Keen Ice works from home

ELMONT, N.Y. – At the finish of the Kentucky Derby, Keen Ice and Mubtaahij were separated by a half-length, or approximately four feet. On Wednesday, with both preparing for the June 6 Belmont Stakes – and a second meeting with each other and Derby and Preakness winner American Pharoah – Keen Ice and Mubtaahij were separated by 772 miles and their trainers’ ideology.

Keen Ice and Mubtaahij both put in workouts Wednesday, with Keen Ice drilling six furlongs in a sharp 1:13.60 at Churchill Downs and Mubtaahij an easy three furlongs in 38.47 seconds at Belmont Park.

For Keen Ice, it was his third work since his seventh-place finish in the Kentucky Derby. For Mubtaahij, it was his fifth work since his eighth-place finish in the Derby and his third in eight days. Most noteworthy about Mubtaahij’s move was that it came with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. Ortiz will ride Mubtaahij in the Belmont Stakes.

At Churchill, Keen Ice, under exercise rider Tammy Fox, was timed by track clockers in fractions of 12.40 seconds, 24.40, 36.20, 48.60, and 1:00.60, and he galloped out seven furlongs in 1:27.80.

“To me, it was really good,” trainer Dale Romans said by phone from Churchill Downs. “He didn’t want to pull up. He turned around, took a deep breath, and walked home. His recovery time was very quick. Fitness is such a big key, and I think he’s 100 percent fit, which is naturally what you want to go a mile and a half.”

Keen Ice was beaten 8 3/4 lengths by American Pharoah in the Kentucky Derby. Right out of the gate, he was guided to the rail by Kent Desormeaux and stayed there until being shut off at the three-eighths pole. He tipped outside and then bumped with another rival at the three-sixteenths but was still running at the end while seven wide. He got beat a length for sixth by Materiality, who has garnered much more praise for his late run than has Keen Ice.

“Our horse only got to run the last eighth of a mile,” Romans said. “I thought he could have [finished] a little closer.”

Romans has run in five previous Belmont Stakes, with three third-place finishers, including last year with 24-1 shot Medal Count, who had finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby. Before last year, Romans had brought his four previous Belmont contenders to New York early, enabling them to have at least one workout over the main track.

Medal Count had his final work at Churchill Downs, and so too will Keen Ice, who Romans said will work Tuesday morning in Kentucky before traveling later that day by plane to New York.

“I tried it both ways, and it didn’t really make a difference,” Romans said. “Training over it doesn’t mean you’re going to get the same track to run on. I thought the benefits of flying outweighed the benefits of getting up there early.”

On the other hand, Mubtaahij has been at Belmont Park since May 15 and has breezed every three days since May 17.

On Wednesday, the colt’s connections wanted to have Ortiz get acquainted with Mubtaahij because he will be riding him for the first time in the Belmont.

At 8:30 a.m., Ortiz was sitting on a bench in a nearly empty Belmont Park paddock when Mubtaahij entered with assistant trainer Trevor Brown on his back. Brown gave Ortiz some instructions, then dismounted and gave a leg up to him.

After a few tours of the paddock – walking behind stablemate Umgiyo – Mubtaahij walked through the paddock tunnel and onto the main track. Though he backed up to the half-mile pole with Umgiyo, Mubtaahij worked by himself, going his first eighth in 13.12 seconds and coming through the lane in 25.35 for a final time of 38.47, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Mubtaahij galloped out four furlongs in 52.31 seconds.

“All the time on the bridle, never asked him,” Ortiz said. “He’s got a huge stride. I think he can go the mile and a half.”

Brown, the assistant to trainer Mike de Kock, said it was important to have Ortiz get on the horse once before the race.

“You definitely want the jockey to get to know the horse before the race – his attitude, the way they stride,” Brown said. “He must make up his own mind, but just to feel the horse, know what he’s all about, what type of action he’s got, how fit he is. Being an ex-jock, it’s very important. It just gives him a bit of confidence. If they ride a horse and they work well, the horse recovers soon, it just gives a rider a lot of confidence going into the race.”

◗ Also at Belmont on Wednesday, Preakness runner-up Tale of Verve had a strong gallop and was clocked his final three furlongs in 38.21 seconds by Welsch.

Trainer Dallas Stewart said this was the “most stout of his days since he ran.”

“I felt like he needed it,” Stewart said. “He was fresh; he was ready for it. He was on his toes [Tuesday] afternoon. It appears he really likes the track, gets over it good, all the signs you want to see.”

Tale of Verve is expected to have a proper work Saturday.

◗ At Churchill Downs, American Pharoah simply walked the shed row the day after his strong workout Tuesday.

“Everything looked very good this morning,” Jimmy Barnes, the assistant to trainer Bob Baffert, told Churchill Downs publicity.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch