Kentucky Derby: Creative Cause works at Hollywood Park in 'cheater blinkers'

Benoit & Associates

Creative Cause, Joel Rosario up, wins the San Felipe.

Creative Cause moved closer to a start in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs with a five-furlong workout at Hollywood Park on Tuesday.

Creative Cause, who won the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes in March and was second to I’ll Have Another in the Santa Anita Derby on April 7, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20.

“The track might be a little bit slow today,” trainer Mike Harrington said. “He didn’t need to do any more than he did.”

Creative Cause worked while wearing “cheater blinkers,” or blinkers that offer a small amount of restricted vision. Creative Cause raced without blinkers for the first time in the Santa Anita Derby, finishing second by a nose.

Owned by Heinz Steinmann, Creative Cause has won 4 of 8 starts and $869,000, including $836,000 in graded stakes. In his only previous start at Churchill Downs, Creative Cause was third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last November, beaten a length by Hansen.

Harrington said on Tuesday that Creative Cause will work next Tuesday at Hollywood Park and on May 1 at Churchill Downs in advance of the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Harrington considers the 2012 Kentucky Derby to be an open race.

“I think you could flip-flop the top five,” he said. “I think any of the top 10 can win it. I think it’s going to be one of the better Derbys in a while. I think this is a contentious crop of 3-year-olds.”

◗ The season’s first juvenile race over two furlongs is the opening race on an eight-race program at Santa Anita on Thursday.

The race is for maidens entered for $100,000 claiming prices, and drew a field of nine. Trainer Eric Guillot starts Confederate Recon, a colt by Salute the Sarge who worked three furlongs in 35 seconds from the gate on April 15. The time was the fastest of 19 works at the distance.