Three Kentucky Derby hopefuls as well as a Kentucky Oaks possible entrant worked Wednesday morning over a fast track at Churchill Downs.
Hiroyuki Asanuma's UAE Derby (G2) winner Derma Sotogake (JPN) worked five furlongs in 1:01.40 and was partnered with Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd.'s Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitee Continuar (JPN), who worked a half-mile in :50. (video embedded below)
Shortly after those breezes during the 7:30-7:45 training window for Derby and Oaks horses, R.T Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine's Sun Thunder worked a half-mile on his own in :48.60 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.
Richard Bahde's Taxed, the runner-up in the Fantasy (G3) and No. 15 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard, worked a half-mile in :47.60 under jockey Rafael Bejarano.
One Kentucky Derby work is scheduled for Thursday morning and that is Frank Sumpter's Wild On Ice. Jockey Ken Tohill is flying to Louisville this afternoon and will be aboard for the work for trainer Joel Marr.
The Kentucky Oaks work schedule Thursday is much heavier with nine breezes slated.
Trainer Brad Cox is expected to work his trio of Wet Paint, Botanical and The Alys Look. Trainer Todd Pletcher has his duo of Gambling Girl and Julia Shining scheduled to breeze along with Southlawn for Norm Casse, Flying Connection for Todd Fincher, Wonder Wheel for Mark Casse and possibly Pretty Mischievous for Brendan Walsh.
ANGEL OF EMPIRE/HIT SHOW/JACE'S ROAD, VERIFYING – Trainer Brad Cox's quartet of Angel of Empire, Hit Show, Jace's Road and Verifying all had their normal 1 ½-mile gallops Wednesday morning but their work plans remain at the hand of Mother Nature.
“We're playing things by ear with the weather coming in Thursday,” Cox said. “We'll likely work them all on Saturday if the track is bad Friday.”
Cox schooled all four Derby runners in the paddock following training.
“We got them used to the paddock and we'll probably do it again since it's new,” Cox said. “I love it. I think the horses will love the extra space in here. It's going to be really cool once it's complete next year but even this year it looks great.”
CONFIDENCE GAME – Don't Tell My Wife Stables and Ocean Reef Racing's Confidence Game jogged two miles under exercise rider Alex Cano.
Trainer Keith Desormeaux has been in Louisiana for the last several days following the death of his father, Harris, Saturday.
Harris was the father of Keith and Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux.
Harris was involved in horse racing and livestock farming for most of his life. He created Acadiana Downs track in Louisiana.
Keith is expected to return to Louisville in the coming days.
CONTINUAR/DERMA SOTOGAKE – Lion Race Horse Co. Ltd.'s Continuar (JPN) and Hiroyuki Asanuma's Derma Sotogake (JPN) worked together with Derma Sotogake continuing through five furlongs and Continuar completing a half-mile.
Breaking off at the half-mile pole, Continuar was three lengths in front under Kazunari Yoshida. By the head of the stretch, Derma Sotogake had drawn even under Masatoshi Segawa and was clear at the wire.
Fractions for Derma Sotogake were :25.80, :37.20, :48.60 and 1:01.40. Continuar was clocked in :13.40, :26.40, :50 and out five furlongs in 1:04.40.
Kate Hunter, the Japan Racing Association representative for the Kentucky Derby, said that both riders were happy with the works with Segawa pleased with the response in the stretch from Derma Sotogake.
Both horses will walk in the Quarantine Barn on Thursday.
Yoshito Yahagi, trainer of Continuar, is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Monday with Hidetaka Otonashi, trainer of Derma Sotogake, due in the following day.
Derma Sotogake (JPN) breezed five furlongs this morning in 1:01.40. While his countrymate Continuar (JPN) went four furlongs in :50.#KYDerby pic.twitter.com/wvFSNFF312
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 26, 2023
DISARM – Winchell Thoroughbreds' Disarm had an easy one-mile jog Wednesday morning following his scheduled walk day Tuesday.
FORTE/KINGSBARNS/MAJOR DUDE/TAPIT TRICE – The Todd Pletcher Derby trio of Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Hector Ramos aboard), Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice (Amelia Green aboard) and Spendthrift Farm's Kingsbarns (Elder Flores aboard) all galloped 1 3/8 miles.
With rain expected to begin in Louisville Thursday afternoon and continuing through Friday morning, Pletcher is looking at Saturday as the final work day for his Derby hopefuls.
“That is what I am leaning toward now,” Pletcher said.
MAGE – With exercise rider J.J. Delgado, the colt owned by OGMA Investments LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing LLC and CMNWLTH finished an easy gallop.
“He galloped a mile-and-a-half today, and he looked pretty good doing it,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant trainer to his father, Gustavo Delgado. “He definitely wanted to do more. We like everything that we've seen from him.”
After his Derby rider, Javier Castellano, arrives in Louisville on Thursday, they'll finalize plans for a breeze, most likely Saturday morning.
Unraced as a 2-year-old, and with just three starts this year — including two graded stakes at Gulfstream Park, a fourth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) and a second to Forte in the Florida Derby (G1) — Mage is still learning the ropes.
“It's going to take a couple more races for us to figure him out, and for the horse to put it all together, too,” Delgado Jr. said. “He's shown three different styles — the first one he was in the front, the second one you can say he was in the middle, and then he was coming from behind. With a few more races, we'll figure out what his best style is.”
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.
“He had an easy gallop of about 1 3/8 miles,” Mott said. “He galloped great, and he went through the paddock. Our plans call for us to breeze him over the weekend.”
SUN THUNDER – R.T Racing Stable and Cypress Creek Equine's Derby hopeful breezed a half-mile in :48.60 with jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. with just 10 days before the 149th running.
The workout gave his connections and trainer Kenny McPeek an indication that the fourth-place finisher in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland is coming into the Derby the way they want him.
“He pretty much just clipped 12s the whole way around,” Hernandez said. “They added blinkers to him this morning, and that seems to make him want to go forward, and kind of get into things a little earlier than he did before the blinkers. He finished in 48 and 3(-fifths), with a good gallop out.”
Hernandez rode Sun Thunder, an Into Mischief colt out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Greenfield d'Oro, to a fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby (G2), after crossing the wire behind Angel of Empire in the Risen Star (G2).
“Everybody kind of bunched up (in the Louisiana Derby), and it wasn't the right kind of setup for him,” Hernandez said. “Here in the Derby, we're hoping to get a little pace in front of us, and hopefully by the time we get to the second turn, things will start to spread out, and we can make our run.”
Sun Thunder finished his 2-year-old season by breaking his maiden on New Year's Eve at Oaklawn Park in just his second start. At 3, he's only had four starts, all graded stakes.
“He's still a lightly raced horse, and he's going to get better and better with each race,” Hernandez said. “That's the nice thing about riding for Kenny: These guys do such a good job here at the barns, and give us live horses. I'm fortunate that Kenny trusts me, so I can go out and just ride my race.”
#KyDerby contender SUN THUNDER breezed four furlongs in 48.60 on Wednesday morning under the Twin Spires. #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/dvVM7oHQtB
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 26, 2023
WILD ON ICE – Frank Sumpter's Wild On Ice came on the track at 6:15 and warmed up in the mile chute under Oscar Rojero before galloping 1 ½ miles. After training, Wild On Ice had a paddock schooling session.
Trainer Joel Marr plans to give the Sunland Park Derby (G3) winner his second Churchill Downs work Thursday morning at 5:45 with a five-furlong breeze scheduled.
Jockey Ken Tohill is scheduled to arrive in Louisville this afternoon and will be aboard for the work as he was April 17 when Wild On Ice worked five furlongs in 1:00.
ALSO-ELIGIBLES – Albaugh Family Stables and Castleton Lyons' Cyclone Mischief (No. 22 on the Road to the Kentucky Derby leaderboard), galloped 1 ½ miles under Faustino Herrarte for trainer Dale Romans.
Spendthrift Farm's Major Dude (No. 23) galloped 1 3/8 miles under Joel Osorio for trainer Todd Pletcher and is scheduled to work Saturday.
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); Sun Thunder (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Tapit Trice (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher); Two Phil's (Jareth Loveberry, Larry Rivelli); Verifying (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox); and Wild On Ice (Ken Tohill, Joel Marr).
Also-Eligible: Skinner (Victor Espinioza, John Shirreffs); Cyclone Mischief (TBA, Dale Romans); Major Dude (TBA, Todd Pletcher); and Mandarin Hero (JPN) (TBA, Terunobu Fujita).
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