LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, May 3, 2017) \u2013 John Oxley\u2019s Classic Empire was made the 4-1 morning-line favorite for Kentucky Derby 143 when post positions were drawn Wednesday morning in the Aristides Lounge at Churchill Downs.
\nPrior to the draw during morning training, Louisiana Derby (Grade II) winner Girvin galloped a mile at 6:30 in his first activity at Churchill Downs since arriving at the track Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
KENTUCKY DERBY NOTES<\/p>\n
ALWAYS DREAMING\/PATCH\/TAPWRIT \u2013 Florida Derby (GI) hero Always Dreaming continued his early morning routine of training right when the track opens (5:45) and gallops under exercise rider Nick Bush with a special set of \u201cdraw reins\u201d attached to give his pilot more control.
\nThe special reins were added Monday with a decent positive outcome, working their intended effect of forcing the high-strung son of Bodemeister to drop his head and concentrate on following his cues. Tuesday the transition continued and then Wednesday morning the sleek, dark runner looked especially sharp moving around the oval for a strong nine-furlong gallop three days ahead of Kentucky Derby 143.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s good,\u201d said Bush afterward. \u201cWe\u2019ve got him where we want him. He was professional today. Saturday can\u2019t come soon enough.\u201d
\nTrainer Todd Pletcher, who again watched his colt exercise from the Churchill grandstand, was pleased with how his charge\u2019s adaptation was coming along.
\n\u201cI liked what I saw again today,\u201d Pletcher said. \u201cHe\u2019s full of himself; he\u2019s feeling good.\u201d
\nPletcher had his other two Derby entrants head out during the 8:30 special training period. Patch, with exercise rider Isabelle Bourez up, galloped a mile and a quarter. So did Tapwrit (with Silvio Pioli), though he also spent a bit of time standing in the gate.
\nLater in the morning just after 11 o\u2019clock at the Derby draw in the Aristides Lounge in the track\u2019s renovated second floor, the Pletcher threesome drew posts five (Always Dreaming), 16 (Tapwrit) and 20 (Patch).
\nPletcher offered opinions on his three charge\u2019s positions:
\n(Always Dreaming — Five) \u201cIt\u2019s fine. Ideally, I\u2019d have liked to have been a little farther out, but he won the Florida Derby from the four, so that says something. In the end, we\u2019re good with it.\u201d
\n(Tapwrit \u2013 16) \u201cLove the post for him. He\u2019ll do fine from there. That\u2019s been a good starting spot in the past. We\u2019re glad to have it.\u201d (Four horses have won the Kentucky Derby from post 16 \u2013 Animal Kingdom (2011); Monarchos (2001); Charismatic (1999) and Thunder Gulch (1995).
\n(Patch \u2013 20) \u2013 \u201cWe\u2019re OK with it. There\u2019s nothing outside to bother him, so that\u2019s good. He\u2019s been a good gate horse and I don\u2019t see any problems. I\u2019d rather have it than have the one.\u201d<\/p>\n
BATTLE OF MIDWAY \u2013 WinStar Farm and Don Alberto Stable\u2019s Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up Battle of Midway galloped 1 \u00bd miles under regular exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez Wednesday morning.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s been in the paddock every day and I stood him twice in the gate already,\u201d Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said. \u201cToday he just went in the paddock and galloped.\u201d
\nPundits have been harsh on the Southern California contenders this year, in large part because of how the Santa Anita Derby played out, with an unusually slow final time (1:51.16, slowest in 60 years) and a final eighth (:13.61), as well as the way the field was bunched up at the finish (the top five were all within two lengths). However, Hollendorfer \u2013 who has 7,276 wins to his credit, third all-time and second among active trainers \u2013 attributed those stats more to the racing surface than the quality of the entrants.
\n\u201cThey can discount it all they want,\u201d Hollendorfer said. \u201cThe Santa Anita Derby has been a great indicator of horses that would run well in the Kentucky Derby and that\u2019s a proven fact. The time was not as fast as usual but the track was off about two seconds, and I got that from Gary Stevens, who thought the track was real slow that day. We thought we ran pretty good considering all that.\u201d
\nFour of the past five Kentucky Derby winners were based in Southern California.
\nBattle of Midway drew post 11 later Wednesday morning for the Derby.
\n\u201cWe like our post quite a bit,\u201d Hollendorfer said. \u201cIt\u2019s right in the middle. I need to study the Form and talk to Flavien (Prat) before we make a basic plan but it\u2019s a rider\u2019s race and we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
CLASSIC EMPIRE\/STATE OF HONOR \u2013 There was a big sigh of relief from the Mark Casse team after Kentucky Derby morning-line favorite Classic Empire drew post position 14 for Saturday\u2019s race.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s a good spot,\u201d Casse said. \u201cA couple of key contenders are outside of us, which is kind of nice.\u201d
\nMorning line odds maker Mike Battaglia installed Classic Empire as the 4-1 favorite for America\u2019s Greatest Race with regular rider Julien Leparoux aboard.
\nCasse\u2019s other hope is Florida Derby (GI) runner-up State of Honor, who drew post position six and will be ridden by Jose Lezcano.
\n\u201cI love having State of Honor right outside Always Dreaming (who drew post five),\u201d Casse said.
\nBoth Casse colts galloped 1 \u00bd miles Wednesday morning and schooled in the gate.<\/p>\n
FAST AND ACCURATE \u2013 Stabled at Churchill Downs for the first time this spring after shipping over from nearby Trackside Louisville on Tuesday afternoon, Fast and Accurate had a fluid gallop shortly after 8:30 a.m. with trainer Mike Maker observing. The son of Maker-trained champion Hansen \u2014 ninth in the 2012 Kentucky Derby (GI) \u2014 went 1 1\/2 miles and promptly returned to Barn 27.
\nHe is owned by Kendall Hansen and Skychai Racing, co-owners of his sire, as well as Sand Dollar Stable and Olympic gold medal-earning alpine ski racer Bode Miller.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s great for Kendall to have a son of Hansen in the Derby,\u201d Maker said. \u201cHe put so much into Hansen and tried to support him as a stallion. It means a lot.\u201d
\nGifted with tactical speed like his sire, the gray colt drew well in post three and was assigned 50-1 morning-line odds.
\n\u201cI\u2019m not too worried about stuff you have no control over, but I\u2019m pleased with it,\u201d Maker said.<\/p>\n
GIRVIN \u2013 After significant negative buzz swirled around Brad Grady\u2019s Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Girvin and his much-publicized quarter crack and postponed final work, Churchill Downs racing fans got to see the son of Tale of Ekati for the first time Wednesday morning. After shipping in late Tuesday afternoon to Barn 33, he hit the track and impressed onlookers in an easy mile gallop at 6:30 under former jockey Rosie Napravnik, assistant to husband\/trainer Joe Sharp.
\n\u201cWe like to keep him on his regular schedule and that\u2019s about what time he usually goes out every day,\u201d Sharp said. \u201cHe galloped well, like he always does, and I was happy.\u201d
\nThe multiple GII winner landed in post position seven and will be ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith for the first time. Smith landed the mount after Brian Hernandez, Jr., opted for McCraken. Girvin was assigned morning-line odds of 15-1.
\n\u201cThat would have been the post position I would have hand-picked if we were still doing it that way,\u201d Sharp said. \u201cWe\u2019re happy with it. I guess with it being a 20-horse field, it\u2019s all the trip anyway and he\u2019s run well inside before. I\u2019d rather have a little less distance to travel than some of the others.\u201d<\/p>\n
GORMLEY\/ROYAL MO \u2013 Trainer John Shirreffs followed the same pattern Wednesday morning that he\u2019d used Tuesday when his California-based duo of Gormley and Royal Mo had made their first appearance at Churchill Downs.
\nUsing a borrowed pony, the conditioner led first Royal Mo to the track at 7:45, then came back to ferry Gormley trackside during the special 8:30 training period.
\nShirreffs\u2019 regular exercise rider, Cisco Alvarado, was aboard both colts and sent them around the oval for solid mile and a quarter gallops.
\nAt the Derby draw later in the morning, the Jerry and Ann Moss-owned pair drew assignments. Gormley got post 18 while Royal Mo, an also-eligible, would be assigned Post 20 should he draw in. The 18 draw for Gormley was a bit of a disappointment for Shirreffs.
\n\u201cWe wanted to be in the main gate (one through 14), but what are you going to do,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a very experienced rider (three-time Kentucky Derby winner Victor Espinoza) and he\u2019ll know what to do out there.\u201d<\/p>\n
GUNNEVERA \u2013 Peacock Racing Stable\u2019s Gunnevera galloped 1 \u00bd miles at Churchill Downs Wednesday morning, when he was allowed to roll while finishing up his morning exercise under Victor O\u2019Farrel.
\n\u201cThe horse galloped a mile and a half and the last half-mile he had an open gallop,\u201d said trainer Antonio Sano, who scheduled a paddock schooling session for Wednesday\u2019s first race. \u201cHe was very good and arrived back to the barn fine. The horse is 100 percent.\u201d
\nThe son of Dialed In drew No. 10 at Wednesday\u2019s post-position draw for Kentucky Derby 143.
\n\u201cThe post position is good. I said I wanted the middle of the field,\u201d said Sano, whose Fountain of Youth (GII) winner was rated at 15-1 on the morning line.<\/p>\n
HENCE\/LOOKIN AT LEE\/UNTRAPPED \u2013 Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen was having mixed emotions shortly after his three Kentucky Derby hopefuls drew posts between one and eight. L and N Racing LLC’s Lookin At Lee drew the rail, Mike Langford’s Untrapped drew post four and Calumet Farm’s Hence drew post eight.
\n\u201cI didn’t want the one hole, but if any horse can handle the one hole in the Kentucky Derby, it’s Lookin At Lee,\u201d said Asmussen, who also drew the rail with the Kentucky Oaks hopeful Ever So Clever. \u201cWith Untrapped, the four is a bit of a concern because Always Dreaming is just to his outside and he’ll probably be the pace horse. The eight for Hence is one of the preferred spots statistically. I think, looking at the stats the last 20 years, the eight, 13 and 16 posts have produced the most in-the-money finishes.\u201d
\nEarlier in the morning, all three colts returned to the track after walking the shedrow Tuesday and galloped just more than one mile. Lookin At Lee trained early with exercise rider Juan Vargas aboard, while Hence, with Angel Garcia up, and Untrapped, with Vargas up, both galloped during the special 8:30 training session.
\nHence was particularly sharp Wednesday morning so Asmussen pushed him a little harder than the other two and had him jog a mile before his gallop.
\n\u201cHence is on fire,\u201d Asmussen said. \u201cHe’s sharp, very sharp. He can get hot, which is why we did a little more with him off the work than the others, that and the fact that he’s had a little more time since his last race. He walked out of the barn and was a little excited, but came back and cooled out beautifully. He is warm, but he just has a very high energy level right now.\u201d
\nHence, Lookin At Lee and Untrapped were scheduled to school in the paddock during race four Wednesday.<\/p>\n
IRAP \u2013 The Blue Grass Stakes (GII) winner had a busy Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs, heading out for the 8:30 special training session with regular exercise rider Tony Romero at the controls.
\nThe husky son of Tiznow completed the morning trifecta \u2013 a good gallop of a mile and one eighth, a trip to the paddock and a stand in the gate. Romero said it all went great.
\nThe Doug O\u2019Neill stable is feeling good about their chances come Saturday and they\u2019ll have their guy Mario Gutierrez aboard as they point for their third Derby in six years.
\nLater that morning they drew post nine in the 20-horse Derby field.
\n\u201cJust about perfect,\u201d O\u2019Neill said afterward. \u201cWe wanted the 10, but nine is next best. The way they load them \u2013 one and 11, two and 12 \u2013 we wanted to stand in there the least amount of time. But this is next best. We\u2019re very happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
IRISH WAR CRY \u2013 Isabelle de Tomaso\u2019s Irish War Cry galloped 1 5\/8 miles under exercise rider David Nava Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs.
\n\u201cHe was a little bit more settled this morning,\u201d said trainer Graham Motion, whose Kentucky Derby hopeful arrived from Fair Hills Training Center in Northeast Maryland late Monday afternoon.
\nThe son of Curlin drew No. 17 at Wednesday\u2019s post-position draw.
\n\u201cAnimal Kingdom was 16, so I can\u2019t be disappointed with 17,\u201d said Motion, who visited the Churchill Downs winner\u2019s circle in 2011 after Animal Kingdom captured the Derby from No. 16. \u201cIt can be done from out there. I\u2019m happy enough with it.\u201d
\nIrish War Cry, who won the Wood Memorial (GII) at Aqueduct last time out, was rated fourth on the morning line at 6-1.<\/p>\n
J BOYS ECHO \u2013 The Albaugh family was on hand at Wednesday\u2019s Kentucky Derby draw, watching their colt J Boys Echo draw post position 13 for the \u201cRun for the Roses.\u201d
\n\u201cThirteen is a lucky number,\u201d trainer Dale Romans said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good spot to be in. We just didn\u2019t want the one or 20 post. We have horses on both sides of us so, if given the option, we couldn\u2019t have hand picked a better spot.\u201d
\nThe Gotham (GIII) winner will be ridden in Saturday\u2019s race by Luis Saez.
\nJ Boys Echo galloped 1 \u00bd miles Wednesday morning at 8:30 with Tammy Fox aboard.<\/p>\n
McCRAKEN — Whitham Thoroughbreds\u2019 McCraken galloped a mile and half after the morning renovation break with exercise rider Yoni Orantes aboard for trainer Ian Wilkes.
\nMcCraken had a paddock schooling session Tuesday afternoon that he passed with flying colors.
\n\u201cHe did very well,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cI was happy with it and that will be his only session there.\u201d
\nListed at 5-1 on the morning line and the co-second choice, McCraken drew post position 15.
\n\u201cIt is a very good draw,\u201d Wilkes said. \u201cThey were trying to tease us a little bit with the one and 20 still out for the second half of the draw. We have a good spot because there is that small gap between the main gate and the auxiliary gate.\u201d
\nHernandez also liked the draw.
\n\u201cWe got a little nervous with the one still out there,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cI told Ian this was the only time to get nervous because we couldn\u2019t control it. We drew well. I am very happy with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
PRACTICAL JOKE \u2013 Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence\u2019s Practical Joke once again galloped about 1 1\/2 times around the Churchill Downs oval under exercise rider Fernando Rivera during the Kentucky Oaks and Derby training session.
\n\u201cHe did great today,\u201d trainer Chad Brown said. \u201cHe just continues to train so well over the surface. He\u2019s just moving smooth and happy. At this point that\u2019s all we can do is bring him in sound and happy. It now gets to the point where things are out of our hands.\u201d
\nAt the Derby post-position draw, Practical Joke landed in post 19.
\n\u201cI\u2019m disappointed with the draw,\u201d Brown said. \u201cNineteen is obviously not where we want to be but we\u2019ll just have to work out a trip from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
SONNETEER \u2013 Calumet Farm’s maiden Sonneteer, who drew post 12 for the Derby, walked the shedrow Wednesday and was scheduled to school in the paddock during the second race. The Midnight Lute colt fired a bullet half-mile workout Monday and jogged Tuesday.
\nAssistant trainer Julie Clark reported that he was doing \u201cgreat\u201d and said trainer Keith Desormeaux would arrive later Wednesday.
\nThree-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Kent Desormeaux will be aboard Sonneteer and was happy with the draw.
\n\u201cIt is good,\u201d Desormeaux said. \u201cHe is just going to drop out to the back anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
THUNDER SNOW \u2013 Godolphin Racing\u2019s homebred UAE Derby (Group II) winner Thunder Snow cantered one mile during the Oaks and Derby training session under Godolphin exercise rider Daragh O\u2019Donohoe.
\n\u201cThe good thing about this horse is he handled the dirt really well,\u201d trainer Saeed bin Suroor said on his first morning at Churchill Downs this week. \u201cI talked to his work rider and he\u2019s so happy with him and that\u2019s good for Saturday. The horse was doing really well in Dubai before he came here but it is not easy to send a horse to the Kentucky Derby unless you know he has the class. I know it\u2019s a tough race, the best horses in the world, but our horse has the class.\u201d
\nGodolphin waited to make a final decision whether to contest the Kentucky Derby until after he arrived at Godolphin Stables in Newmarket, England from Dubai early last week.
\n\u201cSheikh Mohammed made the decision to keep our options open between the English Guineas (Saturday\u2019s 2000 Guineas at Newmarket Racecourse), or French or Irish or Kentucky Derbies. I suggested we wait to see how the horse traveled from Dubai to England and that\u2019s the reason why we waited. When he traveled and he worked well, that\u2019s when Sheikh Mohammed gave me the clear to run him in the Kentucky Derby. The horse is doing really well and we\u2019re looking for a good result.\u201d
\nIn medication news, Bin Suroor confirmed that Thunder Snow will race on Lasix for the first time in the Derby.
\nThunder Snow drew post position two for Saturday\u2019s Derby.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re happy with that,\u201d bin Suroor said of the post position draw. \u201cWe need to be handy in the race. The horse has a good turn of foot and he can be there and kick readily and that is the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
KENTUCKY DERBY FIELD<\/p>\n
The field for the Kentucky Derby with jockey and morning-line odds from the rail out, is: Lookin At Lee (Corey Lanerie, 30-1), Thunder Snow (IRE) (Christophe Soumillon, 20-1), Fast and Accurate (Channing Hill, 50-1), Untrapped (Ricardo Santana Jr., 30-1), Always Dreaming (John Velazquez, 5-1), State of Honor (Jose Lezcano, 30-1), Girvin (Mike Smith, 15-1), Hence (Florent Geroux, 15-1), Irap (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1), Gunnevera (Javier Castellano, 15-1), Battle of Midway (Flavien Prat, 30-1), Sonneteer (Kent Desormeaux, 50-1), J Boys Echo (Luis Saez, 20-1), Classic Empire (Julien Leparoux, 4-1), McCraken (Brian Hernandez Jr., 5-1), Tapwrit (Jose Ortiz, 20-1), Irish War Cry (Rajiv Maragh, 6-1), Gormley (Victor Espinoza, 15-1), Practical Joke (Joel Rosario, 20-1) and Patch (Tyler Gaffalione, 30-1). Also-eligibles: Royal Mo (Gary Stevens, 20-1) and Master Plan (John Velazquez, 50-1). All starters will carry 126 pounds.<\/p>\n
KENTUCKY OAKS NOTES<\/p>\n
ABEL TASMAN \u2013 China Horse Club and Clearsky Farms\u2019 Santa Anita Oaks (GI) runner-up Abel Tasman galloped 1 3\/8 miles under regular exercise rider Dana Barnes.
\n\u201cIt was very nice and she\u2019s settled in great,\u201d said Jimmy Barnes, lead assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to running her.\u201d
\nThe threat of rain on Oaks Day prompted questions about how the Quality Road filly would respond to a muddy surface.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what kind of weather we\u2019re going to get but we\u2019re ready for anything,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cYou really don\u2019t know until they get out there but it seems like with a sloppy track here horses do come from off the pace, from what I\u2019ve seen. As long as the track\u2019s fair we\u2019ll be fine. She\u2019s trained over muddy tracks so it\u2019s not a factor.\u201d<\/p>\n
DADDYS LIL DARLING \u2013 Normandy Farm\u2019s Daddys Lil Darling jogged Wednesday morning, two days out from the Kentucky Oaks, for trainer Kenny McPeek.
\nWith regular jockey Robby Albarado sidelined because of injury, Julien Leparoux picked up the mount on the Ashland (GI) runner-up.
\n\u201cI think she ran very good in the Ashland,\u201d Leparoux said. \u201cI\u2019m excited about the mount. Of course, it\u2019s a shame with what happened to Robby but it\u2019s a good thing he\u2019s going to heal and be back with us soon.\u201d
\nThe daughter of Scat Daddy is expected to gallop Thursday morning at 5:45.<\/p>\n
EVER SO CLEVER \u2013 Clearview Farm’s Ever So Clever schooled in the gate and then galloped a mile under regular exercise rider Angel Gacia.
\n\u201cShe’s doing very well,\u201d trainer Steve Asmussen said. \u201cThe cooler air has put a little pep in everyone’s step. They all stepped out of the barn on their toes this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
FARRELL \u2013 It was another routine day for high-energy Kentucky Oaks (GI) morning line 5-1 third-choice Farrell. The three-time GII winner exited Barn 30 at 8:35 a.m. under Antonio Ramos, escorted by Sara Tittle on a pony. Trainer Wayne Catalano and longtime assistant Fernando Canteria followed the Coffeepot Stables homebred astern with haste.
\nThe daughter of Malibu Moon and half-sister to 2015 Kentucky Derby (GI) alum Carpe Diem stood in the paddock, stood in the gate and the finally galloped 1 3\/4 miles on the main track.
\n\u201cEverything was great again today,\u201d Catalano said. \u201cWe\u2019re happy.\u201d
\nJockey Channing Hill, son-in-law to Catalano, also was in attendance. After stating that he would prefer post seven or eight prior to the draw, he was pleased with receiving the former.
\n\u201cHopefully it\u2019s all coming together,\u201d Hill said. \u201cI\u2019m really happy with the post. I\u2019m just going to let her break and run into the first turn. I was happy Paradise Woods drew inside (post four) of us and I\u2019m fine with Miss Sky Warrior being outside (post 10). We have an eighth of a mile going into the turn, so I think they\u2019ll already be in front of us if that\u2019s the case. If my filly decides to be forward and we\u2019re not \u2018rocket-shipping\u2019, then I\u2019ll stay where I\u2019m at. They\u2019re really going to have to run into the turn to outrun me. They\u2019ll have to use horse to get there and I know my filly will come back to me or she\u2019ll just outrun them. My post is good because I can apply pressure and I can avoid pressure at the same time.\u201d
\nA bit of a \u201chot\u201d filly who is dominant around the barn and requires two handlers nearly at all times, Farrell may find the Kentucky Oaks Day crowd \u2014 which can hover in excess of 100,000 people \u2014 to be one of her challenges. Hill remains confident that his charge can handle it.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s the boss,\u201d Hill said. \u201cShe was pumped up when she broke her maiden before a pretty small (Churchill Downs) crowd and she\u2019s acted exactly the same before every start, no matter how many people are there. I think it\u2019s just her. She\u2019s just ready to go. I have been married long enough to know that you just drop your hands, talk to them nicely and try not to fire her up any more than she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
JORDAN\u2019S HENNY \u2013 Erv Woolsey and Ralph Kinder\u2019s Jordan\u2019s Henny walked the shedrow at trainer Mike Tomlinson\u2019s barn Wednesday morning.
\n\u201cWe changed things up this morning and gave her a walk day,\u201d Tomlinson said. \u201cWe looked at the weather (with rain forecast the next two days) and it looks like she may have to run in it so she may as well train in it. She will gallop a mile and a half tomorrow and go to the gate and the paddock.\u201d
\nTomlinson has his horses housed in Barn 1, which is located by the half-mile pole. From there, Tomlinson has a good view of the morning activity on the track.
\n\u201cI have been watching the Oaks fillies,\u201d Tomlinson said. \u201cMiss Sky Warrior is a big, handsome filly and Salty has been, well, salty. She has been training really well and so has Paradise Woods.
\n\u201cUnless things change, I know my filly will show up. Miss Sky Warrior only beat her a half-length in the Davona Dale (GII) and my filly gave her all she wanted that day.\u201d<\/p>\n
LOCKDOWN \u2013 Juddmonte Farms’ Lockdown walked the shedrow Wednesday after completing her Oaks preparations with a three-furlong blowout in :35 Tuesday.
\n\u201cShe looks good,\u201d trainer Bill Mott said.
\nOne day after drawing post two for the Oaks, Mott was happy with the post.
\n\u201cI think it’s a pretty good spot,\u201d Mott said. \u201cThe fastest way around the track is the inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
MISS SKY WARRIOR \u2013 Streaking multiple graded-stakes winner Miss Sky Warrior galloped a mile under Aurelio Gomez.
\nEscorted by trainer Kelly Breen on a pony and observed by Breen on horseback during her gallop, the Arlene\u2019s Sun Star Stable-owned Gazelle (GII) winner is joined in the barn by fellow Breen-trained 3-year-old Derek\u2019s Smile, who is slated to take on elders in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint (GIII) earlier on the Oaks card.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s nice to have a couple horses here with her,\u201d Breen said. \u201cThey enjoy it. When she shipped into New York (for the Gazelle), we shipped into someone else\u2019s barn and she liked being around them. They like the action and seeing horses walking around them. They really thrive on camaraderie and entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n
MOPOTISM \u2013 The Uncle Mo filly Mopotism was out with the rest of the Derby\/Oaks runners taking advantage of the special 8:30 training period for a mile gallop under veteran rider Amir Cedeno.
\nTrainer Doug O\u2019Neill, who also had his Derby hopeful Irap out during the same session, did double duty watching both go through their exercises.
\n\u201cShe\u2019s feeling good,\u201d said Cedeno, who has worked for the O\u2019Neill outfit for about five years and whose history goes back to working with Hall of Famer Laz Berrera and galloping a mighty steed named Affirmed.
\nMopotism will break from post three Friday under Mario Gutierrez in the 143rd edition of the Kentucky Oaks (GI).<\/p>\n
PARADISE WOODS \u2013 Richard Mandella, the California-based Hall of Fame conditioner, had his filly star Paradise Woods out for a solid gallop Wednesday morning at 7:30 with his assistant trainer and exercise rider Alex Bisono in the saddle.
\nThe Union Rags filly went a strong mile and a quarter in her gallop and both rider and trainer seemed pleased.
\n\u201cShe went well,\u201d Mandella said. \u201cShe got some of her frustrations out today. She really wanted to go yesterday, but we held her back. Today we let her go some. It was good for her.\u201d
\nParadise Woods was scheduled for a paddock schooling session with the third race Wednesday and the sixth race Thursday.<\/p>\n
SAILOR\u2019S VALENTINE \u2013 It was another low-key day for Ashland (GI) winner Sailor\u2019s Valentine as the 3-year-old filly continues to fly under the radar for trainer Eddie Kenneally and owners Semaphore Racing LLC and Homewrecker Racing LLC. She was assigned 30-1 morning-line odds for the Kentucky Oaks (GI).
\nOn Wednesday, the gray filly left Barn 31 at 8:30 a.m. with exercise rider Kelly Wheeler aboard and trainer Kenneally on a pony and galloped 1 1\/2 miles.
\n\u201cEverything\u2019s perfect and I\u2019m really happy,\u201d Kenneally said. \u201cI really couldn\u2019t be happier, actually. She\u2019s doing as well as she can be.\u201d
\nLike many Mizzen Mast offspring, Sailor\u2019s Valentine has shown ample speed, but displayed marked improvement stalking while attempting two-turn dirt company for the first time last out in the Ashland at Keeneland. In the Oaks, she drew favorably for such a style in post eight.
\n\u201cIdeally, we think stalking will be her running style going forward in two-turn dirt races,\u201d Kenneally said. \u201cShe has natural speed, but she\u2019s content to lay off leaders and relaxes beautifully, which was key in the Ashland. She wasn\u2019t quite as relaxed as a 2-year-old last fall, but she has matured. Whoever is on the lead, depending on how quick they\u2019re going, hopefully she relaxes nicely behind them.
\n\u201cLike a lot of Mizzen Masts, she has a great constitution. She continues to eat and nothing fazes her and she\u2019s just tough. He\u2019s not a commercial sire, but they\u2019re hard-knocking, sturdy and sound horses. She\u2019s also a big, pretty filly and has a nice female side, as well, which is why she was maybe a little more expensive than (Mizzen Mast\u2019s) usually are.\u201d<\/p>\n
SALTY\/SUMMER LUCK \u2013 Gulfstream Park Oaks (GII) winner Salty galloped 1 \u00bd miles and visited the gate Wednesday morning at 8:30 for trainer Mark Casse.
\nThe daughter of Quality Road will attempt to claim the opening leg of the Oaks-Derby double for Casse.
\n\u201cLet\u2019s just go one day at a time,\u201d Casse joked. \u201cShe\u2019s doing well and we\u2019re excited for Friday.\u201d
\nOne of Salty\u2019s co-owners, Chris Baccari, typically doesn\u2019t find himself in the position to have one of the horses he owns in a premier race. Baccari, along with longtime partner Chester Prince, bred Salty as part of their operation with Baccari Bloodstock.
\n\u201cI think it\u2019s a great feeling to have a filly in the Oaks,\u201d Baccari said. \u201cSalty went through some growing pains when she was younger and we held onto her to make sure she developed more. I used to race a lot more than I should have, so I\u2019ve since cut back and sell most of the horses we breed. I thought this was one horse to give it a go with.\u201d
\nSalty will break from post position 14 with morning line odds of 6-1.
\nSummer Luck, who was most recently fifth in the Ashland, galloped 1 \u00bd miles Wednesday and still hopes to sneak into the race with a defection. The scratch time for the Oaks is 4 p.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n
TEQUILITA \u2013 Dorothy Alexander Matz\u2019s Tequilita was sent to the Churchill Downs track Wednesday morning for some light exercise under Jo Robinson.
\n\u201cShe backed up and jogged two miles. We took it real easy today,\u201d said Michael Matz, who trains the Kentucky Oaks hopeful for his wife.
\nDorothy Alexander Matz bred Tequilita, as well as her dam Sangrita, who won the seven-furlong Chilukki (GII) at Churchill Downs in 2006.
\nTequilita was sired by Union Rags, the 2012 Belmont Stakes winner trained by Michael Matz.
\n\u201cThis is a real family affair,\u201d he said.
\nThe Union Rags-Sangrita mating turned out to be a match made in heaven.
\n\u201cHer dam won going shorter. She was a big mare but short-coupled. I felt like we needed to stretch her out a little bit, and I knew he also had speed. I just thought it would be a good physical combo and when you looked at it on paper, the cross was good too,\u201d Dorothy Alexander Matz said. \u201cI\u2019ve always been a big believer that Union Rags would make a nice sire. He has a great female side. He was a very sound horse, so I said, \u2018What the heck, why not try it?\u2019 \u201d
\nMichael Matz said Union Rags\u2019 success as a stallion was gratifying.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s certainly gratifying. When Lane\u2019s End came up to vet him, the veterinarian said, \u2018I\u2019ll tell you one thing, this will be the soundest horse Lane\u2019s End every got off the track.\u2019 That made me feel good,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m just happy he\u2019s doing well as a stallion.\u201d
\nHe also trained Sangrita, who won three of eight starts.
\n\u201cI\u2019d say her mother was just a little bit more high-strung than Tequilita,\u201d he said.
\nLike her dam, Tequilita became a Grade II winner at seven furlongs by capturing the Forward Gal last winter. Although she didn\u2019t go on to win the 1 1\/16-mile Gulfstream Park Oaks (GII), she did show her trainer two-turn promise with her second-place finish behind Salty.
\n\u201cI think she was a little bit anxious going into the first turn. Hopefully, now she\u2019ll relax a little bit more,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
VEXATIOUS \u2013 Calumet Farm\u2019s Vexatious galloped 1 \u00bd miles under exercise rider Freddy Quevero at the end of training hours, avoiding the hubbub of the Oaks and Derby training session. The full sister to multiple Grade I winner Creative Cause and last year\u2019s Belmont Stakes runner-up Destin will be ridden Friday by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, who has been aboard for all five of her starts.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve had some success over the years,\u201d said trainer Neil Drysdale, who teamed with Desormeaux to win the 2000 Derby with Fusaichi Pegasus. \u201cHe\u2019s riding well. He was available to ride her in her first start at Del Mar and we\u2019ve just left it at that.\u201d
\nDrysdale has one other Triple Crown win, the 1992 Belmont Stakes with A.P. Indy, while Desormeaux has three Kentucky Derby victories and seven Triple Crown wins overall.<\/p>\n
WICKED LICK \u2013 Lee Mauberret\u2019s Wicked Lick galloped 1 \u00bd miles after the morning renovation break with exercise rider Leo Garcia aboard for trainer Brendan Walsh.
\nWicked Lick, listed at 30-1 on the morning line for the Oaks, will break from post position nine under Brian Hernandez Jr. Hernandez Jr. has ridden Wicked Lick in six of her eight starts.
\n\u201cShe is a hard-trying filly and is always right there,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cThe one time she was off the board with me (a fourth in the Rachel Alexandra), that was pilot error. I got pushed out wider but she came back running. She tries every time.\u201d
\nHernandez was aboard for the filly\u2019s first two starts that were on grass.
\n\u201cShe started on the grass and we wanted to run in a stake at Kentucky Downs, but she didn\u2019t get in,\u201d Hernandez said. \u201cOn dirt, she has been getting better each race. She has been second to (Oaks rival) Farrell twice and that is nothing to sneeze at.\u201d
\nHernandez will be one of many riders attempting an Oaks-Derby double this weekend. He also has the Derby assignment on McCraken.
\nSeven riders have won the Oaks and Derby in the same year with the most recent sweep coming in 2009 when Calvin Borel won the Oaks on Rachel Alexandra and the Derby on Mine That Bird.
\n\u201cThat would be some pretty exclusive company,\u201d Hernandez said of the riders who have done that. Six of the seven are in the Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
KENTUCKY OAKS FIELD<\/p>\n
The field for the Longines Kentucky Oaks with jockey and morning-line odds from the rail out, is: Ever So Clever (Luis Contreras, 20-1), Lockdown (Jose Ortiz, 20-1), Mopotism (Mario Gutierrez, 20-1), Paradise Woods (Flavien Prat, 5-2), Jordan\u2019s Henny (Joe Rocco, 30-1), Vexatious (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1), Farrell (Channing Hill, 5-1), Sailor\u2019s Valentine (Corey Lanerie, 30-1), Wicked Lick (Brian Hernandez Jr., 30-1), Miss Sky Warrior (Paco Lopez, 9-2), Tequilita (Luis Saez, 20-1), Daddys Lil Darling (Julien Leparoux, 20-1), Abel Tasman (Mike Smith, 5-1) and Salty (Joel Rosario, 6-1). Also-Eligible: Summer Luck (Javier Castellano, 30-1). All starters will carry 121 pounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Wednesday, May 3, 2017) – John Oxley’s Classic Empire was made the 4-1 morning-line favorite for Kentucky Derby 143 when post positions were drawn Wednesday morning in the Aristides Lounge at Churchill Downs. Prior to the draw during morning training, Louisiana Derby (Grade II) winner Girvin galloped a mile at 6:30 in his first activity at Churchill Downs since arriving at the track Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[97,52,2044],"tags":[1993,253],"class_list":["post-5652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-events-magazine","category-events-magazine","category-magazine","tag-classic-empire","tag-kentucky-derby"],"yoast_head":"\n