LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Barber Road and Un Ojo, both of whom arrived at Churchill Downs off the Oaklawn Park road to the Kentucky Derby, emerged from their final works for the spring classic in good order, their respective camps reported Sunday morning.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Epicenter, the Louisiana Derby winner, worked five furlongs in 1:01.21, according to Daily Racing Form's Mike Welsch, on Sunday morning at Churchill Downs in his final drill for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Epicenter worked in company with Alejandro, a well-bred (Curlin-Rachel's Valentina) 4-year-old who owns one win and four seconds in nine starts. He was inside Alejandro throughout. Epicenter was keen early and was never asked for any effort whatsoever, appearing as if he's sitting on go for the Derby. The track was still wet from rain Saturday night.
After having his final Kentucky Derby work postponed this morning due to wet track conditions, White Abarrio finally got to strut his stuff shortly after 6 p.m. and between the final two races on Saturday’s Gulfstream Park program, working four furlongs in 48.11 followed by a very strong and impressive gallop out.
White Abarrio went easily to the wire, was urged on to complete five-eighths into the turn in 1:00.12 then continued full of run, completing six panels in 1:11.94 and seven furlongs in 1:24.81 before pulling up after a mile in 1:41.64.
Churchill Downs
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 65
Track: Fast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Saturday was the busiest morning yet on the Kentucky Derby/Oaks workout front at Churchill Downs. The majority of the action took place during a very hectic special training session that happens daily beginning at 7:30 a.m. and is restricted to horses competing in the two big events here next weekend.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Seems like all you hear about Kentucky Derby-wise a week out from the race is Zandon this, Zandon that. Okay, fair enough. Zandon won the Blue Grass Stakes with aplomb and has since trained with verve, culminating in an excellent Friday workout, his final Derby breeze.
This might be a good time to page back through our information-buzzing brains and try to recall a colt named Epicenter. Remember him?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Crown Pride, Japan’s hope for the Kentucky Derby, had, by his standards, a relatively sedate morning of training Saturday. Crown Pride did his usual assortment of figure-eights and circles in the Churchill Downs chute before venturing onto the main dirt oval, where he galloped about 1 1/2 miles, according to rider and assistant trainer Masa Matsuda.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After firing off a brisk work last weekend, Un Ojo did so again Saturday morning at Churchill Downs in his final half-mile work in advance of the Kentucky Derby.
Un Ojo, working on his own during the training period reserved for Derby and Oaks horses following the first harrow break on the fast main track, went a half-mile in 47.60 seconds under Colby Hernandez, according to Churchill Downs clockers. It was the 13th-fastest of 121 works at the distance on a busy morning.
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.
A minority interest in Wood Memorial winner Mo Donegal has been sold to Mike Repole in advance of the colt's run in next Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, majority owner Donegal Racing announced Friday.
Repole, whose racing silks feature the blue and orange colors of his beloved New York Mets, campaigned Mo Donegal's sire, 2010 Eclipse Award champion juvenile Uncle Mo. That Coolmore stallion has already sired a Kentucky Derby winner in Nyquist. Uncle Mo was trained by Todd Pletcher, who also handles Mo Donegal.
