El Kabeir sharpens for Wood Memorial

ELMONT, N.Y. - As the New York winter struggles to evolve into spring, this circuit’s heartiest 3-year-old soul, El Kabeir, continues to thrive, working five furlongs in 59.97 seconds Sunday morning over the Belmont Park training track.

It was El Kabeir’s first work since his victory in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 7. It is one of two moves he will have before the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial over Aqueduct’s main track on April 4. El Kabeir has been based at Belmont all winter. At Aqueduct, he has won the Grade 3 Jerome in January, and finished second in the Grade 3 Withers in February before winning the Gotham.

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El Kabeir, with exercise rider Simon Harris up, began his work at the 4 1/2-furlong pole, about three lengths behind his workmate, Instructor Kunu. After going an opening quarter-mile in 24.15 seconds, El Kabeir gradually moved toward his target, moving on equal terms three furlongs into the work. When Harris squeezed on him, El Kabeir ran away from Instructor Kunu and finished about five lengths in front a sixteenth past the wire, where the work official ended. El Kabeir galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.22.

“What really impressed me was that he did whatever Simon asked without getting rank,” said Tonja Terranova, assistant to her husband John. “He was willing to sit with a horse without getting rank and when he joined him and as soon as Simon barely touched him he just exploded away from him and he came back and didn’t take a deep breath.”

In the Wood, El Kabeir is expected to take on, among others, Far From Over, who beat him in the Withers, and Daredevil, who beat him in last year’s Grade 1 Champagne.

“I’m happy in the position we’re in,” Terranova said. “He’s doing amazing. He just keeps putting on weight. Impressive work, I thought today.”