Kentucky Derby clocker: Tax, Haikal put in final drills

Churchill Downs
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 61
Tracks: Muddy

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The weather was the story, both locally and around the country, when it came to training hours on Thursday for horses preparing to compete here next week in the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby.

Heavy rain overnight left the racetrack at Churchill Downs sealed and muddy when it opened for training at 5:15 a.m., with conditions not improving much a couple of hours later for the daily 15-minute Oaks-Derby training session.

Meanwhile, rain in the forecast into Friday in both Lexington, Ky., and New York led to a pair of works – one for the Derby and a second for the Oaks – being pushed forward 24 hours to avoid the potential for wet racetracks at Keeneland and Belmont Park.

Tax and Haikal, the second- and third-place finishers in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, were the only two Derby workers around the country on Thursday, turning in their final drills over fast surfaces on both the main and training track at Belmont Park.

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The lone worker at Churchill Downs during the special training session was Oaks contender Out for a Spin, who breezed a very easy half-mile over the wet going in 49.98 in company with stablemate Broadway Cat. Out for a Spin broke off outside her mate, went an opening quarter in 24.48 seconds, then cruised to the wire a head best before being eased up on the gallop-out.

Several prominent Derby contenders appeared to handle the sealed and muddy surface here Thursday, including Omaha Beach, who continues to make a favorable impression during his routine morning gallops. Omaha Beach, who won his maiden and more recently the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby over sloppy tracks, is slated to have his final Derby work on Friday with Mike Smith expected to fly in from California to handle that assignment. But with more rain forecast here beginning late Thursday afternoon and into the night, trainer Richard Mandella is leaving open the possibility the important drill could be postponed until Saturday or beyond.

Tacitus, who broke his maiden over a “good” surface last fall at Aqueduct, had another excellent morning, galloping 1 1/2 miles, the final quarter at better than a two-minute clip. Louisiana Derby winner By My Standards, another with plenty of experience over off going, had his neck bowed while continuing to turn heads during the Oaks-Derby session on Thursday, his first appearance since a sharp work here Monday.

Belmont works

Belmont Park
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 50
Tracks: Fast

At Belmont, Haikal, winner of the Grade 3 Gotham and third in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, covered five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.54 working outside of the unraced 3-year-old Taamer. The two broke off together at the half-mile pole and went off a modest first eighth in 12.94 seconds before picking it up and getting to the quarter pole in 24.82 seconds. With exercise rider Luis Peraza maintaining a hold on Haikal, he finished a neck in front of his workmate, getting to the wire in 48.81 seconds. He maintained that advantage out an eighth past the wire and was credited with a five-furlong move.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was not looking for as fast a work as last week – when Haikal went a half-mile in 47.59 seconds – in part because the colt was coming back in six days.

Tax, working over the Belmont training track, went four furlongs in 47.80 seconds. Tax started about four lengths behind stablemate Follow the Signs, a 5-year-old New York-bred gelding, and chased him through a quick opening quarter in 23.52 seconds. Tax drew on even terms in upper stretch, and with exercise rider Rolando Quevedo slightly moving his hands, Tax pulled away by about three lengths at the wire in a final quarter of 24.28 seconds. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.11 and six furlongs in 1:14.03, continuing to work well and show the stamina necessary to be a factor in a race like the Derby.

As this was Tax’s only work between the Wood and the Derby, trainer Danny Gargan said he wanted something strong and believes he got it.

Both Haikal and Tax will leave by van Sunday afternoon and arrive at Churchill Downs early Monday morning.

At Keeneland, reigning juvenile filly champion Jaywalk zipped five furlongs in 59.20 for the Kentucky Oaks. At Gulfstream Park, Oaks-bound Jeltrin covered five furlongs from the gate in 1:00.33 and continued out six furlongs in 1:13.97 over a fast track.

– additional reporting by David Grening