For the third straight day at Churchill Downs, none of the Kentucky Derby hopefuls stabled locally turned in an official workout Thursday. Several did open up in their regular gallops, a group led by Normandy Invasion, who was really enjoying the colder temperatures that still prevailed after the renovation break.
Titletown Five, having played catch-up for months, is the only one of the nine Trial runners with designs on cracking the 20-horse Derby field by earning sufficient points toward eligibility.
Lynn Whiting sure wouldn’t mind having a horse in the Kentucky Derby again, but it won’t be this year with Officer Alex, a four-time winner who runs Saturday night in the Derby Trial.
Goldencents, the winner of the Santa Anita Derby on April 6, breezed a slow six furlongs in 1:16.20 on a cloudy morning at Santa Anita on Thursday, never being asked for a significant effort by exercise rider Jonny Garcia.
Preparing a Kentucky Derby contender for the big race seems simple on the surface, but the mechanics of workouts, the most important practice sessions racehorses get, can be complex.
Trainer Ken McPeek talks Kentucky Derby and weighs in on the chances of his two hopefuls, Blue Grass winner Java's War and Frac Daddy.
Clocking Kentucky Derby workouts has proved to be as fruitful a handicapping exercise as there is in Thoroughbred racing, writes Mike Welsch, who has been on the job for Daily Racing Form since the 2001 Derby.
For years, trainers seemed wanting to get to Churchill Downs as quickly as possible after a final prep race, believing familiarization with the surface, and the surroundings, were important for Kentucky Derby preparedness. But that has changed in recent years.
A field of nine 3-year-olds is set to clash Saturday night at Churchill Downs in the Derby Trial, the traditional spring-meet opener that may or may not yield a final starter for the 139th Kentucky Derby a week later.
The lone newcomer to this week's Derby Watch top 20 is Titletown Five, solely because if he wins the Derby Trial on Saturday, he would have enough points, and earnings in unrestricted stakes races, to run in the Kentucky Derby one week later.
