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Sovereign Awards Derby & Auction Prices Santa Anita Derby Day Wood Memorial Day Kentucky Derby Contenders |
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 Make Music For Me (left) and Homeboykris on the track at Churchill Downs Wednesday morning. |
In contrast to the last few days, it was bright and sunny on Wednesday morning and the track was rated as "good". Sadly, after a workout Endorsement came back with a lateral condylar fracture in his right front ankle, forcing him to be scratched from the Derby just hours before entries were taken.
 Endorsement breezed half a mile in 47 2/3 with trainer Shannon Ritter in the irons. His fractions were 12 2/5, 24 seconds, 35 3/5, and out in 1:00, 1:13 3/5, and 1:29. However he was injured during the workout and will go in for surgery on Thursday. | |
 Homeboykris breezed half a mile in 48 2/5, with splits of 11 4/5, 23 4/5, 35 3/5, and out 5f in 1:02 1/5. He drew post 19 in the Derby for trainer Richard Dutrow Jr., and is a 50-1 outsider on the morning line. Dutrow said, "I'd like to see him sit off the speed. I'm not looking for him to be forwardly placed. I usually don't tell riders what to do, but I am going to tell Dominguez that we don't want to be lying close. We want him to finish up in the race. We figure our only chance is if our horse closes and runs big the last half mile. If he does, we'll be in pretty good shape. If he doesn't, then we'll know why." | |
 Lookin At Lucky gets a bath after his Wednesday morning gallop. He drew the rail for the Kentucky Derby, a very unfavorable position, but is the 3-1 favorite on the morning line. Regular rider Garrett Gomez retains the mount on Saturday for trainer Bob Baffert, and the blinkers will be off. Baffert said, "It's always exciting when you have a horse that has a chance, or you think he has a chance. We have two nice horses." | |
 Sidney's Candy who is the 5-1 second choice in the Derby morning line, also drew poorly and will break from the far outside 20 post with jockey Joe Talamo for trainer John Sadler. He went out for a gallop under exercise rider Lupillo Alferez. | |
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American Lion drew post 7 in the Derby. The 30-1 morning line longshot will be ridden by David Flores for trainer Eoin Harty. He worked 5f Monday in 1:02 3/5, walked the shedrow on Tuesday, and came out Wednesday for a gallop. Trainer Eoin Harty said, "I'll play it by ear. If he's jumping around, I'll gallop him. If he's behaving himself, I'll just jog him. It's keep him happy and stay away from him, leave him alone. That is what I'm going to do." | |
 Noble's Promise is 12-1 on the morning line for the Derby and drew post 3 for trainer Ken McPeek and jockey Willie Martinez. He worked 4f on Monday in 48 4/5, walked the shedrow Tuesday, and galloped Wednesday. McPeek said, "I'm very excited to be back in the Derby mix with this kind of horse. This is the fourth time down this road for me, the Derby, and I never, ever take it for granted. It's exciting for everyone involved, as it should be. We have a lot of exciting days during the racing year, not just the Derby. It was great to have a big hand at the Breeders' Cup last fall, too." | |
 Mission Impazible will break from post 14 on Saturday under jockey Rajiv Maragh for trainer Todd Pletcher. He is one of two horses at 20-1 on the morning line, and went out for a gallop under exercise rider Fernando Espinoza. Pletcher said, "I feel good about all my horses - how they are training, how they are coming up to the race. I think we're in good shape." | |
 Make Music For Me is a 50-1 outsider in the Derby. He drew post 9 for trainer Alexis Barba, and will have Joel Rosario in the irons. Barba said, "The horse is doing fabulous. I'm sorry for the people who didn't make it. It's pretty tough place to be." | |
 Dublin drew post 17 and is 12-1 morning line. Terry Thompson gets the call on Saturday for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. Lukas said, "This horse is very manageable. Terry will tell you that you can put him anywhere you want to out there. He's got a long stride; he's a stayer. I don't think he'll have a bit of trouble with the 1 1/4. He's a big, powerful horse who has got tactical speed. He fits all of my parameters for the good ones. He's the best-looking horse I've ever led over there. This is a hell of a horse." | |
 Paddy O'Prado is the other 20-1 morning line shot for the Derby and drew post 10 for trainer Dale Romans. 3-time Derby winning jockey Kent Desormeaux will be in the irons. Romans said, "You can tell if a horse won't run on a particular surface a lot of times before you put them on it in a race. But it's much harder to tell if they will run well on one until you see it on race day. Kent will decide if they're going too slow or too fast up front and put him where he needs to be. Kent has won three more Derbies than me. You let a guy like that do his thing." | |
 Ice Box is one of three horses tied at 10-1 third favorite on the Derby morning line. The Nick Zito trainee drew post 2 and will have regular rider Jose Lezcano aboard. Zito said, "We'll just keep going. We're lucky and blessed just to have horses in the Derby. If we ever win a third Derby - it's been a long time between drinks, as they say - we'll take it and thank God and get down on our hands and knees. This game will humble kings, no matter how you look at it." | |
 Devil May Care is the only filly in the Derby and will add blinkers on Saturday. She drew post 11, with regular rider John Velazquez piloting for trainer Todd Pletcher. Pletcher said, "I think she fits well in the race. Her races are competitive with colts, she has tremendous mechanics and she figures to very much like the distance." | |
 Discreetly Mine is a 30-1 outsider for trainer Todd Pletcher and drew post 15. Regular rider Javier Castellano retains the mount. He went out Wednesday for a gallop under exercise rider Obed Perez. | |
 Dean's Kitten arrived this morning around 10am from the Trackside Training Center with stablemate Stately Victor. His trainer Michael Maker was with them both in the paddock schooling during the races this afternoon. He said, "He's going to come in under the radar. He's not a flashy horse, not a big horse. He's not going to turn any heads and he's not going to impress you working. He's not going to pull any bad antics. He just blends into the crowd but, you know, if the track comes up wet it's going to be to his liking. Nothing's going to bother him really. He's a very laid-back dude." | |
 Stately Victor was very impressive looking in the paddock. He drew post position 6 and trainer Michael Maker said, "It'snot terrible. It wouldn't have been my first choice. The main reason I wanted to be outside was just to try and stay out of trouble. Let him get in a rhythm and then get to freewheelin'. | |
 Setsuko failed to draw into the Derby as he was number 22 in graded earnings at time of entry even with the late defections. He will instead race in the American Turf on Friday. | |
 Tidal Pool drew post 8 for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and will have jockey Calvin Borel aboard for trainer D. Wayne Lukas. She is an 8-1 co-second choice in the morning line. She went for a gallop Wednesday after working on Monday and walking the shedrow Tuesday. | |
 Joanie's Catch drew the outside post 14 in the Oaks for owner-trainer Barry Rose and jockey Paco Lopez. She is a 30-1 longshot. Rose said, "We didn't get the best post position, but we'll handle it. If I were going for the early lead, I'd be really upset, but we're not. For us, it's just a matter of getting good position into the turn. Paco will have to deal with it." | |
 Evening Jewel will break from the 11 hole in the Oaks under jockey Kent Desormeaux for trainer Jim Cassidy at odds of 10-1. She went out Wednesday to test the surface after arriving from California on Tuesday. Cassidy said, "Of course we would have liked to have been inside a little bit. This forces us to sit back, which is what I wanted to do anyway. We certainly didn't want to be on the lead. "The only reason we were on the lead in the Ashland was there was no speed in there." | |
 Beautician a 15-1 shot on the morning line out of post 6 in Friday's Oaks. Alex Solis gets the call for trainer Ken McPeek. | |
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