Derby Contenders Coast-To-Coast Get Ready For Final Wave Of Preps
April 4, 2002
By, Jill Byrne

With the final round of Kentucky Derby (GI) prep races taking place during the next two weeks, rampant morning workout activity by the top contenders was evident from coast-to-coast.

Repent Drills Five Furlongs In 1:00 2/5; Breaks From Post 10 At Sportsman's

Repent worked a solid five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 and galloped out an extra furlong in 1:12 3/5 at Gulfstream Park on March 30th prior to shipping to Churchill Downs the following day. The handsome son of Louis Quatorze looks to remain unbeaten this year as he heads the field for the April 6th Illinois Derby (GII) at Sportsman's Park.

West Coast invader Fonz's will try to upset Repent at Sportsman's Park, as he ships East from Hollywood Park following a good five furlong work in Inglewood on April 1 in 1:00 flat. David LaCroix, who trains the gelded son of Out of Place, has said that Fonz's does not care for the Santa Anita strip and hopes the change of surface will show his charge's true ability.

Changeintheweather comes into the Illinois Derby off a nice allowance win at Gulfstream Park for owner Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stable. The well-bred son of Gone West drilled five furlongs at Keeneland on April 1in a "bullet"1:00 2/5; he looks to be rounding to form nicely. Pin Oak will also be well represented in South Florida this weekend, as Equality goes postward in the Aventura Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Equality Tries To Earn A Trip To Louisville In Aventura

Under exercise rider Vicki King, Equality, a son of Mt. Livermore, worked brilliantly on April 2 at Gulfstream Park, blazing five furlongs in :59 4/5, and galloping out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5. Trainer Graham Motion told Daily Racing Form, "He went off a little quicker than I liked but finished good."

Mountain Forum, winner of the OBS Sales Stakes and an allowance race at Gulfstream Park, appears to be the strongest competition for Equality in the mile and a sixteenth Aventura. The Ron Spatz-trainee put in a useful half-mile maintenance move in :50 2/5 at Calder Race Course on April 1.

Came Home, Mayakovsky Renew Rivalry In Santa Anita Derby

The collective eyes of the racing industry will be focused on Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. on April 6, as Came Home and Mayakovsky renew their Hopeful Stakes (GI) battle in the Santa Anita Derby (GI).

Came Home, who beat Mayakovsky by two lengths in the aforementioned Hopeful last summer at Saratoga, seems to be peaking at the right time. The smallish, yet powerful-looking son of Gone West drilled six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 on Mar. 28, much to the delight of trainer Juan "Paco" Gonzalez, who had this to say to The Blood-Horse; "He came home his final eighth in :11. 4/5, then galloped out seven-eighths in 1:25 3/5 and pulled up a mile in 1:39 1/5. It was just what we were looking for." Came Home followed-up that work with a handy half-mile move on Apr. 2 in :48 1/5.

Also on Apr. 2 at Santa Anita, Mayakovsky stretched his legs under new rider Pat Valenzuela, who had a tight-hold on the son of Matty G, working an easy half-mile in :48 1/5. On paper, Mayakovsky looks to be the speed of the race but, he could be challenged early by Mike Pegram's Danthebluegrassman. Disappointed with the way the Pioneering colt worked last week when trying to be rated, trainer Bob Baffert went back to his tried-and-true tactics by letting Danthebluegrassman fly through a five furlong move in a "bullet" :58 3/5 at Santa Anita on Apr. 1.

On the same day, Easy Grades went through a very nice five-furlong drill in :59 3/5 under jockey Gary Stevens. This colt seems to be moving forward at the right time off of a decent second-place performance to Came Home in the San Rafael Stakes (GII) and should appreciate the nine furlong. U S S Tinosa is the only entrant in the Santa Anita Derby to have won at a nine furlong trip, having done so in the restricted Sham Stakes on Feb. 8 at Santa Anita. The son of Foxhound worked an easy half mile at Golden Gate Fields for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer on Mar. 31 in :48 4/5.

Competitive Wood Memorial On Horizon

The $750,000 Wood Memorial (GII) at Aqueduct on April 13 appears to be shaping up as the toughest of the remaining major Kentucky Derby prep races.

Saarland will try to improve upon his second-place finish to Mayakovsky in the Gotham Stakes (GII), getting the benefit of an additional furlong in the Wood. Saarland has trained very well since his effort in the Mar. 17 Gotham, evidenced by his six furlong work over Belmont Park's main track in 1:13 1/5. By all reports, this move is by far the best work for the son of Unbridled this year; trainer Shug McGaughey is probably looking forward to next Saturday.

San Felipe Stakes (GII) winner Medaglia d'Oro will ship in to New York for the Wood Memorial from Hollywood Park for trainer Bobby Frankel. The son of El Prado (Ire) drilled five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 on March 30th in Inglewood, Calif. A repeat performance of his San Felipe win will make the lightly-raced son colt extremely competitive in The Wood.

Following two smashing wins at Gulfstream Park, another lightly-raced colt, Gary and Mary West's Buddha, will try stakes company for the first time in the Wood Memorial. The flashy son of Unbridled's Song worked an outstanding six furlongs over the deep Payson Park training surface in 1:15 3/5 on April 1 prior to shipping north to New York. Pat Day will be aboard Buddha for trainer Jim Bond in the Wood.

Looking to rebound from a dreadful performance in the Florida Derby (GI) is Michael Tabor's Nokoma. Trainer Todd Pletcher had no visible excuse for the Pulpit colt's disappointing effort in the million dollar event except to think that possibly a series of fast works leading up to the race actually set him back. In light of that, Nokoma worked an easy half-mile on Easter Sunday (Mar. 31) at Belmont Park in :49 4/5.

Sunday Break (Jpn), a winner of a 1 1/16-mile allowance race at Aqueduct in his most recent start, stretched his legs in Ozone Park, N.Y. on April 3, going a comfortable half-mile in :50 3/5. The colt's trainer, Neil Drysdale, feels the son of Forty Niner was just playing when racing erratically down the stretch in the slowly-run (nine furlongs in 1:51 2/5) allowance race, and thinks his charge will run a straighter course in the Wood Memorial with more pace expected for him to track.

Blue Grass, Lexington Contenders Active At Chuchill

At Churchill Downs, several contenders for the Kentucky Derby were preparing for Keeneland's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (GI) and Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) on April 13 and April 20, respectively.

Harlan's Holiday, impressive winner of the Florida Derby, continued to train well for the Blue Grass. With jockey Tony D'Amico up, Harlan's Holiday sizzled five furlongs in :59 4/5 on April 3. The son of Harlan has held his weight well throughout an aggressive winter campaign. Harlan's Holiday was asked to finish through the stretch during the move, with D'Amico chirping and pushing on him to get the colt to extend himself.

With regular rider Donnie Meche in the boot, Easyfromthegitgo, runner-up to Repent by a nose in the Louisiana Derby (GII), worked five furlongs in an easy 1:02 flat at Churchill Downs on April 3 for trainer Steve Asmussen. Easyfromthegitgo is a smallish, relatively light-bodied colt by Dehere who doesn't seem to need aggressive workouts.

Rounding out the work tab at Churchill Downs was West Point Stable's Ethan Man. Undefeated in two starts this year - the last of which coming in the seven-furlong Swale Stakes (GIII) - the beautiful colt by Glitterman looks to stretch out to two turns in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) on April 20.

Both trainer Patrick Byrne and jockey Pat Day feel staying a distance of ground will be no problem for Ethan Man, for many reasons. One of those being his ability to relax in his workouts, which was evident by a very easy five furlong move at Churchill on Mar. 29 in 1:03 2/5, galloping out six furlongs in 1:16 2/5.

"This colt will go 45 seconds or 50 seconds for a half (mile), depending on what you ask him to do," Byrne said. "He is push-button to ride and trains very relaxed, not rank like most sprinter types, which is one of the many reasons we believe he will get a distance of ground, no problem. He is very talented and does things effortlessly."

Jill Byrne serves as an analyst for TVG's award-winning "The Works" program, which focuses on the morning workout activity of horses preparing for the Kentucky Derby (GI) and Breeders' Cup. Additionally, she is a handicapper for the Churchill Downs Simulcast Network (CDSN) and is a knowledgeable, hands-on horsewoman who assisted her husband, trainer Patrick Byrne, in the development of Eclipse champions Favorite Trick and Countess Diana. She is the daughter of noted show horse rider and Thoroughbred trainer Peter Howe and first started riding show horses in her native Virginia at age three; she got on her first Thoroughbred when she was 11. She went to the University of Virginia where she studied political science and has worked directly with Dosage guru Steven Roman identifying top quality horses through a race analysis system he developed. Jill and Patrick have a daughter, Devon, and reside in Louisville.

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