Kentucky Derby Clocker: Not much to glean from Japanese horses' works

CHURCHILL DOWNS
Weather: Clear
Track: Fast
Temperature: 71 degrees

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Anyone hoping to get a better line on the two Japanese contenders for this year’s Kentucky Derby, Admire Daytona and Luxor Cafe, from their first serious local workouts Tuesday at Churchill Downs may have left the track even more confused than when they walked in. Neither was asked for their best when breezing five furlongs under balmy skies just minutes apart during the special Derby/Oaks training session which takes place daily after the first renovation break.

Trying to decipher information from their respective past performance lines and figuring exactly how the two Japanese runners class up against their American counterparts is tricky business to begin with. Add in the fact both have taken a fairly conservative route in their training regimen since arriving in Kentucky, more so it seems than the majority of Japanese Derby hopefuls have in past years, has muddled the picture even further.

But by working only four days out from the main event, trainers Yukihiro Kato and Noriyuki Hori opted, not surprisingly, to take a maintenance approach with Tuesday’s drills. Neither breeze shed any real light on what to expect from the pair on Derby day.

Admire Daytona was put in company with the Dale Romans-trained 3-year-old maiden-claiming winner Greatdayforhockey, the pair leaving the five-furlong marker at just a little faster than a two-minute pace. They then officially began the work at the half-mile pole, posting splits of 26.14 seconds and 49.97 to the wire before completing the breeze into the turn in 1:02.60. To his credit, Admire Daytona, working nearest the rail, gamely kept his head in front of his workmate until just after the duo eased up six furlongs in 1:16.56.

Luxor Cafe, who defeated Admire Daytona by over three lengths in the Hyancinth Stakes in February and by a nose in a maiden race in their 2-year-old finales, worked solo, from the five-eighths pole. He also eased away to begin before picking up the pace some down the lane, getting his opening three-eighths in 37.89 en route to a 1:02.44 final clocking, although he was pulled up very quickly on the gallop-out. Luxor Cafe also got a little warm in the coat while appearing to briefly drift a tad through mid-stretch.

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Admire Daytona and Luxor Cafe were far from done after completing their works, both schooling in the starting gate and visiting the paddock before returning to the barn for a couple of well-deserved baths.

Among the Derby contenders to catch the eye during routine training sessions Tuesday included Final Gambit, who continues to give the impression he might just outrun his odds on Saturday; Burnham Square, who has seemingly bounced out of his eye-catching work over the weekend even more eager than he went in; Chunk of Gold, another potentially live longshot who has shown great energy coming out of a very solid-looking final Derby drill of his own last week at Turfway Park; and Grande, who is flying a little under the radar by virtue of the fact trainer Todd Pletcher chose Keeneland as the site for his only pre-Derby workout and despite exiting a troubled but very promising performance in the Wood.

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