Yakteen regrouping after disappointing Derby Day
?q=100)
Practical Move is recovering from an illness that prevented a start in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday and will be back at trainer Tim Yakteen’s base at Santa Anita as early as the middle of this week.
The winner of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 8, Practical Move was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby because of an elevated temperature last Thursday.
Yakteen said that Practical Move’s condition is improving and that the colt will be flown to California as early as Wednesday.
“He’s responding to the antibiotics,” Yakteen said. “The main thing is he’s getting better.”
A winner of three consecutive stakes since December, Practical Move will resume racing in the summer, but Yakteen said Monday that he does not have any race goals.
“Our game plan is, we’re going to get him healthy and get into a nice routine and we’ll come up with a campaign,” Yakteen said. “We’ll let him tell us.”
Owned by Pierre and Leslie Amestoy and Roger Beasley, Practical Move has won 4 of 7 starts and $884,200.
Yakteen had four runners at Churchill Downs on Saturday, with his best result a game second by Fort Bragg in the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile. Yakteen’s Kangaroo Court was 11th in the Pat Day Mile.
:: Get ready for Santa Anita racing with DRF Past Performances, Picks, and Clocker Reports.
Reincarnate was 11th in the Kentucky Derby, while Johannes finished fifth in the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes for 3-year-olds.
Fort Bragg and Reincarnate were part of Yakteen’s stable in recent months, having previously been trained by Bob Baffert, who through Saturday was ineligible to start horses at Churchill Downs. Track management banned Baffert-trained runners for a two-year period ending Saturday. The ban was imposed after a post-race medication positive was found in Medina Spirit, who finished first in the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Fort Bragg and Reincarnate will rejoin Baffert’s stable this week, Yakteen said.
Kangaroo Court and Johannes have been trained by Yakteen throughout their careers.
Kangaroo Court, winner of the Echo Eddie Stakes for California-bred sprinters on April 8 at Santa Anita, was the 4-1 favorite in the $500,000 Pat Day Mile. Kangaroo Court disputed the pace for the first half-mile before fading to finish 11th in a field of 13.
The loss surprised Yakteen.
“He never showed up in the race,” Yakteen said. “We’ll regroup.”
The $175,000 Real Good Deal Stakes for statebred 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on Aug. 4 at Del Mar is a summer goal for Kangaroo Court.
Johannes finished fifth by two lengths in the $500,000 American Turf Stakes. Johannes was steadied in traffic early in the race and closed from last of 13 to be closest to the front at the finish.
“Oh my gosh, he ran huge,” Yakteen said. “He showed up. We didn’t have the cleanest of trips. We’ll come up with a summer game plan.”
Yakteen said Johannes will be rested at a Kentucky farm in coming weeks before returning to California. Turf stakes at Del Mar this summer are a consideration, Yakteen said.
Skinner, who was third in the Santa Anita Derby, was withdrawn from the Kentucky Derby with a reported elevated temperature.
Trainer John Shirreffs said Sunday that Skinner improved through the weekend.
“It didn’t need to be treated,” he said.
Shirreffs said there are “big decisions to be made” on Skinner’s next start. One option is the Grade 3 Affirmed Stakes at 1 1/16 miles for 3-year-olds on June 4 at Santa Anita.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.