Archarcharch, Decisive Moment please connections with final
moves
Archarcharch indicated his readiness for next Saturday’s Grade 1 Kentucky
Derby by working a bullet five furlongs in :59 2/5 under jockey Jon Court after
the renovation break Friday morning at Churchill Downs.
Working in company with fellow sophomore Supreme Ruler, who was clocked in
1:01, Archarcharch broke off a length behind his workmate, quickly drew on even
terms and finished seven lengths clear. Fractions for the work were :11 3/5,
:23, :35 and :47 3/5. The Grade 1 Arkansas Derby hero galloped out six furlongs
in 1:12 4/5.
Archarcharch’s five-furlong time was the co-fastest of 58 at the distance,
sharing the bullet for the morning with Arienza.
“I thought the work went very well,” trainer Jinks Fires said. “Jon asked him
to go and he went. He’s just a fast horse, an awesome kind of horse and a horse
like that makes you excited to get up in the morning.”
Fires said that the Friday work would be the last for Archarcharch before the
Derby.
“He will gallop up to the race,” Fires said. “I was waiting all week to work
and just waiting on Mother Nature.”
Archarcharch has taken the Oaklawn Park route to the Runs for the Roses,
making his seasonal bow a fourth in the Smarty Jones before capturing his graded
debut in the Grade 3 Southwest. He finished third in the Grade 2 Rebel after
chasing the fast pace, but will enter the Kentucky Derby off a gutsy neck
victory in the Arkansas Derby on April 16.
“I feel that he has gotten better since the Arkansas Derby and Jon feels that
way, too,” Fires said. “I’ve felt good about him all along since the first time
we worked him. We are just hoping for a good trip for him and hope that
happens.”
Trainer Juan Arias sent Decisive Moment to the Churchill track Friday morning
for a five-furlong work, which the dark bay completed in 1:01 2/5 under jockey
Jesus Castanon.
“He did excellent. That’s what I wanted him to do,” Arias said. “I told
Jesus, ‘Last time we worked we worked a bullet, so you don’t need to go that
fast this time.’ We aimed for between 1:01 and 1:02, so it was right on the
money.”
Decisive Moment, who was the first Kentucky Derby contender to arrive at
Churchill Downs on March 28, turned in splits of :12 3/5, :25 1/5, :37 and :49
1/5, galloping out six furlongs in 1:15. His second-place finishes in the Grade
3 Delta Jackpot in late November and Grade 3 Spiral at Turfway Park in his most
recent start gave him the graded earnings to make the Derby field.
“He loves this atmosphere. He got here early enough that he got acclimated to
the weather. By being here early I think it helps a lot,” the Calder-based Arias
remarked. “He just loves Churchill Downs. He feels ready to party; he’s ready to
dance to any kind of music. He can dance.”
The stretch of rainy weather during his extended stay at Churchill has not
dampened Arias’ enthusiasm over his Derby experience. In fact, the
less-than-ideal conditions have bolstered his confidence in his Florida-bred
colt.
“I came early enough that I’ve been able to train him over different type of
conditions on this track,” he said. “He’s adjusted to every one of them
excellent.”
Arias has never saddled a Derby starter and is intent on enjoying the
experience to the fullest.
“This is what you get up for every day. You get up; do your job; do the best
you can with the stock that you have; rotate horses until you get the chance to
run into a horse like Decisive Moment,” the Panamanian native said. “This is
very exciting. This is a world class race.”
In other Derby news:
Tony Matos, agent for jockey Garrett Gomez, said Friday morning that Gomez
has been confirmed to ride Master of Hounds in Kentucky Derby 137. Sixth in the
Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf under the Twin Spires last fall with Johnny
Murtagh aboard, the bay is scheduled to arrive at Churchill on Tuesday. He’ll
enter the 10-furlong test off a nose runner-up effort in the Group 2 U.A.E.
Derby in his lone 2011 start under Ryan Moore.
Brilliant Speed arrived at Churchill Friday following a van ride from
Keeneland, where he stamped his ticket into the Derby with a nose score in the
Grade 1 Blue Grass. The dark bay arrived at 2:15 p.m. and is stabled in Barn 42.
Trainer Tom Albertrani said the colt would work Monday.
Grade 2 Risen Star scorer Mucho Macho Man schooled in the Churchill Downs
paddock Friday after his morning gallop.
“He backed up to the wire and galloped two miles. He pulled up and went back
to the paddock and schooled,” trainer Kathy Ritvo said. “He was good.”
She plans to work Mucho Macho Man either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the
ever-changing weather.
“I’m not sure. I’m going to look at the weather. I want to try to work him on
a dry track, so we’ll do whatever we can to work on a dry track,” said Ritvo,
whose Derby candidate worked seven furlongs in 1:29 1/5 over a sloppy Churchill
Downs track last Sunday. “I probably would like to work on Sunday. But if
Saturday is the only day the track is dry, I’ll work Saturday.”
Ritvo has been pleased with her Florida-bred colt’s handling of the Churchill
surface during his gallops and his workout.
“He’s been going perfect. Even in the mud, he galloped perfect and he worked
good in the mud,” she said. “He galloped today good.”
The South Florida-based trainer said Mucho Macho Man was responding well to
the cooler temperatures in Louisville.
“It’s good for the horse. I don’t know about Kathy though,” Ritvo quipped
while clutching at the ends of her jacket collar. “I hadn’t seen the sun in
days.”
Mucho Macho Man, who’ll be ridden by Rajiv Maragh, hasn’t raced since March
26 in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby, in which he finished a close third after
losing a shoe shortly after the start.
“I think he’s done really well. He has really good consistent works, long
works. He’s galloped out well after all of his works. What we’re interested in
are the next three races, so we wanted him to come into this race as a fresh
horse,” Ritvo said.
Animal Kingdom galloped 1 1/2 miles at 7:15 a.m. (EDT) Friday morning, a
little more than an hour earlier than the time reserved for Derby and Oaks
horses. Trainer Graham Motion said he couldn’t get Animal Kingdom and Grade 1
Kentucky Oaks candidate Summer Soiree out at the same time during the Derby-Oaks
break so the chestnut colt went out during the busier period.
“She’s quite strong and it was more important for her to have the quiet
track,” Motion said. “Actually, I thought it would be better for him to have
plenty of activity out there for him to look at.”
Motion said that jockey Robby Albarado, who will ride Animal Kingdom in the
Derby, will be up for a scheduled breeze Saturday morning, probably after the
renovation break. The work will either be five-eighths or three-quarters of a
mile. It is the first breeze since the Spiral winner covered five furlongs in
1:02 4/5 on April 23. Motion noted that the Keeneland breeze didn’t go as
planned because the workmate didn’t move along as quickly as expected.
“I would rather that he had done a little more in his work last week, but
it’s not the end of the world. He’ll get a decent work here (on Saturday).”
Motion said.
The conditioner will fly back to Maryland Saturday afternoon so he can
oversee a work by his other Derby horse, Toby’s Corner, Sunday morning at the
Fair Hill training center in Elkton, Maryland. Toby’s Corner, winner of the
Grade 1 Wood Memorial, is scheduled to be shipped by van from Fair Hill to
Churchill Downs on Monday. Eddie Castro will ride Toby’s Corner in the Derby.
Repole Stable’s double-barreled Kentucky Derby entry of Uncle Mo and Stay
Thirsty galloped 1 1/2 miles after the renovation break for trainer Todd
Pletcher. Hector Ramos was aboard Uncle Mo, and Fernando Espinoza was aboard
Stay Thirsty. Mike Repole’s Derby contenders are expected to work together in
their final pre-Derby training move on Sunday.
Also galloping 1 1/2 miles after the renovation break on Friday were Midnight
Interlude, Santiva, Shackleford and Watch Me Go.
The weather is playing a factor in when the contenders will have their final
major moves, with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert indicating a possible Monday
move for Midnight Interlude. Trainer Eddie Kenneally said Santiva may have a
light breeze on Monday or Tuesday, while conditioner Dale Romans has penciled in
a Saturday morning work after the renovation break for Shackleford with Tammy
Fox aboard for the move. Watch Me Go’s trainer, Kathleen O’Connell, was
scheduled to arrive in Louisville Friday afternoon and will supervise a workout
Saturday or Sunday for her charge.
Pants On Fire galloped a little less than 1 1/2 miles after the renovation
break under exercise rider Juan Pizarro. Trainer Kelly Breen is keeping a close
eye on the weather to determine whether the Louisiana Derby winner would work
Saturday or Sunday. Rosie Napravnik, who will have the mount in Derby 137, is
scheduled to be aboard for the work.
“I’d rather work Sunday and give the track another day to dry out,” Breen
said.
Nehro continued his preparations for Derby 137 with a one-mile gallop over a
fast track at Churchill on Friday. Regular exercise rider Carlos Rosas was in
the saddle aboard the Steve Asmussen trainee when he went to the track around
6:15 a.m. The Arkansas Derby second’s final pre-Derby work is set for Monday.
Assistant Scott Blasi said the colt would probably work in one of Asmussen’s
early sets, but that could change if weather becomes a factor.
Grade 3 Sunland Derby winner Twice the Appeal jogged before the renovation
break under exercise rider Nate Quinonez and is scheduled to work Saturday
morning at 6:05 under race rider Calvin Borel. Fellow Jeff Bonde trainee Sway
Away also jogged and is scheduled to work Saturday. Sway Away is 24th on the
list of potential Kentucky Derby entrants for a field that is limited to the top
20 graded stakes earners.
Twinspired galloped 1 1/2 miles at Trackside Louisville under exercise rider
Derrick Smith for trainer Mike Maker on Friday. Maker plans to work the Blue
Grass runner-up around 8:30 a.m. Saturday morning at Trackside.
Also galloping at Trackside Friday morning was Grade 3 Lexington hero Derby
Kitten, who sits 22nd on the list of graded stakes earners considering a Derby
run.