Trainer Ben Colebrook was pleased with this morning's work by Andrew N. Warren and Rania Warren's Kentucky Derby (G1) hopeful Raise Cain, who covered a half-mile in company with the unraced 3-year-old filly Merrily Rush in :49 on a fast track. (Click here for a video of the work.)
Clockers caught him galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:02.80.
“I just wanted him to have something to run at: a horse five lengths in front of him because that's something he'll be doing in the Derby,” Colebrook said. “It went great. Just what we were looking for.”
Raise Cain was ridden by jockey Gerardo Corrales, who Colebrook said is “in the mix” to ride the colt in the Derby. Colebrook said a decision about the jockey had not been made.
Merrily Rush was ridden by Luan Machado.
Winner of the Gotham (G3) on a muddy track at Aqueduct on March 4, Raise Cain was fifth in the Toyota Blue Grass on April 8. The move this morning was the second since the Toyota Blue Grass for Raise Cain, who on April 20 breezed five furlongs on his own in 1:03.40.
“Neither work was real strenuous for him,” Colebrook said. “He's run enough races that these works are just maintenance, keep the fitness that we have.”
Colebrook, who is based at Keeneland, has kept Raise Cain here for his final Derby preparations.
“He's such a level-headed horse that I felt it was better to keep him here,” Colebrook said. “We can graze him a couple of hours a day, and he can be in his own stall. If he was nervous or he needed to get acclimated more to Churchill – he'll have plenty of time over there. We'll go over there Monday, last minute. He'll have time to school in the paddock, stand in the gate (there next week). We just wanted to keep him home; he does great here.”
The colt, a graduate of the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, is set to be Colebrook's first Kentucky Derby starter.
“He ran a decent race (in the Toyota Blue Grass), but I think it's a race he can improve on in the Derby,” Colebrook said. “Pace and a wet track wouldn't bother me a bit.”
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