Tag: Triple Crown

Derby Works: Leparoux Pleased With Helium, Pletcher Quartet Tunes Up

On a busy Friday morning at Churchill Downs, Kentucky Derby contenders Bourbonic (five furlongs, 1:01.60), Dynamic One (five furlongs, 1:01), Helium (five furlongs, 1:01.80), Known Agenda (five furlongs, 1:00.40) and Sainthood (five furlongs, 1:00.40) all recorded published workouts in preparation for the 147th running of the “Run for the Roses” on Saturday, May 1.

All five horses worked at 7:30 a.m. and D J Stable's $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby (G2) winner Helium was the first of the quintet to work. He breezed on the inside of stablemate Peace Achieved through fractions of :25.60, :37.60 and :49.80. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.60. Peace Achieved completed his five-furlong move in 1:02.

“The most important thing about the work is (jockey) Julien (Leparoux) was happy,” said trainer Mark Casse, who slated to arrive next week in Kentucky.

Helium, an undefeated son of Ironicus, will be ridden by Leparoux in the Derby.

Trainer Todd Pletcher arrived two weeks early in Kentucky and was on-site to watch his Derby contenders work Friday morning. Pletcher's first duo of St. Elias Stable's $750,000 Florida Derby (G1) winner Known Agenda and WinStar Farm and CHC INC's $250,000 Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) runner-up Sainthood worked through fractions of :12.60, :24.40 and :36.40. They galloped out together through six furlongs in 1:13.40. Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. was aboard Known Agenda while exercise rider Amelia Green rode Sainthood.

“Because of the spacing of their last two races, I wanted a more serious work out of them,” Pletcher said. “I thought both horses got over the surface well and that's what was most important about getting them up here early to work over it. All four of these horses have probably been workmates at one point and I paired these two together because of that spacing of their last race.”

The next Pletcher duo to work was Calumet Farm's Bourbonic and Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's Dynamic One. The one-two finishers of the $750,000 Wood Memorial (GII), respectively, began their work together through an opening quarter-mile fraction of :24.40 and half-mile time of :48.60. Dyanmic One finished in front of Bourbonic at the wire and continued to gallop out ahead through a six-furlong time of 1:13.20. Bourbonic completed a six-furlong gallop out in 1:14.60.

“I thought it would be good to work both of these horses together after coming out of the same race,” Pletcher said. “I'd say we were definitely surprised at winning the Wood. (Bourbonic) has always trained a little bit light but we always thought that the further the distance, the better it would be for him. He likes to drop back and make one run.”

Pletcher will be the special guest on “Inside Churchill Downs” Friday at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 680/105.7. The one-hour radio show, hosted by Churchill Downs Racetrack's Darren Rogers and Kevin Kerstein, along with TwinSpires.com handicapper Scott Shapiro, begins at 6 p.m. and those outside the Louisville area can listen live on www.espnlouisville.com.

Saturday will start the exclusive 7:30-7:45 a.m. training period for Kentucky Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks contenders. Training hours will move back to a start time of 5:15 a.m. and the track will close at 10 a.m. Saturday's Kentucky Derby workers are Essential Quality and Mandaloun at 5:15 a.m. and Soup and Sandwich at 7:30 a.m. Fans are invited to watch the workouts for free at Churchill Downs. For more information, visit www.KentuckyDerby.com.

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Bubble Horse O Besos Will Be ‘Ready To Go’ If Kentucky Derby Opportunity Arises

Third last out in the G2 Louisiana Derby, O Besos is currently 22nd in the Kentucky Derby points standings with 25. However, several horses ahead of him are expected to skip the Run for the Roses in favor of the Preakness Stakes, and it appears likely that the 3-year-old son of Orb will make the 20-horse starting gate on the first Saturday in May.

“I'd say we've got a good chance,” trainer Greg Foley told Jennie Rees in a video for the Kentucky HBPA earlier this week. “Another jump and we'd have been second in the Louisiana Derby, and we wouldn't have to worry about getting in the race. But our horse is doing good, so we're just gonna watch him. We'd love to run, and if we get that chance we'll be ready to go.”

O Besos, a chestnut homebred for Barrett Bernard also campaigned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Tagg Team Racing, breezed five furlongs in an official 1:00 3/5 on Tuesday at Churchill Downs (see video below). Up for the workout was jockey Marcelino Pedroza,

“I didn't have him go real fast or anything, just want him to finish up good the last eighth and gallop out good and strong, which he did that,” Foley said. “On the video you can see he picked it up pretty good.”

Pedroza complimented the colt's workout as well.

“I asked him just a little bit after the wire,” Pedroza said. “He did respond like I wanted him to, galloped out really strong, and then he was enjoying himself again, looking around. I'm really happy with the way that he worked today.”

Out of the 12-time winner Snuggs and Kisses (Soto), O Besos shouldn't have a problem with the 1 1/4 miles over the Kentucky Derby.

Pedroza added: “He will love it.”

O Besos would be the second Kentucky Derby starter for the Louisville native Foley, who sent out Major Fed to finish 10th in last year's Sept. 5 edition.

Foley likes his chances with O Besos for this year's race.

“It's anybody's race, I think. It's a wide, wide open race,” Foley said. “Our horse is ready he's doing good. We're gonna train like we're going in the race.”

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Sadler Plans To Work Rock Your World Twice In California Before Shipping To Louisville

Trainer John Sadler plans to keep Santa Anita Derby winner Rock Your World in California for as long as possible before shipping East for the Kentucky Derby, he told the Thoroughbred Daily News this week. The 3-year-old son of Candy Ride will work this weekend and the next at Santa Anita, then fly to Louisville on the Sunday before the Kentucky Derby.

“I'm very strong about staying in California because we know one thing we have here that they don't have there: We're not going to get rain in April,” Sadler told the TDN. “But maybe the racing gods will knock me down for saying that.”

Bred in Kentucky by California-based trainer Ron McAnally and his wife, Deborah, Rock Your World had won twice on the dirt before trying the main track for the first time in the Santa Anita Derby.

“I also wanted to start on the grass because I thought it would be easier,” Sadler added. “He's a big horse-wanted to give him time to develop, grow up, mature into himself. He's done that.”

Rock Your World put in an impressive front-running performance to win the Derby prep going away, and McAnally bought Sadler a celebratory egg roll the next morning at Clocker's Corner at Santa Anita.

Read more at the Thoroughbred Daily News.

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$1 Million Bonus Offered To Any Japan-Based Horse Who Wins Belmont Stakes

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) today announced it will again offer a $1 million bonus to the connections of any Japan-based horse who wins the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes slated for Saturday, June 5 at Belmont Park.

The three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival from Thursday, June 3 through Saturday, June 5 will encompass 17 total stakes, including eight Grade 1s on Belmont Stakes Day, capped by the $1.5 million “Test of the Champion” for 3-year-olds in the 1 ½-mile final leg of the Triple Crown.

Tickets for the 2021 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival are not yet on sale to the public. Additional information and the timing of the general on-sale will be released in the coming weeks.

The $1 million bonus, offered for the first time in 2017, is in addition to the $800,000 winner's share of the Belmont Stakes, which is contested at 1 ½ miles [2,400 meters], the same distance as classic races in Japan.

In 2017, the Japan-based Lani competed in all three legs of the Triple Crown, with his best showing being a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes.

The Japan-based Master Fencer, who was elevated to sixth in the 2019 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, closed to finish fifth in that year's Grade 1 Belmont.

To qualify for the bonus, a horse must have made at least three starts in Japan prior to starting in the Belmont and must be nominated to North America's Triple Crown series. In the event of a dead heat, the connections will receive a $600,000 bonus.

For more information, visit www.BelmontStakes.com.

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