Tops Oaks Contender Take Charge Lady Drills Five Furlongs
April 19, 2002
By, Jill Byrne

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 19, 2002) - The track surface at Churchill Downs this morning was once again playing on the fast side, though it was not carrying as much moisture as yesterday (April 18).

With jockey Tony D'Amico in the irons, Take Charge Lady was out immediatly following the renovation break for a five-furlong work in preparation for the May 3 Kentucky Oaks (GI).

The daughter of Dehere is deceptive when she is breezing, in that she appeared to be going slower than her final time, a sharp 1:00 2/5, may indicate. The only negative I could see during the move came when D'Amico asked her to finish from the eighth pole to the wire, her head came up slightly and she never really leveled out over the ground and did not gallop out well though her work time was good. I was, however, impressed by the way the daughter of Dehere acts on the racetrack, in that she has great composure and is calm and well-mannered.

Kentucky Derby probable Easy Grades was out just after the renovation break as well for a gallop. The Ted H. West-trained gelding, who has the distinction of being runner-up to Came Home in the Apr. 6 Santa Anita Derby (GI), has a light frame and carries very little conditioning over his ribs. He doesn't grab the eye, but he does travel well over the track in that he covers a lot of ground for a smallish, more feminine looking horse. He is scheduled to work on Monday (April 22) at Churchill Downs with new jockey Jorge Chavez in the irons.

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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