Gormley, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby on April 8, worked seven furlongs in 1:26.20 at Santa Anita on Saturday in his final major preparation for the Kentucky Derby next weekend.
Battalion Runner and Malagacy both will not run in the Kentucky Derby, trainer Todd Pletcher said Saturday. Their defections put Lookin at Lee and Sonneteer in the field, with Royal Mo on the bubble.
Some major rainstorms passed through the area early Saturday morning and continued intermittently during training hours, but nothing could deter J Boys Echo from getting in his final Kentucky Derby work over a racetrack upgraded from muddy to “good” after the renovation break and which yielded some quick workout times after being tightened up by the precipitation.
Thunder Snow is officially in, Battalion Runner and Malagacy are officially out, Lookin At Lee and Sonneteer are now in the field, Girvin took a big step toward making the race, J Boys Echo worked at Churchill Downs, and both Gormley and Royal Mo worked at Santa Anita, all part of a busy Saturday on many fronts seven days out from the Kentucky Derby on May 6.
Louisiana Derby winner Girvin, who missed a work last weekend while recovering from a quarter crack in his right front hoof, breezed five furlongs in company in 59.60 seconds Saturday at Keeneland in his final work before the Kentucky Derby.
Man o’ War was denied a chance at winning the Triple Crown by his owner’s reluctance to send a young 3-year-old to the Kentucky Derby. Seventeen years later, the same owner, Samuel Riddle, had no such reservations, shipping Man o’ War’s son War Admiral to Churchill Downs.
In May of 1983, the flashy chestnut Fighting Fit gave Jerry Moss his first big hit in the racing business, winning the Mervyn LeRoy Handicap at Hollywood Park. Two months later, “Every Breath You Take” by The Police reached No. 1 on the pop music Top 20 for the A&M record company founded by Moss and Herb Alpert, and stayed there through the rest of the summer. Although he no longer owns the record label, almost 35 years later Moss is still on the charts in Thoroughbred racing.
After raising some eyebrows for the wrong reasons during training hours at Churchill Downs the previous two mornings, Always Dreaming did so again for all the right ones on Friday when topping a group of eight prospective Kentucky Derby starters to work on a calm but crisp morning under the twin spires.
The anticipation of April showers on Saturday and the desire to wear May flowers resulted in a flurry of workouts at Churchill Downs on Friday morning in preparation for next Saturday's Kentucky Derby, with eight prospects drilling here, and two others elsewhere, totaling half the 20-horse field that will run for the roses.
Battle of Midway finished second by a half-length to Gormley in the Santa Anita Derby and earned sufficient qualifying points to secure a berth in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 6. But if Battle of Midway is a factor in the famous race, he will do so with a different running style.
