As contenders for the 146th Kentucky Derby continue to settle into the stable area at Churchill Downs, the final round of breezes for the Sept. 5 race are set for a busy coming weekend – both at Churchill and elsewhere.
One day after Authentic had to have a work aborted through no fault of his own, he motored around Del Mar’s track early Tuesday morning in a demanding drill designed to have him on edge for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs.
The unbeaten Kentucky Derby prospect, Shirl’s Speight, recorded his second fast work over the dirt training track at Woodbine last Friday. He went an old-school mile in 1:39.20 in company with five others, starting off slowly under jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson and then finishing well under a drive.
After going off form earlier this year, Thousand Words seemed invigorated once relocating here to Del Mar, where he trained sharply heading into the Shared Belief, in which he scored a 9-1 upset over Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. He has continued to train forwardly since that race in preparation for the Kentucky Derby.
Fifteen days after Tiz the Law won the Runhappy Travers emphatically and 13 days before he runs in the Derby as the favorite on Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs, Tagg sent Tiz the Law out early Sunday morning for a rigorous five-furlong workout that he completed in 59.47 seconds.
The second of the three afternoon workouts for Honor A. P. at Del Mar leading up to the Kentucky Derby was supposed to be the most serious of them, and the intent was evident on Saturday, as jockey Mike Smith had the long-striding colt continue out strongly, turning what was listed officially as a five-furlong drill into what was more like a seven-furlong move.
A heavy thunderstorm hit Saratoga at about 8 a.m. Saturday morning, dropping .36 of an inch of rain and turning a fast main track into a mud pit, prompting the connections of Tiz the Law to postpone a scheduled workout in preparation for the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5. The connections of Caracaro, however, went ahead with their planned work and the Travers runner-up went five furlongs in 1:01.88.
The Kentucky Derby will be run without fans this year for the first time in its history.
A final decision on his participation in the Kentucky Derby was to be made over the weekend, but Dr Post signaled his preparedness for the race with a solid five-furlong workout in 1:00.75 on Friday morning over Saratoga's main track.
Tiz the Law and Art Collector have arrived at this point of their 3-year-old seasons by different avenues. But both colts are from the sire line launched by the late leading sire A.P. Indy, the 1992 Belmont Stakes winner who is widely regarded as a source of stamina.
