Pletcher sends out Kingsbarns, Major Dude in team work for Kentucky Derby
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HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns on Friday took his first step on the final road to the Kentucky Derby, breezing four furlongs in 49.74 seconds in company with stablemate Major Dude at Palm Beach Downs.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said he was very pleased with the work and the subsequent gallop-out for both 3-year-olds. They worked five furlongs in 1:02.99, up six furlongs in 1:16.
“It was a good, steady work,” said Pletcher while en route to Lexington, Ky., for Saturday’s Blue Grass, which was to feature another of his Derby hopefuls, Tapit Trice. “They picked it up as they went along. For a first breeze back for Kingsbarns since the Louisiana Derby, it was a good performance.”
Kingsbarns will enter the May 6 Derby undefeated in three starts following his wire-to-wire 3 1/2-length victory in the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds, for which he received a career-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure. Pletcher is also hopeful Major Dude will have enough points to also qualify for the Derby lineup. He is 16th on the list with 40 points. A multiple graded stakes winner on turf, Major Dude was second behind Two Phil’s as the 8-5 favorite in the Jeff Ruby at Turfway Park in his most recent start.
“We’re pointing him for May 6,” Pletcher said. “If he doesn’t get into the Derby, we will run him in the American Derby on turf the same day.”
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Pletcher said he still hasn’t firmed up a training schedule for the final weeks leading up to the Derby for Kingsbarns, Major Dude, and Florida Derby winner Forte. They likely will have at least one more local work, probably next Friday at Palm Beach Downs.
Breen gets win No. 1,000
Trainer Kelly Breen joined the 1,000 win club after Gentleman Jim ran down the pacesetting Rio Moon under jockey Paco Lopez to win the finale on Thursday’s opening-day program of the Royal Palm meet.
“It’s a little bit of a monkey off my back because it’s been over three weeks in between wins and a lot of seconds,” Breen said. “I have to [give credit] to my whole crew. I have a crew in New York and I have a crew down here. We all work hard. It’s not just me, it’s a team. It’s awesome.”
Breen’s first victory came at the Meadowlands on Oct. 24, 1992. He operated a small stable for two years before taking a job as assistant to trainer Ben Perkins Jr. from 1994 until he struck out on his own again in 2000. A three-time leading trainer at Monmouth Park, Breen gained national recognition by sending out the 24-1 Ruler On Ice to upset the 2011 Belmont Stakes for his then-principal owners George and Lori Hall.
Poiema gives Bates a boost
Poiema’s gutsy three-quarter-length victory over Rosie’s Halo in Thursday’s main event had to be the best medicine possible for owner-trainer Larry Bates, who has been away from the barn due to illness since the start of the year.
Poiema, a 4-year-old Florida bred daughter of Neolithic, banked nearly $110,000 for Bates last season. But she closed out her 3-year-old campaign on a down note, with a trio of double-digit losses. Poiema was freshened following a sixth-place finish on Dec. 29, and under the guidance of her regular exercise rider Lisa Bartkowski, who continues to oversee the speedy filly’s training in Bates’s absence, Poiema gradually began to come back to her old self. She had turned in a series of excellent works in preparation for her 2023 debut on Thursday.
With Edgar Perez in the saddle, Poiema set the pace along the rail while stalked by the Todd Pletcher-trained 2-1 favorite Greatitude, turned back a couple of bids from that rival, and withstood a final surge from Rosie’s Halo. Poiema’s final time of 1:23.41 for seven furlongs earned her a Beyer Figure of 84, just a point shy of her career best.
“Larry told me he was over the moon after watching the race,” Bartkowski said on Friday. “He’s always loved this filly. The time off did her good. He was just waiting for her to get back to form. This race was probably a little too short. Her best distance is probably a mile, but she was so sharp and gutsy, she got it done anyway.”
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