McCraken breezes half-mile at Churchill Downs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – McCraken, one of the favorites for the 143rd Kentucky Derby, had his first breeze since incurring his first career defeat in the Blue Grass Stakes, working a sharp half-mile early Tuesday over a fast track at Churchill Downs.

With regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, McCraken was timed in 47.80 seconds by Churchill clocker John Nichols, with out times of 1:00 for five furlongs and 1:13.40 for six furlongs.

Hernandez and trainer Ian Wilkes both expressed their satisfaction with the move, which likely will be the first of three toward the May 6 Derby at Churchill.

“He worked great,” said Hernandez. “He’s right back here at home at Churchill where he likes it, so we’re excited for him.”

“It looked like he was doing nothing,” said Wilkes. “I was like, ‘C’mon, Brian.’ But he went along nice.”

Wilkes said a more serious work likely will come in six or seven days, with an easier blowout subsequent to that.

On the strength of an unbeaten record from his first four starts, McCraken was a lukewarm favorite in the fourth and final Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool, held March 31-April 2. He then finished third by 3 3/4 lengths behind the upset winner Irap as the 8-5 favorite in the April 8 Blue Grass at Keeneland.

“I think (the Blue Grass) did a lot,” said Wilkes. “We missed the Tampa Bay Derby; we were a little fresh. He left the gates running too much. He wasn’t quite relaxing to his normal routine. Got roughed up a little bit, which was good. Fitness is the big key; got that race. Everything’s good there.”

The Blue Grass defeat, added Wilkes, “takes that monkey off my back."

"It takes a little bit of pressure off," he said. "You can just concentrate and let the horse do it now.”

McCraken, by Ghostzapper, was bred by his owner, the Whitham Thoroughbreds of Janis Whitham and family. He began his career with three straight wins at Churchill, ending with the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club in late November. Based at Palm Meadows in south Florida for the winter, he won the Feb. 11 Sam Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and was supposed to return there four weeks later for the Tampa Bay Derby, but a minor setback with his left front ankle forced him to miss that race.

Wilkes played a role in the Kentucky Derby victories of Unbridled (1990) and Street Sense (2007), both trained by his longtime mentor and business associate, Hall of Fame trainer Carl Nafzger. Both of those horses were defeated in the Blue Grass in their final prep for the Derby.

The Tuesday work by McCraken was delayed by about 20 minutes when Ice Cutter, a 6-year-old horse, suffered a catastrophic injury shortly after McCraken walked onto the racetrack at 6:30 a.m. With the track temporarily closed, McCraken then returned to the Wilkes barn until the track was reopened.