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King Guillermo to Miss Kentucky Derby

King Guillermo (Uncle Mo), winner of this season’s GII Tampa Bay Derby, will miss an intended date in this Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby because of a fever, Victoria’s Ranch principle and former MLB player Victor Martinez confirmed Thursday afternoon.

The GII Tampa Bay Derby hero and runner-up in the faster division of the GI Arkansas Derby, King Guillermo was trying to defy a four-month absence in the ‘Run for the Roses’ Saturday, but he was found to have a fever Wednesday evening. The colt did not go to the track Thursday morning and walked the shedrow instead. Avila told pool reported Greg Hall that he would be conferring with doctors and that further information could be forthcoming Thursday afternoon.

“To race in a race like the Derby we need him at 100%,” Avila said. “We aren’t going to be able to demonstrate how good he is like this. I think we are going to have plenty of time to show his quality. He’s going to be a great horse and everybody knows we have to take care of the horse first. The next step is to try to get him ready for the Preakness and go from there.”
Martinez added, “The sad part is that Juan said yesterday was his best day here. When we left the track in the morning following training and came back in the afternoon for feed time, we discovered he had a fever. It’s just the sad part about this game.”

A field of 17 remains for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. The two inside stalls and the widest stall will be left open.

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Derby Training At Churchill Downs: King Guillermo ‘Enjoying Being In Kentucky’

It was a quiet Tuesday morning of training beneath the historic Twin Spires with several Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks contenders continuing their training for Labor Day weekend's races including Victoria's Ranch's King Guillermo, who galloped 1 ½ miles at 7:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) under the watchful eye of his trainer Juan Avila.

The speedy King Guillermo has turned heads in his morning training led by his flashy :58.20 five-furlong move last Saturday. He is scheduled to work once prior to the Sept. 5 race.

“I think he's really enjoying being in Kentucky,” said the Venezuelan-native Avila, who emigrated to the U.S. in 2018. “We're very happy with how he's taken to the track and his workouts the last two weeks.”

King Guillermo's owner, five-time Major League Baseball player Victor Martinez, is scheduled to arrive in Louisville later this week.

Prior to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks training window, Lloyd Madison Farm's Major Fed galloped 1 ½ miles at 5:15 a.m. under exercise rider Margarito Fierro. Trained by Greg Foley, the $300,000 Indiana Derby (GIII) runner-up is scheduled to have his final breeze on Friday. Approximately 45 minutes following Major Fed's gallop, West Point Thoroughbreds and Pearl Racing's $600,000 Arkansas Derby (GI) third-place finisher Winning Impression had a light 1 ½-mile gallop with trainer Dallas Stewart's exercise rider Emerson Chavez in the saddle.

Raymond Daniels and Wayne Scherr's graded stakes placed Necker Island had his normal 1 ½-mile gallop at 7:30 a.m. under Hillary Hartman. Trainer Chris Hartman reported Necker Island is scheduled to have one work prior to the Derby with jockey Miguel Mena in the saddle.

Several Kentucky Derby contenders have yet to converge on Churchill Downs but are scheduled to arrive in the upcoming week. The following is the latest arrival information, according to senior director of the stable area Steve Hargrave:

Tuesday via flight from San Diego (approximately 12:30 p.m. ET at Barn 40): Rushie (Michael McCarthy)
Wednesday or Thursday via van from Skylight Training Center to Churchill Downs: Art Collector (trainer Tommy Drury)
Sunday via flight from New York: Caracaro (Gustavo Delgado) and Ny Traffic (Saffie Joseph)
Sunday via van from Florida: Sole Volante (Patrick Biancone)
Aug. 31 via flight from San Diego to Louisville: Authentic (Bob Baffert), Honor A. P. (John Shirreffs), Storm the Court (Peter Eurton); and Thousand Words (Baffert)
Aug. 31 via flight from New York: Dr Post (Todd Pletcher) and Tiz the Law (Barclay Tagg)
Aug. 31 or Sept. 1 via van from Canada: Shirl's Speight (Roger Attfield)

On the Longines Kentucky Oaks front, Mark and Nancy Stanley's graded stakes placed Tempers Rising galloped 1 ½ miles at 6:30 a.m. under Chavez. Also making an appearance Monday morning at Churchill Downs was Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms' $200,000 Indiana Oaks (GIII) winner Shedaresthedevil, who galloped 1 ½ miles with exercise rider Edvin Vargas up for trainer Brad Cox. Her stablemate, Juddmonte Farms' $600,000 Alabama Stakes (GI) runner-up Bonny South, galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Gustavo Abrego.

“Both of these fillies continue to train really well and even though Bonny South just ran, she looks great on the track,” Cox said. “I think Shedaresthedevil has really come into her own and continues to mature with age.”

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Max Player Works ‘Really Well,’ Covers Swift Five Furlongs In Company At Churchill Downs

George Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbred's $1 million Travers Stakes (Grade I) third-place finisher Max Player recorded a swift five-furlong move in :59.60 Monday morning at Churchill Downs in preparation for the $3 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) on Saturday, Sept. 5.

Max Player, who was recently transferred to the care of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen from New York-based conditioner Linda Rice, worked at 7:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) during the exclusive 15-minute training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders. Max Player, who breezed with jockey Florent Geroux up, began his work two lengths behind stablemate Allege and worked through fractions of :23.80 and :35.80. Max Player finished even with his workmate at the wire and continued to gallop out in front through six furlongs in 1:12.60.

“He worked really well behind his workmate,” said Geroux, who was filling in Monday for Max Player's Derby rider Ricardo Santana Jr. “I think he will like the 1 ¼-mile distance in the Derby. I was working the horse this morning because Ricardo is still at Saratoga. Steve has given me many great opportunities in my career so I always try to help when he needs me. I will be on (trainer) Bob Baffert's horse Thousand Words in the Derby.”

Also training during the special training window was Victoria's Ranch's King Guillermo, who galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Edgar Medina for trainer Juan Avila. The son of Uncle Mo is scheduled to have his final move before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning.

Raymond Daniels and Wayne Scherr's former $100,000 claim Necker Island returned to the track following his walk day on Sunday with an easy jog under exercise rider Hillary Hartman. Necker Island, trained by Chris Hartman, is tentatively scheduled to work on Saturday with jockey Miguel Mena aboard.

Prior to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks training window, Lloyd Madison Farm's Major Fed galloped 1 ½ miles at 5:15 a.m. under exercise rider Margarito Fierro. Trained by Greg Foley, the $300,000 Indiana Derby (GIII) runner-up is scheduled to have his final work on Friday or Saturday. Approximately 45 minutes following Major Fed's gallop, West Point Thoroughbreds and Pearl Racing's $600,000 Arkansas Derby (GI) third-place finisher Winning Impression had a light 1 ½-mile gallop with trainer Dallas Stewart's exercise rider Emerson Chavez in the saddle.

Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister's $200,000 Ellis Park Derby runner-up Attachment Rate had a scheduled walk day following his half-mile move in :48.60 Sunday morning.

On the Longines Kentucky Oaks front, Mark and Nancy Stanley's graded stakes placed Tempers Rising galloped 1 ½ miles at 6:30 a.m. under Chavez. Also making an appearance Monday morning at Churchill Downs was Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing Limited and Big Aut Farms' $200,000 Indiana Oaks (GIII) winner Shedaresthedevil, who jogged with exercise rider Edvin Vargas up for trainer Brad Cox. Her stablemate, Juddmonte Farms' $600,000 Alabama Stakes (GI) runner-up Bonny South, galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Gustavo Abrego.

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