Texas Red begins belated Kentucky Derby drive

Texas Red, the winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last fall, returned to Santa Anita on Monday after recuperating on a farm from a foot injury, and will begin his Hail Mary quest to make the May 2 Kentucky Derby with a half-mile workout on Saturday, trainer Keith Desormeaux said Monday.

“We’re pushing it,” said Desormeaux, who co-owns Texas Red. “We know we need everything to go right to make the Santa Anita Derby. We’ve got a little bit of a cushion. We could fall back one week later to the Arkansas Derby. But we’re still pushing it. It’s not the best situation, but it’s the hand we’ve been dealt.”

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The Santa Anita Derby is on April 4. The Arkansas Derby, at Oaklawn Park, is April 11.

Texas Red has raced just once since the Breeders’ Cup, finishing second in the San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 1. Shortly after that race, he developed an abscess in his right front foot. He was sent to a farm to recuperate, and Desormeaux tried to keep him fit by swimming him.

“I’ve done it before to leg up a horse off an extended layoff,” Desormeaux said. “He’s maintained a pretty good work schedule between the treadmill and swimming. But we won’t know where we’re at until he works a time or two.

“He’ll work an easy half on Saturday, then we’ll have to ask him in his next couple of works. It’s a tall order.”

Desormeaux said the schedule over the last month has allowed the right front foot to properly heal.

“The foot is good and sound,” he said. “It’s in excellent shape.”