Enticed, Take Charge Paula put in final works for Derby, Oaks

ELMONT, N.Y. – In the age of modern technology, information is never more than a tap or a click away. So, as he sat in a corner of the clocker’s stand at the Belmont Park training track Thursday morning, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was receiving timely updates from his brother Neal about the goings on at the Palm Meadows training center in South Florida.

That’s where McLaughlin’s 3-year-olds Enticed and Take Charge Paula put in their final workouts Thursday morning for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, respectively.

Enticed, winner of the Grade 3 Gotham and runner-up in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, both at Aqueduct, worked five furlongs in 1:00.20. According to McLaughlin, Enticed and his workmate, Into the Breach, a 4-year-old maiden with six second-place finishes from eight starts, went off in a quick 23.80 seconds for the opening quarter. From there, the work basically went in even splits with Enticed finishing about a half-length in front at the wire.

“He’s not a fancy worker, but his last two have been very good,” McLaughlin said, also referring to a five-furlong move on April 19 that went in 1:01.20 and was done in company with Take Charge Paula.

Enticed returned to South Florida shortly after his runner-up finish to Vino Rosso in the April 7 Wood Memorial. McLaughlin said at that time he altered Enticed’s morning gallops.

“We pulled him at the wire in his gallops, so he seemed to know where the wire was in his works and pulling up quick and not galloping out,” McLaughlin said. “So we changed-up where we were pulling him up – starting and stopping – and it really helped his last two works.”

:: Get both the Kentucky Derby and Oaks Clocker Reports for just $19.95!

McLaughlin kept Enticed in South Florida to do his serious training for the Derby for a couple of reasons. First, the horse seemed to thrive at Palm Meadows, and in April the weather is ideal and there are fewer horses stabled there than during the Gulfstream Park winter meet.

Second, Enticed has already proven himself at Churchill Downs, having won the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club there last November in a 14-horse field. Horses coming out of that race have won nine stakes races.

“It’s definitely a plus for us,” McLaughlin said. “Makes us feel comfortable that we don’t have that as an excuse. He’s so good mentally we hope he handles all the preliminaries well.”

Junior Alvarado, who rode the McLaughlin-trained Frosted to a fourth-place finish behind American Pharoah in the 2015 Kentucky Derby, has the call on Enticed.

Shortly after Enticed worked at Palm Meadows, Take Charge Paula breezed five furlongs in 1:01 in company with the 3-year-old maiden gelding Ajwibah.

For the second straight week, Take Charge Paula worked in blinkers, equipment she will wear for the first time in a race in the Kentucky Oaks.

“Just to stay focused,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin acquired Take Charge Paula earlier this year when owner Peter Deutsch purchased the filly privately from Bruce Tallisman. After she won the Grade 3 Forward Gal, Take Charge Paula finished second to Fly So High in the Grade 2 Davona Dale at a mile, and second to Coach Rocks in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Parks going 1 1/16 miles.

Noting that Monomoy Girl and Midnight Bisou are the two “big fillies” in the Oaks, McLaughlin said, “We’re real happy with our filly, she’s doing well, and we feel like we’ve got a big chance if she doesn’t do anything but stay focused and run.”

Jose Ortiz, who rode Take Charge Paula for the first time in the Gulfstream Oaks, will be back aboard in the Kentucky Oaks.

McLaughlin has run in the Oaks only once and finished second with Little Belle in 2008.

Enticed and Take Charge Paula will both leave Palm Meadows by van Sunday and arrive at Churchill Downs on Monday morning, McLaughlin said.