final Derby
breeze on Saturday, just walked under the shedrow Sunday morning.
“He cooled out well, and he’s got the right demeanor today,” said trainer
Kelly Breen, who is experiencing his first Derby. “He ate good, and he’s acting
good. That’s all I can ask.”
West Side Bernie breezed a half-mile in :48 1/5 Saturday with jockey Stewart
Elliott aboard.
Rebel S. (G2) star WIN WILLY, a red-roan son of Kentucky Derby winner
Monarchos, had a busy Sunday morning, schooling at the gate and then galloping 1
1/2 miles around the Churchill Downs oval.
Trainer Mac Robertson, who will be participating in his first Derby, is still
at Canterbury Downs, bedding down a large string of horses that will race there
this summer. His wife, Cyndi, a veterinarian, was on hand Sunday to supervise
preparations with the aid of groom Luis Moldonado and exercise rider Elias
Lopez.
“Mac will work him either Monday or Tuesday,” Cyndi said. “Whatever day he
gets here, the horse will have his final breeze.”
Win Willy has not worked yet at Churchill Downs since shipping in from
Arkansas.