Sano works his top 3-year-olds

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Trainer Antonio Sano sent out Simplification to finish fourth in the 2022 Kentucky Derby, and he is hoping to be back in Louisville on the first Saturday in May again this year. Sano has two potential Derby starters in Congruent and Il Miracolo, both of whom worked five furlongs here Friday in preparation for respective upcoming starts in the Jeff Ruby Stakes March 25 at Turfway and the Florida Derby on April 1 at Gulfstream.

Congruent earned 20 Derby qualifying points by virtue of his victory earlier this month at Turfway Park in the John Battaglia Memorial making his debut over a synthetic surface. He returned to Florida after the race to prepare for the Jeff Ruby, breezing five furlongs Friday morning in 1:01.50 while asked to finish into a stiff headwind before galloping out six panels in 1:15.03 with last year’s Derby-winning jockey Sonny Leon aboard.

“To me, I think he’s better on the synthetic than dirt, although he works just fine over the main track,” said Sano. “If he earns enough points next week to qualify for the Kentucky Derby, we have no worries putting him back on the dirt to run there.”

Il Miracolo, who went five panels in 1:00.50 in company with Paco Lopez aboard on Friday, was beaten double-digit lengths while finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Holy Bull and sixth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth in his last two starts.

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Friday’s work tab at Gulfstream Park also included Mage, who finished fourth following a poor break and wide trip while making just his second start in the Fountain of Youth. Mage breezed a maintenance-like five-eighths in 1:02.38 and showed plenty of stamina, spurting around the clubhouse turn and easing up after a mile in 1:43.07 over the somewhat cuppy surface. His connections remain undecided regarding his next start, which will likely come either in the Blue Grass at Keeneland on April 8 or theFlorida Derby.

Trainer Shug McGaughey confirmed Friday that General Jim, winner of the Grade 3 Swale Stakes in his last start, is off the Derby trail after missing training time due to illness. General Jim was scratched out of the Fountain of Youth.

“He got sick on me a couple of times,” McGaughey said. “He’ll start back breezing again next week and the plan now is to bring him back in the Pat Day Mile. It may turn out he’s a better miler anyway.”

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