[bc_playlist_id:289889:]Churchill Downs
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 48
Track: Fast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - They saved the best for last Sunday morning at Churchill Downs, the much anticipated final work for Kenetucky Derby favorite American Pharoah, who did not disappoint with an eye-catching five-furlong breeze which took place shortly after the renovation break during the special session reserved for Derby and Oaks horses.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Champion sprinter Work All Week, unraced since winning the Breeder’s Cup Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, breezed five furlongs in 59.20 seconds over a “good” track Sunday at Churchill Downs Trackside as he prepares for his first start of 2015.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The ease and speed of his wins made American Pharoah the acknowledged favorite for the Kentucky Derby this Saturday, and he certainly solidified that position on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs with final workout that was both fast and seemingly effortless.
Del Mar completed installation of its dirt track earlier this week, a month before the course will be used for the first time. The new track will be used for training in advance of the Barretts sale of 2-year-olds on May 28. Del Mar’s summer race meeting runs from July 16 to Sept. 7.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – American Pharoah has been racing and training with a plate covering part of the sole of his left front foot, and on Saturday, trainer Bob Baffert said he would keep that plate in place for the Kentucky Derby, in which American Pharoah is expected to be the favorite.
“I was going to take it off to run him, but he’s had it there so long I don’t want to change,” Baffert said from California. “He’s traveling so well with it.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Beginning with Carpe Diem well before dawn at Keeneland and concluding with Dortmund later in the morning three time zones away at Santa Anita, a total of 10 prospects for the May 2 Kentucky Derby worked Saturday at seven different locales.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bayern, unraced since winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic last November, recorded a sharp six-furlong workout at Santa Anita on Saturday that left trainer Bob Baffert pondering which lucrative stakes to try at Churchill Downs next weekend.
Bayern worked six furlongs from the gate in 1:10.80 with stablemate Cat Burglar, who has not raced since finishing third in the Brooklyn Stakes at Belmont Park last June. The pair went as a team throughout the workout.
BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – Less than three weeks ago, it looked like Upstart’s Kentucky Derby status was in trouble when he developed a temperature and had some nasal discharge.
After watching his 3-year-old breeze a sharp five furlongs Saturday morning at Palm Meadows, trainer Rick Violette believes that “is not an issue.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Despite difficult weather conditions, El Kabeir prospered over the winter in New York, winning the Gotham and Jerome, finishing second in the Withers, and placing third in the Wood Memorial.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Multiple Grade 1 winner Carpe Diem, expected to be the third or fourth wagering choice for next week's Kentucky Derby, turned in his final major piece of work Saturday morning at Keeneland, breezing four furlongs in 48.60 seconds.
