El Kabeir looks sharp working towards Kentucky Derby

ELMONT, N.Y. - If the busy four-race campaign and harsh New York winter were supposed to take their toll on El Kabeir, well, they haven’t.

The multiple Grade 3 stakes-winning El Kabeir demonstrated his fitness and energy levels were very strong during a five-furlong work timed in 1:00.15 Sunday morning over Belmont Park’s main track.

Working by himself over a freshly harrowed surface shortly before 9 a.m., El Kabeir went off in a modest first furlong of 13.50 seconds before zipping a quarter in 25.58 and three furlongs in 37.00. With hardly any encouragement from exercise rider Simon Harris, El Kabeir got his last quarter in 23.15 seconds.

El Kabeir galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.13 and pulled up seven-eighths in 1:27.58.

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Tonja Terranova, the wife of and assistant to trainer John, said the work was originally designed to start at the half-mile pole, but El Kabeir “was getting a little strong so Simon just let him slip away from the pole instead of fighting him.”

The move was the first for El Kabeir since his third-place finish in the Wood Memorial, his fourth race of the year. El Kabeir won the Grade 3 Jerome and Grade 3 Gotham sandwiched around a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Withers.

“He’s doing amazing. He’s very resilient,” Terranova said. “He trains a lot better on the main track. He always has. That’s why we decided not to go in company today. We didn’t really want a blazing work. It couldn’t have gone any better. He looks great; he’s maintained his weight, his conditioning. We’ll probably do the same thing next week. He’s dead fit.”

Terranova said El Kabeir would probably work again next Sunday at Belmont before vanning to Churchill Downs later that afternoon.

On Sunday afternoon, owner Ahmed Zayat confirmed Calvin Borel, a three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider, would ride El Kabeir in the Derby. Borel replaces C.C. Lopez, who had ridden El Kabeir in all four of his starts this year, including victories in the Grade 3 Jerome and Gotham.

Borel, who rode El Kabeir to victory in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last November, was named to ride the horse in the Jerome but had to take off when he had a death in the family a few days prior to that race.

Zayat said both his son and racing manager, Justin, and trainer John Terranova recommended making a rider change in part because of Borel’s success at and familiarity with Churchill Downs. Lopez has ridden only four horses at Churchill Downs, and Ahmed Zayat said his own attempt to secure him mounts Derby week were unsuccessful.

Zayat said Borel “has ridden him before. He rode a winning race. He’s a great rider. C.C. was the sentimental [choice]. Our only fear was our jockey would not get any mounts, and that would put us at a disadvantage. John recommended we had to go with Calvin. Up until yesterday, I was 50-50.”