George Krikorian's War Like Goddess, a finalist for the Eclipse Award as 2021 champion turf female, headlines a field of seven fillies and mares entered for Friday's 60th running of the $300,000 Bewitch Stakes (G3).
The Bewitch, at 1 ½ miles on the turf, serves as the closing-day feature for the 15-day Spring Meet and will go as the eighth race on the 10-race program with a 4:07 p.m. (ET) post time. First post Friday is 12:30 p.m.
Trained by Bill Mott, War Like Goddess will seek to become the first horse to win the Bewitch in consecutive years. Her Bewitch victory last year was the second in a string of four consecutive graded stakes triumphs during a campaign that concluded with a narrow third-place defeat as the favorite in the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) at Del Mar.
Joel Rosario will be aboard War Like Goddess in her 2022 debut and will leave from post position four.
Hunter Valley Farm, Debra O'Connor, and Marc Detampel's Family Way looms as the major threat to War Like Goddess.
Trained by Brendan Walsh, Family Way won the Orchid (G3) over the Bewitch distance April 2 at Gulfstream Park with Tyler Gaffalione aboard. Gaffalione retains the mount and will break from post three.
The field for the Bewitch, with riders and weights, in post-position order:
Tsunebumi and Sekie Yoshihara's Yuugiri worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 in company with Great Escape on a fast main track at Keeneland Sunday morning as she continued preparations for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 6 at Churchill Downs.
With jockey Flavien Prat pinch-hitting for Florent Geroux, who rode at Oaklawn Park Saturday afternoon, Fantasy Stakes (G3) winner Yuugiri broke off at the half-mile pole and recorded fractions of :24.20 and :48.40 in the move that occurred at 7:40 a.m. (ET) after the first track maintenance break.
“She did it very easy,” said Prat, who will ride undefeated UAE Oaks (G3) winner Shahama in the Kentucky Oaks. “I was very happy with the work.”
The work was the second since the Fantasy for Yuugiri, who breezed a half-mile in :50 at Keeneland April 16.
Trainer Rodolphe Brisset's wife, Brooke, oversaw the work for her husband, who was traveling back from Oaklawn.
“We got what we wanted this morning,” Brooke said, adding that Yuugiri would work again here next Sunday morning, have a walk day on Monday and ship to Churchill Downs for the Oaks. At Churchill last fall, Yuugiri made her first three career starts with a victory and two runner-up finishes in stakes.
Jeff Drown's Toyota Blue Grass (G1) winner Zandon left Keeneland Sunday morning for the short van ride to Churchill Downs and a start in the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) May 7.
Zandon worked a half-mile in :48.60 at Keeneland Saturday morning.
Trainer Chad Brown said the colt would have his final Derby work Saturday.
Trainer Steve Asmussen sent his GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks hopefuls out to work at Churchill Downs Sunday morning. Winchell Thoroughbreds' Derby contender Epicenter (Not This Time) worked six furlongs in 1:12.20 (3/4), while Oaks hopeful Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) went the same distance in a bullet 1:11.80 (1/4).
With exercise rider Wilson Fabian in the saddle, Echo Zulu broke to the inside of regular workmate King Ottoman (Curlin), who was ridden by former jockey Eddie Martin, Jr. Echo Zulu worked through eighth-mile fractions of :12.20, :23.80, :35.60 and :47.40. She galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25.20, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols.
Epicenter, with Fabian in the irons, worked to the outside of Gun It (Tapit) and Martin through splits of :13, :24.40, :35.80 and :47.20. He galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.20 and the mile in 1:41.
“We're so happy the weather has cooperated on our scheduled work days. The racetrack is in great shape this morning,” Asmussen said. “These were the most significant works for us. We're following a pattern that we're very comfortable with. I love the rhythm these horses are in. Both of these horses have kept their same workmates from New Orleans this winter. I'm unbelievably appreciative of the job Wilson and Eddie have done helping get them to this point.
“They've both started out as tremendous prospects and individuals. We're aiming with incremental improvement to not take too big of a leap forward. So everything is a building block to success. Since they have arrived here at Churchill that trend has continued. I was so excited with Echo Zulu's first work here.”
Japan's Derby contender Crown Pride (Jpn) (Reach the Crown {Jpn}), winner of the G2 UAE Derby, put in a four-furlong work in :49.20 (35/58) under the Twin Spires at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Working from the three-furlong pole, he clicked off fractions of :12.40, :24.80 and :37.20 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.40.
Continuing his Derby preparations at Gulfstream Park, White Abarrio (Race Day) worked five furlongs in 1:00.04 (5/13) after passing workmate Stormy Pattern (1:01.04) nearing the wire Sunday. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.58.
“It went good. I got him in :59 4/5. They got him in a minute. He worked with that horse before the Florida Derby, two weeks out,” Joseph said. “We kept everything the same, the same workmate, a similar pattern two weeks out. That time he ran a 1:02. This time he ran a little faster than a minute. Last time he galloped out in 1:13. This time he galloped out in 1:12.”
Joseph's lone previous Derby runner was Ny Traffic (Cross Traffic), who finished eighth in 2020.
“You just try to keep an even keel. It's a long way to go in horse racing terms–13 days,” Joseph said. “You just want to get through everything and ship up there fine and go into the race the best we can.”
White Abarrio is scheduled to breeze a half-mile next Sunday before shipping to Churchill Downs the following day.
Klaravich Stables' Early Voting (Gun Runner), considered possible for the Derby, worked four furlongs in :49.92 (44/118) over the training track at Belmont Saturday. The GIII Withers S. winner, who has made all three career starts at Aqueduct, was second in the Apr. 9 GII Wood Memorial.
“The work went fine,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He worked easy. It was his first work back and he was moving well. We haven't made any final decision yet on what we're doing in terms of the Derby, but I want to talk to Mr. [Seth] Klarman about it this afternoon a little bit more.”
Working at Keeneland Sunday, Oaks contender Yuugiri (Shackleford) worked five furlongs in company in 1:01.60 (10/20). She broke off at the half-mile pole and recorded fractions of :24.20 and :48.40. Jockey Flavien Prat was aboard for the work, pinch-hitting for Florent Geroux who has the mount in the Oaks. Prat rides G3 UAE Oaks winner Shahama (Munnings) at Churchill Downs May 6.
“She did it very easy,” said Prat. “I was very happy with the work.”
The work was the second since Yuugiri won the Apr. 2 GIII Fantasy S.
Trainer Rodolphe Brisset's wife, Brooke, oversaw the work for her husband, who was traveling back from Oaklawn.
“We got what we wanted this morning,” she said, adding that Yuugiri would work at Keeneland again next Sunday morning.
Also Sunday, Asmussen removed GIII Gotham S. winner Morello (Classic Empire) from Derby consideration due to a foot issue, allowing GII Louisiana Derby third-place finisher Pioneer of Medina (Pioneerof the Nile) to move into the top 20 Derby points earners, and Jeff Drown's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Zandon (Upstart) arrived at Churchill Downs a day after working four furlongs in :48.60 (24/93) at Keeneland.
With less than two weeks remaining until the $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), respective top contenders Epicenter (six furlongs, 1:12.20) and Echo Zulu (six furlongs, 1:11.80) had their most serious workouts prior to the first weekend in May.
Along with Derby contender Epicenter, Teruya Yoshida's Japan-bred UAE Derby (G2) winner Crown Pride had another tune-up for the “Run for the Roses” and breezed a half-mile in :49.20.
L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' undefeated filly Echo Zulu was the first of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen's duo to work.
The daughter of Gun Runner breezed with exercise rider Wilson Fabian in the saddle. The duo broke to the inside of regular workmate King Ottoman, who was ridden by former jockey Eddie Martin Jr. Echo Zulu worked through eighth-mile fractions of :12.20, :23.80, :35.60, and :47.40. She galloped out seven furlongs in 1:25.20, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols.
In Asmussen's next set of horses, Epicenter, with Fabian in the irons, worked to the outside of Gun It and Martin through splits of :13, :24.40, :35.80, and :47.20. Epicenter galloped out seven furlongs in 1:26.20 and was up one-mile in 1:41.
“We're so happy the weather has cooperated on our scheduled work days. The racetrack is in great shape this morning,” Asmussen said after he arrived in Louisville following an eight-hour overnight drive from Oaklawn Park.
“These were the most significant works for us. We're following a pattern that we're very comfortable with. I love the rhythm these horses are in. Both of these horses have kept their same workmates from New Orleans this winter. I'm unbelievably appreciative of the job Wilson and Eddie have done helping get them to this point.
“They've both started out as tremendous prospects and individuals. We're aiming with incremental improvement to not take too big of a leap forward. So everything is a building block to success. Since they have arrived here at Churchill that trend has continued. I was so excited with Echo Zulu's first work here.”
Epicenter and Echo Zulu won the TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) and Fair Grounds Oaks (G2), respectively, in late March.
Asmussen, who is North America's all-time leading trainer in wins, has made 23 starts in the Kentucky Derby but has failed to win the 1 ¼-mile event. His trainees have finished second and third, twice each, in the Kentucky Derby. His last starter to hit the board was Lookin At Lee, who finished second in 2017. Asmussen also finished third in 2016 with Gun Runner, second in 2011 with Nehro, and third in 2007 with Curlin.
“I literally know what it feels like to win the Derby,” Asmussen said of Nehro. “I didn't see Animal Kingdom coming down the center of the track that day. With Lookin At Lee, when Corey (Lanerie) cut the corner with him and the acceleration he showed going by tired horses, it just looked like he was going fast enough to win the Derby. Always Dreaming had enough to hold him off. The visuals of those moments were goosebump exciting. I've got 23 different feelings on the Derby but very vividly remember Nehro and Lookin At Lee.
“For Curlin's Derby, I never thought that he'd get beat. The walkover for his Derby felt like it took three strides but the walk back felt like it was the Sahara Desert. He went to the Test Barn after the race with Zanjero (who finished 12th) and Zanejro was blowing hard. Curlin came out of the test barn and was his strong, usual self. He had enough ability but wasn't meant to be.”
Epicenter and Echo Zulu are likely to head back to the track Tuesday.
At 7:30 a.m., Crown Pride worked a half-mile from the three-furlong pole through consistent fractions of :12.40, :24.80, and :37.20. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.40.
Trainer Koichi Shintani is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on May 1 and will be in attendance at the post position draw Monday, May 2.
In other Derby-related news, Asmussen removed Gotham (G3) winner Morello from Derby consideration because the colt has a foot issue. Also, Jeff Drown's Blue Grass (G1) winner Zandon arrived at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning. He is stabled with several other stablemates in Barn 25.
Curlin Florida Derby (G1) winner White Abarrio is slated to have his final training in Florida through Sunday, May 1 and arrive in Saffie Joseph's Barn 10 by Monday, May 2. Simplification, who finished third to White Abarrio in the Florida Derby, is scheduled to arrive one day prior for trainer Antonio Sano.
