Dortmund, Prospect Park both drill six furlongs for Santa Anita Derby

ARCADIA, Calif. - Dortmund and Prospect Park, the two leading contenders for the $1 million Santa Anita Derby on April 4, had vital six-furlong workouts in Southern California on Saturday.

Dortmund, unbeaten in five starts, worked in 1:12 at Santa Anita, the second-fastest of 18 works at the distance. Dortmund started his workout alone and joined horses who started several lengths in front, trainer Bob Baffert said.

“He caught some company to keep him interested,” Baffert said. “They kept him going all the way around.”

Dortmund worked at 7:45 a.m., a time when the training session is at its most active with numerous horses working simultaneously.

“If you leave after the break, there’s always someone out there,” Baffert said.

Dortmund is owned by Kaleem Shah and has won three stakes – the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in December, the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes in February, and the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes on March 7.

Prospect Park worked in 1:11 at the San Luis Rey Downs training center in northern San Diego County. Trainer Clifford Sise timed Prospect Park in 1:10.40, a time that left him a bit surprised.

“We were after a decent three-quarters, maybe not that decent,” Sise said. “He did it easy. He went very well.”

Prospect Park was second to Dortmund in the San Felipe Stakes, his stakes debut. Owned by Marty and Pam Wygod, Prospect Park has two wins in six starts. Sise said that Prospect Park will be shipped to Santa Anita on Monday or Tuesday and will train there in advance of the Santa Anita Derby.

The Santa Anita Derby also may attract Bad Read Sanchez, Bolo, Cross the Line, and Ocho Ocho Ocho.