A pair of Kentucky Derby hopefuls worked away from Churchill Downs Thursday morning.
Patricia's Hope and Phillip Sagan's Two Phil's worked at Hawthorne going five furlongs in :59 with jockey Jareth Loveberry aboard for trainer Larry Rivelli.
At Keeneland, Andrew and Raina Warren's Raise Cain worked a half-mile in :49 at Keeneland with Gerardo Corrales aboard for trainer Ben Colebrook.
ANGEL OF EMPIRE/HIT SHOW/JACE'S ROAD, VERIFYING – It was a regular training day for Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Jace's Road and Verifying, who all galloped 1 ½ miles ahead of their Saturday morning works.
“We're still keeping an eye on the weather as to what time we'll work Saturday,” trainer Brad Cox said.
CONFIDENCE GAME – Don't Tell My Wife Stables and Ocean Reef Racing's Confidence Game walked the shedrow today.
“They all walk Thursdays and Sundays,” Julie Clark, assistant trainer to Keith Desormeaux, said. “He's doing good. He went two miles Tuesday. Jogged yesterday and walked today. We think he is going to gallop tomorrow and have his last breeze Saturday.”
The plan is to go out with the other Derby entries at 7:30, entering at gap three. Regular rider Alex Cano will be on board.
“I usually take him back up to the chute first,” Cano said. “We'll stand before galloping all the way around and then pull up by the kitchen and come back.”
CONTINUAR – Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd.'s Continuar (JPN) walked the shedrow in the Quarantine Barn after working a half-mile in :50 on Wednesday.
DERMA SOTOGAKE – Hiroyuki Asanuma's Derma Sotogake (JPN) walked the shedrow in the Quarantine Barn after working five furlongs in 1:01.40 on Wednesday.
DISARM – Winchell Thoroughbreds' Disarm had an easy 1 3/8-mile gallop at 7:30 a.m. with exercise rider Roberto Howell in the irons.
The Steve Asmussen-trained colt is scheduled to work Monday.
FORTE/KINGSBARNS/MAJOR DUDE/TAPIT TRICE – The Todd Pletcher trio of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte, Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice and Spendthrift Farm's undefeated Kingsbarns visited the starting gate and then galloped about 1 3/8 miles.
Hector Ramos was aboard Forte; Amelia Green was on Tapit Trice and Elder Flores was on Kingsbarns.
Pletcher has Irad Ortiz Jr. signed on to ride Forte in Derby 149 and Luis Saez to pilot Tapit Trice. Jose Ortiz will work Kingsbarns on Saturday morning but the riding assignment for the Derby has not been finalized.
MAGE – The lightly raced Good Magic colt, owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH, had another gallop Thursday morning.
“He galloped a mile-and-a-half again today, but he did it at a higher tempo than he did yesterday,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant trainer to his father, Gustavo Delgado.
“The way my father trains, he tries to build on each race,” Delgado Jr. said. “He's showing improvement every time he goes out. He's switching leads perfectly. His exercise rider said he couldn't be happier with him.”
Regular exercise rider J.J. Delgado was aboard, and he's expected to ride him in his final timed workout. Delgado Jr. said the team is expecting to breeze Mage on Saturday morning. His Derby rider, Javier Castellano, was to arrive in Louisville Thursday.
RAISE CAIN – Andrew and Raina Warren's Gotham (G3) winner Raise Cain worked in company a half-mile in :49 at Keeneland with Gerardo Corrales aboard for trainer Ben Colebrook.
“Very good work … well within himself,” Colebrook said of Raise Cain, who finished fifth in the Blue Grass Stakes (GI) in his most recent start.
Raise Cain galloped out five furlongs in 1:02.80.
No rider has been confirmed for Raise Cain, who is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Monday morning after training at Keeneland.
ROCKET CAN – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott again sent the colt owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations out for a gallop with regular exercise rider Guelser Cardona aboard. A final breeze ahead of the Derby is still planned for this weekend.
“He galloped again today,” said Mott, who noted that he'll continue to get some paddock schooling in the days ahead. “He was in the paddock twice yesterday, once under tack and one time after training. And he's going to go back today.”
SKINNER – C R K Racing's Santa Anita Derby (G1) third-place finisher Skinner is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Saturday.
Trainer John Shirreffs reported Juan Hernandez will pick up the mount in the Kentucky Derby.
SUN THUNDER – R.T. Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine's Derby hopeful walked the shedrow, a day after breezing a half-mile in :48.60 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.
Greg Geier, assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek, said the fourth-place finisher in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland exited his workout in good shape. “He's fine this morning,” he said.
TWO PHIL'S – Trainer Larry Rivelli was on hand at Hawthorne Race Course to watch Patricia's Hope and Phillip Sagan's Two Phil's breeze for the final time ahead of his run in the Derby. Going five furlongs Thursday morning, the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) winner posted a bullet going :59 flat.
“He chased a pretty fast horse (stablemate Smokin Richie), and effortlessly ran by him,” Rivelli said. “He galloped out three-quarters in 1:12. He couldn't blow out a match after. The last two works were almost identically the same, but I changed it up a bit by putting him back in company. I haven't wanted to work him every seven days because he's been racing frequently and he's fit. I just want to have him focused in on what he likes to do which is sit behind a horse and idle off until you ask him, and then make his move when it's time. And he's done that in both works. The track was in great shape today. It's all systems go and I couldn't be happier with how he's going into the race.”
Regular jockey Jareth Loveberry flew to Hawthorne for the drill then headed back to Kentucky to ride his Thursday mounts at Keeneland.
Rivelli will bring Two Phil's to Churchill Downs on Sunday night and plans to have him on the track at 7:30 a.m. Monday.
ALSO-ELIGIBLES – Albaugh Family Stables and Castleton Lyons' Cyclone Mischief (No. 21) galloped about 1 ½ miles with rider Faustino Herrarte in the irons. Following training, Cyclone Mischief schooled in the Churchill Downs paddock. Trainer Dale Romans stated a rider has not yet been confirmed for the Kentucky Derby should he get into the race.
Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude (No. 22) visited the starting gate and then galloped 1 3/8 miles under Joel Osorio for trainer Todd Pletcher and is scheduled to work Saturday.
Hiroaki Arai's Mandarin Hero (No. 23) is en route to Churchill Downs today from Santa Anita where he worked five furlongs in 1:04.60 on Wednesday. Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) in his U.S. debut, Mandarin Hero is trained by Terunobu Fujita.
SHAPING UP: THE KENTUCKY DERBY – Here are the horses (with jockeys and trainers) that are qualified for the Kentucky Derby and those on the also-eligible list (in alphabetical order with AEs listed last in preference order):
Angel of Empire (jockey Flavien Prat, trainer Brad Cox); Confidence Game (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux); Continuar (JPN) (Ryusei Sakai, Yoshito Yahagi); Derma Sotogake (JPN) (Christophe Lemaire, Hidetaka Otonashi); Disarm (Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen); Forte (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher); Hit Show (Manny Franco, Brad Cox); Jace's Road (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox); Kingsbarns (TBA, Todd Pletcher); Lord Miles (Paco Lopez, Saffie Joseph Jr.); Mage (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado); Practical Move (Ramon Vazquez, Tim Yakteen); Raise Cain (TBA, Ben Colebrook); Reincarnate (John Velazquez, Tim Yakteen); Rocket Can (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott); Skinner (Juan Hernandez, John Shirreffs); Sun Thunder (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Tapit Trice (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher); Two Phil's (Jareth Loveberry, Larry Rivelli); and Verifying (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox)
Also-Eligible: Cyclone Mischief (TBA, Dale Romans); Major Dude (TBA, Todd Pletcher); and Mandarin Hero (JPN) (TBA, Terunobu Fujita).
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