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2025 Kentucky Derby Photos

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Last year's Kentucky Oaks winner and Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna was also on the track this morning.

Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.

Date: 4/25/2025

Friday morning a week before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs was busy and the track was listed as good following the initial harrow break. The temperature was around 65F and showers were expected most of the day. Several Oaks and Derby horses had timed works this morning with more scheduled to work on Saturday morning.

Video for this morning's work can be viewed here on YouTube. Videos of individual horses in timed works can be found here.

Below are photos and comments for 10 Derby horses and 6 Oaks fillies.

Kentucky Derby

horse racing Admire Daytona - UAE Derby (GII) winner Admire Daytona (JPN) had a routine morning of training that consisted of jogging in the one-mile chute before galloping.

horse racing American Promise – galloped under exercise rider Tayja Smith during the 7:15-7:30 (all times Eastern) training period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks runners. Trained by four-time Kentucky Derby winner D. Wayne Lukas, American Promise likely will work Saturday morning with jockey Nik Juarez aboard.

horse racing Burnham Square – winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (GI) and the leading point earner on the road to the Kentucky Derby, galloped a mile and a half at 7:15 under Mark Cutler. Trained by Ian Wilkes, Burnham Square is scheduled to work at 7:15 Saturday morning with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.

horse racing Coal Battle – visited the starting gate in the mile chute and then galloped a mile and a half with Bethany Taylor aboard for trainer Lonnie Briley during the Derby and Oaks training period. "He was good in gate; such a gentleman," Taylor said of Coal Battle, who walked into the gate and then backed out with Briley watching nearby.

horse racing East Avenue – galloped at 7:15 a.m. under exercise rider Stephen Dolan for owner Godolphin. He's scheduled to work on Saturday.

horse racing Final Gambit – galloped at 7:15 a.m. for Juddmonte. He is scheduled to breeze Saturday.

horse racing Flying Mohawk (inside) - worked five furlongs in 1:00 in company with Legion Racing's Kentucky Oaks hopeful Drexel Hill for trainer Whit Beckman. Flying Mohawk, with assistant trainer/exercise rider Maurlio Garcia in the irons, worked to the inside of Drexel Hill and covered eighth-mile fractions in :12.40, :24.20 and :35.80. They galloped out together six furlongs in 1:12.80 and seven furlongs in 1:26.40, according to Churchill Downs clocker Adam Wallace. "He's doing well and handled training over this track as we expected," Beckman said. "We never had any issues with him training over the dirt and he's shown that in his works."

horse racing Journalism – galloped a strong mile and a half and McCarthy said he's now ready for his next step along Derby Road. "He'll probably work five eighths tomorrow," noted conditioner Michael McCarthy. "That's my best guess today. We'll see what the racetrack looks like then."

horse racing Tiztastic – schooled in the Churchill Downs paddock for trainer Steve Asmussen prior to galloping. He is scheduled to breeze Sunday.

horse racing Tappan Street – galloped at 7:15 a.m. for owner Cold Press Racing. He is scheduled to breeze Saturday.

Kentucky Oaks

horse racingGazelle winner Ballerina d'Oro is slated to work Saturday at Churchill Downs following wet weather that hit the Louisville area early Thursday morning. She's slated to join Anna's Promise, Fondly and Tenma as scheduled workers for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) Saturday morning.

horse racingDrexel Hill covered eighth-mile fractions in :12.40, :24.20 and :35.80 working with stablemate Flying Mohawk. They galloped out together six furlongs in 1:12.80 and seven furlongs in 1:26.40, according to Churchill Downs clocker Adam Wallace. Drexel Hill, who won the Busher Stakes, March 1, will enter the Oaks on a two-month layoff. "We designed her work two weeks ago to be with Simply Joking and planned to give her even more of a test (Friday) with Flying Mohawk," Beckman said. "She's doing great here and has trained well coming back to Churchill."

horse racingGodolphin's Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) favorite Good Cheer completed her last test before her first Grade I contest, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.40. Working outside of Saucier, Good Cheer breezed with jockey Luis Saez in the irons through an opening quarter-mile of :24.20 and half-mile of :48. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:13. "I thought it was a really good move," trainer Brad Cox said. "She continues to do well in her training and expecting a big effort next week."

horse racingSimply Joking, with jockey Florent Geroux aboard, worked a half-mile in :47.60. Simply Joking clipped through eighth-mile fractions of :12.20, :24.20 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.60. "(Simply Joking) is really fast. I think she's ready for a big effort," Geroux said. "We'll need it." Simply Joking would make her fourth career start in the Oaks.

horse racingTake Charge Milady was supposed to work out today but instead only galloped. Her work was called off with what trainer Kenny McPeek called a, "minor hoof issue."

horse racing Tenma went trackside during the special Derby/Oaks training session at 7:15 Friday morning with trainer Bob Baffert looking on. The daughter of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist had exercise rider Humberto Gomez aboard for a gallop of a mile and one quarter around the Churchill oval. Tenma, a four-time stakes winner, is likely to turn in her last major drill for the nine-furlong Oaks on the weekend. She'll be ridden in the Run for the Lillies by California's top rider, Juan Hernandez.

Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.

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