Kentucky Derby: Dynamic One best among Pletcher's workers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While trainer Todd Pletcher was pleased with what he saw from all four of his 3-year-olds Friday morning when they put in their final workouts at Churchill Downs for the May 1 Kentucky Derby, there was one move in particular that seemed to stand out.
Dynamic One, the runner-up in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, went a half-mile in 48.07 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. It was what he did after the wire under jockey Jose Ortiz that stood out as he galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.53 and six furlongs in 1:13.56 in company with the 3-year-old maiden winner Prime Factor.
“He really picked it up on the gallop out past the wire,” Pletcher said. “I had Jose Ortiz on the radio and kind of reeled him in after the 1:13 and change, I was a little worried he was going to keep going and overdo it a little bit. But while he was doing that, he threw his ears up. It seemed like he was doing that well within himself.”
Overall, Dynamic One has been a bit of an underachiever, having just one win from five starts. His first race was a disaster, finishing ninth as the favorite in an 11-horse field at Aqueduct last November. In two starts at Gulfstream, Dynamic One twice had the outside post in large fields going 1 1/16 miles. He finished second to Greatest Honour but was then fourth, beaten two lengths.
Pletcher shipped Dynamic One back to New York where he won a 1 1/8-mile maiden race by 5 1/4 lengths before getting beat a head by longshot stablemate Bourbonic in the Wood Memorial.
“In the Wood, that’s what we were hoping for in terms of him showing us belongs with this group,” Pletcher said. “He got there but didn’t know what to do once he made the lead. He’s still a work in progress in putting it all together and seems to be improving at the right time.”
Dynamic One, a son of Curlin owned the triumvirate of Mike Repole, Vinnie and Teresa Viola, and the Phipps Stable, worked shortly after the pair of Florida Derby winner Known Agenda and Sainthood. That team went five furlongs in 1:00.79, according to Welsch.
“Known Agenda is not the most aggressive work horse, people have been picking on him a little bit,” Pletcher said. “I said before we came here he’s not an Always Dreamer” - referring to Pletcher’s 2017 Kentucky Derby winner - “who’s going to go in 59 by himself. That’s not his personality. It was a good, productive work today and last week. I really like the way Sainthood worked with him and they were good mates.”
Bourbonic worked at 9 a.m. and went by himself. He went a half-mile in 49.52 seconds, according to Welsch.
“Bourbonic has been pretty aggressive the last few days galloping, so I decided to work him by himself,” Pletcher said. “I thought it was a good, steady breeze with a particularly strong gallop-out. It seems like the further he goes the better.”