LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Arkansas Derby runner-up Barber Road turned in his final serious piece of work for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning at Churchill Downs, breezing a half-mile in 48.80 seconds, according to track clockers.
“We’re not trying to do any speed drills here,” trainer John Ortiz said. “We know what he wants.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Cyberknife and Zozos, two of the three horses trainer Brad Cox plans to run in the Kentucky Derby one week hence, were the first two Derby runners to drill Saturday morning here at Churchill Downs, beginning a parade of works that will pick up after the break at 7:30 a.m.
Baby Yoda has long been thought highly of, with a Grade 1 placing and gaudy speed figures on his resume, but he has yet to break through with a stakes victory. He gets a chance in the $160,000 St. Matthews Stakes on Wednesday at Churchill Downs.
The St. Matthews, which was drawn Friday, is a six-furlong dirt sprint for 4-year-olds and up who have not won a graded stakes in 2021 or 2022.
Graded stakes winners Forbidden Kingdom and Slow Down Andy are recovering from recent illnesses that kept them out of the Triple Crown this year.
Forbidden Kingdom, winner of two Grade 2 races earlier this year, was diagnosed with a swollen throat after finishing last of six as the even-money favorite in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on April 9.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The weather forecast for Saturday was improving by the time trainer Chad Brown arrived at Churchill Downs early Friday morning. But he decided it was better to go with what was in front of him than risk chancing a different track Saturday morning, so out went the highly regarded Zandon for his final workout for the May 7 Kentucky Derby, highlighting a morning of activity here that otherwise focused on fillies in the May 6 Kentucky Oaks.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Callie Witt, an exercise rider for Joe Sharp for nearly a year, died early Friday in an accident on the training track at Keeneland. She was 20.
Sharp said the accident occurred when the 2-year-old that Witt was riding “did a kind of side-step in mid-gallop and fish-tailed,” throwing the rider into the outer rail or a concrete section underneath a railing.
Sharp, who was working elsewhere, said “it’s my understanding she lost consciousness” and that numerous attempts to revive her by medical personnel were unsuccessful.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Furniture maven Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale bet roughly $2.4 million to win on Essential Quality in the Kentucky Derby last year to help make sure the colt would be the post-time favorite.
With the 148th Derby set for Saturday at Churchill Downs, McIngvale once again is offering a full refund to any customer spending at least $3,000 on merchandise from his Houston-based Gallery Furniture stores if the Derby favorite wins.
Trainer Mike Miceli was suspended 30 days and fined $2,500 by the New York Gaming Commission for a rules violation involving the horse Cover Photo, who won a $10,000 claiming race at Aqueduct on March 13.
The penalty stems from racing the horse within 14 days of receiving a joint injection, a violation of rule 4043.2 (i) and falls under the trainer’s responsibility, rule 4043.4. Cover Photo was not disqualified from first in that race nor was the purse redistributed.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The new $10 million turf course at Churchill has undergone a number of trial runs in recent weeks prior to the first-ever races being run over it Saturday night. Jockey Julien Leparoux already has ridden over it several times in practice runs and believes the new course eventually will be a major improvement over the one that underwent 35 years of use before being torn out last summer.
From a visual standpoint, it’s a pristine green practically begging 1,000-pound animals to come romping over it.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a quiet Thursday morning for Kentucky Derby and Oaks prospects at Churchill Downs, there was serious work happening some 2,000 miles west when Taiba went six furlongs in 1:12.80 at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif.
Taiba won the April 9 Santa Anita Derby by 2 1/4 lengths in just his second start. The Thursday breeze will be the only one for the Gun Runner colt ahead of the May 7 Kentucky Derby.
