Tag: Triple Crown

The one-eyed Un Ojo will be making his first trip to Churchill Downs this Tuesday, in preparation for a shot at this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. According to the Daily Racing Form, trainer Ricky Courville was pleased with the gelding's breeze on Saturday and believes he has successfully recovered from a tough trip in the April 2 Arkansas Derby.

“He's moving good right now,” Courville told DRF. “He worked really good. He galloped out really good and cooled out well. He's bouncing around the barn.”

A 3-year-old son of the late Laoban, Un Ojo earned 50 points toward the Kentucky Derby with his Feb. 26 victory in the G2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn. Returning to Hot Springs, Ark., for the G1 Arkansas Derby, Un Ojo finished eighth after he was bounced off the rail and banged up, requiring staples to close a cut in his shoulder.

Courville brought Un Ojo back to his home base at the Copper Crowne training center in Opelousas, La., to recover, and the gelding has done very well since the difficult race.

Owned by Cypress Creek Equine and Whispering Oaks Farm, Un Ojo was bred in New York by Southern Equine Stables. He is out of the A.P. Indy mare Risk A Chance, a multiple stakes-placed mare procured by Southern Equine for $40,000 from Chester and Mary Broman's breeding program at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed sale. Un Ojo was in utero during that sale.

The gelding lost his eye in paddock accident as a yearling, and was then brought along by Courville's son and assistant trainer, Clay Courville. Un Ojo broke his maiden in his second start at Delta Downs in Vinton, La., ran fourth in a stakes race at Delta, and was then shipped to New York to contest state-bred stakes races during his 2-year-old season. Conditioned by New York-based trainer Tony Dutrow for his next three starts, Un Ojo ran second in both the New York Stallion Series Stakes in December and the G3 Withers Stakes on Feb. 5.

Returned to Courville's care, Un Ojo posted a 74-1 upset in the G2 Rebel Stakes before his tough trip in the Arkansas Derby. Overall, the gelding has won two of his seven starts for earnings of $782,571.

Read more at the Daily Racing Form.

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C2 Racing Stable LLC and La Milagrosa Stable LLC's White Abarrio returned to the Gulfstream Park worktab Sunday morning with a brilliant three-furlong breeze in preparation for a scheduled start in the May 7 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Click here to watch a video of the workout.

“The way he worked today gives me a lot of confidence – the way he came back and the way he worked first work back – knowing we have three weeks to go,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. “I think we're in a good position. Three weeks is long time, but I like where we're at.”

White Abarrio was timed in :34.55, the fastest of 41 workouts recorded at the distance, for his first breeze since capturing the Curlin Florida Derby (G1) April 2 at Gulfstream Park.

“Visually, it was as impressive as his time. Sometimes he can work quick and not look as impressive, but today, it was an easy work in a quick time,” Joseph said.

Junior Alvarado was aboard for the eye-catching breeze that included a 1:00 2/5 five-furlong gallop-out. Tyler Gaffalione, who was aboard for the Florida Derby, has the Kentucky Derby mount.

“When you work those nice horses, they will fool you. They will go fast when you definitely don't think you're going that fast. He was just skipping over the ground. It was like he wasn't even touching the ground,” Alvarado said. “That was really nothing for him. When he got back to the barn, he wasn't blowing like he was tired or anything at all.”

The gray son of Race Day will complete his serious preparation for the Derby at Gulfstream before shipping to Churchill Downs.

“Next week, he'll probably go five-eighths. His last work, I haven't decided what he'll do yet. We'll play it by ear,” Joseph said.

White Abarrio was purchased by his current connections after debuting at Gulfstream Sept. 24 with a 6 ¾-length triumph. He went on to win an optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream by four lengths five weeks later. White Abarrio concluded his 2021 campaign with a third-place finish in the Nov. 27 Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs behind Smile Happy and Classic Causeway. He made an auspicious 3-year-old debut at Gulfstream Feb. 5, capturing the Holy Bull (G3) by 4 ½ lengths ahead of Simplification, who went on the win March 5 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (G2) in White Abarrio's absence. The Joseph trainee rallied from off the pace to defeat Charge It by 1 ¼ lengths in the Florida Derby.

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The 147th Preakness Stakes (G1), middle jewel of the Triple Crown, won't be casually dismissed as the connections contemplate a next start for Joe, resolute winner of the Federico Tesio Stakes Saturday at Laurel Park.

The Elkstone Group homebred pressed a solid pace for a half-mile, straightened for home with a 2 ½-length lead, momentarily lost it to Mike Trombetta-trained stablemate Mr Jefferson in midstretch and fought back to earn a head victory in the 1 1/8-mile Tesio.

“We were really happy,” Elkstone's Stuart Grant said Sunday. “When he was headed in the stretch I was a little nervous, but the horse really showed what he was made of and dug in well and prevailed. We were excited. I think it really showed what kind of horse he is.”

For the seventh straight year, the Tesio offers Triple Crown-nominated horses an automatic berth in the $1.5 million Preakness at historic Pimlico Race Course, this year on May 21. Joe is not among the Triple Crown nominees, but horses can supplement to the race for $150,000 when entries are taken.

“Mike and I have talked, and the horse came back good. We'll see what our plan is over the next week or so. He ran a gutsy race,” Grant said. “We always think about things, but as my son, Sam, said to me, 'It's one thing to qualify, it's another thing to be good enough.' We sort of got ourselves in if we want, but I'm just not sure if we're good enough yet. I'm waiting to see what the numbers are that come back. He's improved each race and we've been happy, and we'll see.”

Trombetta said after the race that he would “love to” take a shot in the Preakness with Joe, Maryland's champion 2-year-old male of 2021. He praised Grant's approach to the promising Declaration of War colt, who had won three straight races – including the Maryland Juvenile in December and his two-turn debut Jan. 23 to launch his sophomore campaign – before running second to Shake Em Loose in the March 19 Private Terms.

“He's been very grounded through the whole process. We never had any conversations about Fair Grounds or Oaklawn or New York or anything,” Trombetta said. “He said, 'Let's bring him through Maryland and see where he takes us.' I think he wanted to let the horse do the talking for him.”

First run in 1981 at Pimlico, a total of 22 Tesio winners have gone on to run in the Preakness, the last being Alwaysmining in 2019. Maryland-bred Deputed Testamony, in 1983, is the only horse to sweep both races. Happy Saver won the Tesio in 2020 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher to stay undefeated and preview a next-out victory over older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

“Even if we pass on the Preakness, that doesn't mean that there aren't some other nice races to go to and, of course, there's a lot of other races in Maryland,” Grant said. “It wouldn't be horrible if we spent the year on the Maryland stakes circuit. It would make it a really fun year.”

Owner-trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon said the Preakness remains in play for J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Shake Em Loose. The claimer-turned-multiple stakes winner ran third in the Tesio, five lengths behind the top pair, to snap a two-race win streak.

Shake Em Loose brushed with 75-1 long shot Baltimore Bulleit out of the gate, raced between horses in second around the first turn, dropped back to four after a half-mile, and was fifth tracking horses entering the far turn. He moved with Mr Jefferson and raced on even terms with the runner-up to the top of the stretch, where Mr Jefferson tipped outside and split horses to make a run at the leader while Shake Em Loose dropped down to the rail for his bid.

“He came out really good. He wasn't too tired. Unfortunately he got a little stuck in there and had a bad trip. Oh well, it's horse racing,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “I never doubt him. Believe me, I'm so proud of him. He's got a lot of heart.”

Sanchez-Salomon nominated Shake Em Loose to the Triple Crown at the late March 28 deadline for $6,000, and plans to give strong consideration to the Preakness.

“I'm still looking forward to it. After we unsaddled him after the race, I was hosing him and he wasn't even breathing hard. I was hosing him really good and he was just breathing normal, like after a gallop,” he said. “It depends on how it goes the next couple days. We're going to go day by day, but I see in him a lot of potential still.”

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On a crisp Easter morning in Louisville, Epicenter and Echo Zulu, the likely favorites for this year's $3 million Kentucky Derby (G1) and $1.25 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), respectively, continued their preparation for the first weekend in May.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' $1 million TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Epicenter worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 at 6 a.m. (ET) inside of three-time winning 6-year-old Gun It.

About 20 minutes prior to Epicenter's move, L and N Racing and Winchell Thoroughbreds' undefeated champion filly Echo Zulu cruised five furlongs in 1:00 outside of 3-year-old maiden colt King Ottoman.

“Sundays are a big work day for us,” Asmussen said, who drove about eight hours overnight from Hot Springs, Ark. to Louisville. “We got to work Epicenter and Echo Zulu this morning. It was an exciting morning. The racetrack is in excellent condition.”

Asmussen's exercise rider Wilson Fabian was aboard both Epicenter and Echo Zulu for their respective works while veteran jockey Eddie Martin Jr., who's won 4,084 career races, breezed their company. Epicenter clipped through opening fractions of :12.60, :24.20, and :36. Fabian and Epicenter continued to gallop out strongly around the clubhouse turn and onto the backside with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13.60 and completed seven furlongs in 1:27. Epicenter finished his move with a one-mile clocking of 1:44.

Echo Zulu, the TwinSpires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) heroine, began her work in similar fractions to her stablemate and clipped off eighth-mile fractions of :13.20, :24.60, and :36.20. She and King Ottoman galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.20 and seven furlongs in 1:28.20.

“Both horses are training extremely well. It's obviously exciting going into the Oaks and the Derby to have two horses of this caliber doing so well,” Asmussen said. “It's been standard (to work both of these horses in company) and the company they worked with is who they've been with in New Orleans. We're trying to create more of the same success they had there.

“With Epicenter the spacing of his races since December has been very effective for him. We're just trying to put the building blocks and space for him to handle the mile-and-a-quarter in the Derby here. I couldn't feel any better with how he's doing here and how he loves Churchill Downs.”

Echo Zulu has been on a slightly different schedule this year than Epicenter. The winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) made her 3-year-old debut in the Fair Grounds Oaks.

“Her coming off the bench in quite a layoff and a determined victory, I was anxious to get her here,” Asmussen said. “She actually had not trained at Churchill. She went from Keeneland straight to Saratoga, then won at Belmont and went to California. She has taken to the racetrack in both of her works very impressively.”

With less than three weeks remaining to the Kentucky Derby and Oaks, several contenders continue to make their arrivals at Churchill Downs.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's Derby duo of Charge It and Mo Donegal are expected to arrive Sunday afternoon. On Saturday, Oaks contender Venti Valentine arrived to Churchill Downs from Belmont Park and is stabled in Barn 25.

Saturday is the first day of the 15-minute exclusive training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders from 7:30-7:45 a.m.

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