Swipe, Texas Red moving closer to 2016 debuts

Swipe, second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall, and Texas Red, who won the Jim Dandy last summer, both moved closer to their 2016 debuts with demanding workouts on Saturday morning at Santa Anita for trainer Keith Desormeaux.

Swipe went six furlongs from the gate in 1:12.80 as the pace of his drills accelerates toward his first start of the year. He has not run since the Breeders’ Cup, and Desormeaux has said that if Swipe progressed to his satisfaction there was a chance he would try to run in one Kentucky Derby prep in a Hail Mary bid to get into the May 7 Derby.

“He broke slow but he finished well. He was tired afterwards,” Desormeaux said.

This was Swipe’s second straight work at six furlongs, following drills at four and five furlongs. He also had two earlier moves that were so slow they did not make the tab, so he has been on a regular schedule of Saturday works for more than a month now.

Texas Red, winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, worked a mile in 1:39.80 and seems just about set for his first race since finishing fifth in the Travers Stakes last summer. He has had seven timed works at Santa Anita since Feb. 9.

“He got his last quarter in 23 and change,” Desormeaux said. “He was tired. This was the first time we really asked him since the layoff.

“They had hard practices,” Desormeaux added. “They needed good, hard works. You’ve got to work hard to run hard. We’re getting close. We’re going to have to start making plans.”