McCraken gets stamina-building work for Blue Grass

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With McCraken coming off an eight-week layoff as he goes into his final Kentucky Derby prep, trainer Ian Wilkes sent his pupil out for a six-furlong work Monday intended to “put some bottom in him.” McCraken responded by blitzing his workmate through the six furlongs in 1:13.40 in his penultimate move before the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes on April 8.

“Very pleased,” the trainer said immediately afterward.

In his lone outing this year, McCraken won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes on Feb. 11 at Tampa Bay Downs, remaining unbeaten in four career starts. The Ghostzapper colt returned to the work tab Feb. 27 but emerged with what Wilkes termed a “very minor” injury to his left front ankle, causing him to miss the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby on March 11. McCraken worked that morning at his Palm Meadows winter base and recently moved to Keeneland, where he worked five furlongs last week.

“This is the type of horse ... I could work him half a mile and run him, and he’d be fine,” Wilkes said. “But because I didn’t run him [in the Tampa Bay Derby], I’m looking for a little more bottom in him this time, give him more of a longer work and just a nice, solid work. Didn’t need anything fast, but just a solid work and a strong gallop-out.”

Wilkes paired McCraken on Monday with the 4-year-old gelding Nessy, “just giving him a target, change it up, don’t want him to get bored,” he said. Nessy has won once from 11 starts and this season has finished third in both of his outings, which were allowance/optional claimers at Gulfstream Park.

McCraken and regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. broke off several lengths behind Nessy and Chris Landeros, summarily inhaled that rival while coming through inside on the final bend, opened up in the lane, and maintained the advantage while galloping out. Keeneland clockers caught McCraken in splits of 25.20 seconds, 38.00, 50.00, and 1:01.60 and had him galloping out in 1:25.40 for seven furlongs. Nessy finished his six furlongs in 1:15.20.

“He was his normal self,” Hernandez said. “He finished up through the wire really, really good, and he galloped out the right way.”

Wilkes said McCraken will have his final work next Sunday or Monday for the Blue Grass, which awards Kentucky Derby qualifying points on a 100-40-20-10 scale. The field could also include juvenile male champion Classic Empire, although other prep races remain in play for that colt after a troubled spring.

A previous version of this article had the wrong five-furlong split for McCraken's workout. It was 1:01.60, not 1:10.60.