Derby Clocker: Mendelssohn, fashionably late, jogs with entourage
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mendelssohn was the horse everyone was waiting to see here Thursday following his release from quarantine the previous afternoon.
The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner clearly announced his presence to the crowd with a few good hollers, apparently par for the course for him, as he jogged by the grandstand with a trio of his buddies from the Aidan O’Brien barn shortly after the special Derby-Oaks training session ended around 7:45 a.m.
Mendelssohn, obviously a bit of a high-strung colt, and his mates trained on a crowded track with the general population. The quartet jogged approximately 1 1/8 miles before reversing direction and cantering another mile. Mendelssohn remained on his left lead, as many of the European horses tend to do, down the stretch while also getting a tad warm, especially early in the lengthy session.
Overall, Mendelssohn made a very good appearance, with nothing that happened Thursday likely to sway the opinion of either his backers or detractors on Saturday.
Justify was, well, Justify again Thursday, putting in another eye-catching gallop shortly after escaping a potentially disastrous situation when nearly run over by Oaks contender Sassy Sienna while jogging past the finish line near the outside fence.
Good Magic and Hofburg were solid again, both under a good hold by their riders to prevent them from doing too much just 48 hours in advance of the race. Hofburg had his ears pricked, as usual, looking quite happy galloping past the wire.
Flameaway was a bit more subdued than usual, while Combatant continues to make a nice impression. Free Drop Billy got a little hot in the coat once again, while Noble Indy trained without the blinkers he was equipped with on Wednesday.
Bolt d’Oro appeared about the same as the previous morning, taking quite a while to loosen up and get comfortable during his gallop, which, according to West Coast colleagues, is just him.
Audible is another who might not please the eye during routine morning gallops, but trainer Todd Pletcher said weeks ago to expect just that since he’s so “laid-back” when he trains. Audible does look significantly better, both in his gallops and works, than he had leading up to his huge performance in the Florida Derby.
Instilled Regard also has not seemed really comfortable in his local gallops, but it’s possible that is just par for the course for him as well.
My Boy Jack was a bit conspicuous by his absence during training hours Thursday, especially after doing little more than jogging a mile Wednesday, but Thursday is normally a walk day for the Keith Desormeaux barn.
For the third straight morning, Enticed was the last of the Derby horses to train, coming out at 9:15 to school in the paddock and gallop an easy 1 1/2 miles. Not the most impressive work horse, he has looked good since arriving from South Florida earlier this week. The Wood Memorial runner-up, Enticed came by the wire both times with his ears up while getting fairly aggressive in his final pass into and around the clubhouse turn.
On the Oaks side of the ledger, potential favorite Midnight Bisou visited the paddock, then blew out an easy quarter-mile down the stretch in 26.55 seconds.
Wonder Gadot went at a similar clip several minutes earlier while kept well out near the middle of the racetrack during what for her has become a routine gallop. She completed a full mile from the three-eighths pole back around in 1:55 and change while continuing to show a high energy level here for the past 10 days.
