Brown works three ahead of Kentucky Derby preps

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – With his trio of Kentucky Derby candidates bedded down at Belmont Park, trainer Chad Brown traveled from Florida to New York for a quick visit to oversee Saturday morning workouts for the three as they prepare for important final prep races.

Shagaf, the winner of the Grade 3 Gotham; Flexibility, the winner of the Grade 3 Jerome; and My Man Sam, an impressive maiden winner and allowance runner-up, all breezed at Belmont on Saturday.

Shagaf, unbeaten in three starts, is considered definite for the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 9. Brown said he will “most likely” run a second horse in the Wood but isn’t sure whether it will be Flexibility or My Man Sam. Whichever one of those two doesn’t run in the Wood likely will run in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland the same day.

On a dry, clear, and cool morning, Shagaf worked in company with My Man Sam over a fast Belmont training track. The pair was basically together through a half-mile move in 48.59 seconds, getting their final quarter in 24.07. They galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.99.

Belmont is where Shagaf spent most of his 2-year-old season. After winning an allowance race at Gulfstream on Jan. 29, Shagaf spent the next month training at Palm Meadows before returning to New York a few days before the Gotham, a race he won by 1 1/4 lengths over Laoban, overcoming a significant speed bias in the process.

“I thought Shagaf worked outstanding,” Brown said. “He’s really doing well, particularly since he’s moved back to New York. He had a fine winter; he got a little bit of a late start because he got sick after his maiden win and shipped down late. He ran fine in his allowance race and then off the plane in the Gotham, but he’s always trained better in cooler weather. He’s always trained exceptional in New York. For as well as he wintered, from what I saw of this horse this morning, he’s really on top of his game again.”

My Man Sam won a maiden race by eight lengths and then came back to run second to a loose-on-the-lead Matt King Coal in a first-level allowance race March 6. My Man Sam, a one-run closer, is not known as a good work horse. But on Saturday, he held his own with Shagaf, though he was asked more by his rider than was Shagaf.

“We put him against Shagaf today and let him sit outside of him, and he worked well,” Brown said. “For him, that work was fine.”

Brown confirmed that the connections of My Man Sam have paid the $6,000 late nomination fee to make him eligible for the Triple Crown races.

For at least the third straight week, Flexibility worked in company with the older stakes winner Majestic Affair. The pair broke off a little bit slowly – the first eighth went in 13.10 seconds – but they picked it up thereafter and came home in 35.21 seconds. Flexibility then proceeded to get away from Majestic Affair on the gallop-out, going five furlongs in 1:01.62 and six furlongs in 1:15.31.

“The little freshening has done him really, really well,” Brown said. “Hopefully, he’ll get back on track in his next start.”

Flexibility, twice second to Mohaymen in graded stakes at Aqueduct last fall, won the Jerome on Jan. 2. He regressed when running fourth in the Withers on Jan. 30 but seems to be returning to form.

While Brown is still toying with where to run Flexibility, he did say that the colt’s solid performances over the main track last fall could play a role in the final decision.

Also working for Brown on Saturday was Lewis Bay, the winner of the Grade 2 Demoiselle last fall, who is pointing to the Grade 2 Gazelle here April 9. Lewis Bay worked four furlongs in 48.37 seconds in company with the maiden Smile Big.

:: ROAD TO THE KENTUCKY DERBY: Prep races, point standings, replays

Matt King Coal sharp in workout

Matt King Coal, who came off a four-month layoff to win a first-level allowance race over My Man Sam on March 6, worked six furlongs in 1:13.06 on Saturday over the Belmont training track.

Trainer Linda Rice caught Matt King Coal in fractions of 24.56 seconds for the quarter, a half-mile in 48.59, five furlongs in 1:01.09, and caught him galloping out seven furlongs in 1:27.03.

“I was really happy with his work,” Rice said. “I’m only going to give him two breezes into the race, and it had to be strong enough. This is the first time we breezed him alone, and it was beautiful.”

Rice said Matt King Coal’s last work for the Wood most likely will come 10 days out from the Wood.