LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Merv Griffin didn't want to put his horse in jeopardy, so he decided not to play Thoroughbred racing's version of wheel of fortune.
Griffin, the owner of San Felipe Stakes winner Cobalt Blue, announced on Tuesday that he has withdrawn his horse from consideration for Saturday's Kentucky Derby because he didn't feel the lightly raced colt was ready for prime time.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Making a top selection for the 2006 Kentucky Derby became elementary after watching Barbaro's final work leading up to the race. Selecting the most likely winner for the year's edition of the Run for the Roses became similarly clear here Tuesday after Street Sense turned in a five-furlong drill that couldn't have been more impressive.
The calls came frequently and had a familiar ring to them. The people on the other end of the telephone were raving to Elizabeth Valando about a 2-year-old son of Albert the Great that she bred and owned.
And this was before he ever raced.
Valando couldn't help but flash back to some 17 years ago when her husband, Broadway producer Tommy Valando, was receiving similar messages from the people who broke and trained Fly So Free. That horse turned out to be the juvenile champion of 1990, and he ran fifth in the 1991 Kentucky Derby.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Cobalt Blue and Xchanger were both withdrawn from consideration for Saturday's 133rd Kentucky Derby on Tuesday, paving the way for Teuflesberg and Imawildandcrazyguy to get into the field.
The decision to skip the Derby with Cobalt Blue was made by owner Merv Griffin, who didn't think running off a seventh-pace finish in the Illinois Derby and a subsequent subpar workout last weekend at Keeneland was the right thing to do by the horse.
On Tuesday, O'Neill was encouraged by the way Cobalt Blue was training since he put blinkers on the colt on Sunday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Street Sense may have stamped himself the favorite for the 2007 Kentucky Derby by turning in another eye-catching work on Tuesday morning.
With regular rider Calvin Borel aboard, Street Sense worked five furlongs in 1:00.68 seconds, according to Daily Racing Form, coming home his final quarter-mile in 22.82 seconds. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.04 over a fast track.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With Keeneland and the Polytrack finally in the rear-view mirror, Churchill Downs had the look and feel of the Kentucky Derby for the first time Monday morning with eight potential starters getting in their final major preps, including the undefeated Curlin, who may vie for favoritism Saturday with Street Sense.
The temperature remained unseasonably warm and the track was on the fast side for a series of works that showed the many different ways trainers choose to prepare their horses for the Kentucky Derby.
Work of the day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - If a horse in this year's Kentucky Derby on Saturday can exceed Barbaro's 6 1/2-length victory margin from last year's Derby, he will trigger a $1 million bonus, Churchill Downs and the Derby's presenting sponsor, Yum! Brands, announced Monday.
According to David C. Novak, chairman and chief executive officer of Yum!, the bonus would be split equally among the horse's winning owner, trainer, and jockey, as well as the Barbaro Memorial Fund, which is administered by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association charities.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - It wasn't too many years ago when nearly half the field for the Kentucky Derby would get in their final major work for the race within about a 10-minute span after the renovation break at Churchill Downs on the Sunday before the main event. But those days are long gone.
Nearly half the field for this year's Kentucky Derby did work on Sunday. But those works took place from coast to coast at four different racetracks, beginning early that morning at Keeneland and ending several hours later at Hollywood Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tesio Stakes winner Xchanger, who had been announced as an unlikely Kentucky Derby participant by trainer Mark Shuman late last week, is now considered a probable starter, co-owner Domenico Zannino said Monday.
A final decision on Xchanger's Derby status is not expected until Tuesday, he said. Discussions are under way for the colt to be sold, either in full or in partnership, with Zannino saying the prospects of a sale are "80 percent." He would not identify the potential buyer.
