Request For Parole Has Easy Breeze At Churchill Downs; Johannesburg Upset In Season Debut At The Curragh

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 7, 2002) - Sam and Jeri Knighton’s Kentucky Derby (Grade I) contender Request For Parole, winner of the John Battaglia Memorial and third in the recent Lane’s End Spiral (GII) at Turfway Park, returned to serious training Sunday with an easy breeze at Churchill Downs.

The son of Judge T C breezed four furlongs in :49.60 on a “fast” track under regular exercise rider Loren Diego. It was the colt’s first work since his narrow loss in the Lane’s End Spiral. Trainer Steve Margolis said that Request For Parole had bounced back slowly from that tough race, but he was pleased with the colt’s effort in Sunday’s breeze.

“I just wanted to give him a work and see where he was at,” Margolis said. “He worked real easy and did it in-hand. We weren’t looking to get a big work into him.”

Margolis is considering a run by Request For Parole in Saturday’s Toyota Blue Grass (GI) at Keeneland, but he will wait to see how the colt comes out of Sunday’s work before that decision is made.

“We’re still going to take it day by day,” he said. “I’m going to talk to the owners tomorrow and we’ll decide Tuesday if we’re going to go into the Blue Grass. We’re probably leaning against it now, but we’re not going to make up our minds yet.”

If the decision is to skip the Toyota Blue Grass, Margolis said Request For Parole would probably train up to the May 4 Kentucky Derby rather than search for another prep race.

Request For Parole has a career record of 4-3-2 in ten races and has earned $343,812.

Johannesburg Upset In Gladness - The race that was scheduled to be the lone Kentucky Derby prep for Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (GI) winner Johannesburg has ended in a surprising setback for the American 2-year-old champion.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Hennessy opened a clear lead in the final furlong of the seven furlong Gladness Stakes on the grass at Ireland’s the 2-Curragh, but he was nipped at the finish in the Group 3 race by the 4-year-old filly Rebelline. The official winning margin for Rebelline was a head.

“Johannesburg was a bit fresh and over-raced himself early on,” O’Brien said. “He got tired late, but he was beaten by a good filly.”

As for a bid for the Kentucky Derby by Johannesburg, who lost for the first time in eight races, O’Brien said that decision would be made later.

“We will have to see how he takes this race,” O’Brien said, “but if we were going to have two runners as we thought, Johannesburg and Castle Gandolfo, which won yesterday at Lingfield, would be the ones.”

Castle Gandolfo won the Fosters-International Trial, a one-mile race on the all-weather Polytrack course at Britain’s Lingfield Park.

The loss by Johannesburg, who was favored at 1-3, continued a tradition of setbacks for favorites in the Gladness. El Gran Senor won the Gladness as the favorite in 1985, but since then only one other favorite - the O’Brien-trained champion and Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) runner-up Giant’s Causeway in 2000 - has managed to win the race.

Churchill Downs Work Tab (Track: FAST) - Keats, winner of the 2001 Coolmore Lexington (GII), breezed four furlongs in :49.60…Quick Tip breezed a half-mile in :47.40…Robin de Nest breezed a half in :48.20…Noble Ruler breezed five furlongs in 1:01…Tahkodha Hills breezed five furlongs in 1:04.60…Toyota Blue Grass (GI) candidate Bob’s Image breezed six furlongs in 1:14.80…La Recherche worked six furlongs handily in 1:12.80…Glick breezed four furlongs in :51.40.

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