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Sovereign Awards Derby & Auction Prices Santa Anita Derby Day Wood Memorial Day Kentucky Derby Contenders |
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 Even with just the Derby and Oaks horses out it can be very busy. From the rail out is: My Miss Sophia, Danza, Intense Holiday, and Commanding Curve. |
Thursday at Churchill Downs was cool with partly cloudy skies and a very crowded backside full of spectators. Most of the Derby horses and Oaks fillies came out at their special private workout session at 8:30 after the renovation break. Unfortunately California Chrome was out early again today so I still haven't seen him! The big news this morning is that Hoppertunity is out of the Derby with a bruised left front foot, which means the also-eligible Pablo Del Monte is now in the race in post position 20 wearing number 21. Hoppertunity would have been in post 11, so everyone outside him will move in one spot.
Below are photos for 16 Derby horses and 9 Oaks fillies from this morning on the track or schooling in the paddock. Full barn notes for today are available here.
 Chitu had a routine gallop of 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Dana Barnes. | ||
 Commanding Curve galloped under exercise rider Emerson Chavez. Stewart said the colt might jog Friday. "He might even jog race day, because he gets a little cranked up in the stall. Not cranked up, but you've got to kind of watch him, keep him settled, do a little something with him." | ||
 Dance With Fate galloped a little more than 1 1/4 miles after the Thursday morning renovation break with exercise rider Issac Muniz aboard. Dance With Fate schooled in the paddock in Thursday's first race and is slated for a repeat visit in Friday's fourth race. "I was very pleased with how he went this morning," trainer Peter Eurton said of Dance With Fate, who drew post position 12, but now will start from No. 11 with the withdrawal of Hoppertunity. | ||
 Danza galloped strongly for approximately a mile and three-eighths under his regular exercise rider Ezequiel Perez. All four Pletcher trainees returned in good order and now are just one training day away from the biggest race of their careers. | ||
 General A Rod galloped after the break under exercise rider Joel Barrientos for trainer Mike Maker. | ||
 Intense Holiday galloped strongly for approximately a mile and three-eighths under his regular exercise rider Isabelle Bourez. All four Pletcher trainees returned in good order and now are just one training day away from the biggest race of their careers. | ||
 Medal Count galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Faustino Aguilar during the Oaks and Derby training session, sticking with the same routine as the last two days. "No problems," trainer Dale Romans said afterward. "He did everything great." | ||
 Pablo Del Monte galloped 1 3/8 miles at Churchill Downs Thursday morning with jockey Jeffrey Sanchez aboard. He was placed on the also-eligible list for Saturday's Kentucky Derby after entries were taken Wednesday and became eligible to run Thursday morning because of the scratch of Hoppertunity. "It's amazing to have the opportunity to run," Ward said. "I own 25 percent of the horse. With my 25 percent there is nothing I'd love better, with a horse that I bred, than to run. But I have to go with what my partners want to do, and respect it." | ||
 Ride On Curlin galloped Thursday under exercise rider Bryan Beccia. His owner Daniel Dougherty said about drawing post 19, "The way they angle these gates, I told Billy (trainer Billy Gowan), from the last few races, that the winners have been coming from that last gate. And the way it lined up, all the come-from-behind horses are in the second gate more than the first gate. So we can kind of gauge ourselves where we need to be with that group of horses and not worry so much about the front-runners. I didn't want to get stuck in 2 or 3 or 4 with these front-runners. That's not the pack we want to be in." | ||
 Samraat schooled in the gate and had a routine gallop Thursday morning. His trainer Rick Violette said about drawing post 6, "I think it is a terrific spot. I think you just have to try to break clean and go straight and size things up past the wire for the first time. The speed is inside of us and we have tactical speed. I don't think there's a downside to it." | ||
 Tapiture came to the track around 7:15 a.m. to school in the starting gate and enjoy an easy gallop afterward with regular exercise rider Abel Flores up. He later schooled in the paddock during the 3rd race. | ||
 Uncle Sigh who had an unofficial half-mile "mini breeze" on Wednesday, jogged a mile the wrong way under Benito Alvarado before visiting the starting gate Thursday morning. "He's kicking-the-walls-down good," said trainer Gary Contessa, who timed his New York-bred trainee in :52 3/5 for a lung-opening half-mile Wednesday. | ||
 Vinceremos galloped strongly for approximately a mile and three-eighths under his regular exercise rider Ovel Merida. All four Pletcher trainees returned in good order and now are just one training day away from the biggest race of their careers. | ||
 We Miss Artie galloped strongly for approximately a mile and three-eighths under his regular exercise rider Nick Bush. All four Pletcher trainees returned in good order and now are just one training day away from the biggest race of their careers. | ||
 Wicked Strong work three furlongs in :36.60 Thursday morning as part of his daily exercise program. Known as a "blowout," the colt was asked to accelerate from his gallop by exercise rider Kelvin Pahal as they ran down the stretch. | ||
 Wildcat Red galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Juan Belmonte Thursday morning at Churchill Downs. "He's doing great. He has a lot of energy," trainer Jose Garoffalo said two days before he's scheduled to saddle his first Kentucky Derby starter. | ||
| Kentucky Oaks Fillies
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 Empress of Midway galloped 1 1/2 miles Thursday under exercise rider Humberto Gomez for trainer Doug O'Neill. Jack Sisterson, assistant to O'Neill, said the filly would jog tomorrow morning before going postward in the Oaks from where she will exit post position 10. | ||
 Fashion Plate backtracked to the half-mile pole and then put in an open gallop of a mile under exercise rider Paul Eddery after the morning renovation break. Trainer Simon Callaghan said Fashion Plate would jog once around when the track opened for training at 5:45 Friday morning and then await her Oaks run that will commence from post position seven. | ||
 Got Lucky had her regular exercise rider Amy Mulen aboard and galloped approximately a mile and three-eighths, then went back home to a bath. | ||
 Kiss Moon galloped 1 1/4 miles under Otto Thorwarth to the satisfaction of trainer David Vance. | ||
 My Miss Sophia had her regular exercise rider Humberto Zamora aboard and galloped approximately a mile and three-eighths, then went back home to a bath. | ||
 Ria Antonia galloped 1 3/8 miles under exercise rider Jorge Alvarez Thursday morning during the training period open to Derby and Oaks runners. | ||
 Rosalind had an uneventful visit to the starting gate this morning, one day after she balked at the suggestion. "It was a pretty basic day," trainer Kenny McPeek said. "We walked her through the paddock and then she had a nice gallop and then she went to the gate and she stood and backed out. We had a pony meet her and take her over to the gate. Once we had the pony meet her she was fine." | ||
 Sugar Shock visited the starting gate and galloped an easy mile under exercise rider Seth VanDyke for trainer Doug Anderson. | ||
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