Destin works five furlongs for Kentucky Derby

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Tampa Bay Derby winner Destin, who will go into the Kentucky Derby without a race in eight weeks, continues to progress nicely toward that goal after working five furlongs in 1:00.89 over a "good" racetrack at Palm Beach Downs on Saturday.

Breaking off at the five-eighths pole in front of just a handful of onlookers in company with stablemate Savoy Stomp, Destin posted early splits of 24.74 and 36.83 seconds over a track that took some rain overnight. Destin then maintained a clear advantage to the wire while just cruising down the stretch, ears pricked, inside his mate, who was fully extended trying to keep pace down the lane.

Destin then edged away on the gallop-out, going six furlongs in 1:14.26 before pulling up solo in 1:29.09.

"It was a good, solid work," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "We were looking for a good, solid five-eighths with a strong gallop-out afterwards, and I thought we got that."

Pletcher said Destin, who defeated stablemate Outwork in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, is not a particularly flashy work horse.

"You have to rouse him up a bit to get a really fast work out of him," said Pletcher. "I thought this was a better work than last week."

Pletcher said he's not doing anything much differently in the morning with Destin than he would with any of his horses coming up to a race off a similar layoff.

"I might be training him a little differently than some of the other Derby horses who have had preps, but not differently than most horses with this kind of time between starts," said Pletcher. "I don't want to try to overthink it too much, just try to treat it like any other horse coming up to a race off eight weeks, which we do a lot."

Pletcher said his confidence level for Destin grew some after watching Outwork and Brody's Cause come out of the Tampa Bay Derby to win the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes, respectively, last weekend.

"It was good to see both those horses come back and win; it really legitimizes the race," said Pletcher. "And I think his versatility should help and that he has enough seasoning and experience that Javier can play it off the pace scenario."

Pletcher was referring to jockey Javier Castellano, who will be aboard Destin again in the Kentucky Derby.

Pletcher said Destin will work once more at Palm Beach Downs next Saturday before shipping to Churchill Downs, where he'll have his final Derby prep the weekend before the race.

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