Proud Citizen Serves Notice He's Ready, Smokes Five Furlongs In :58 4/5
April 29, 2002
By, Jill Byrne

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (April 29, 2002) - The Churchill Downs racetrack looked like the Long Island Expressway at rush hour this morning with many Kentucky Derby (GI) hopefuls getting in their final preparations for the first Saturday in May.

Wayne Lukas was the first to hit the track this a.m. with Coolmore Lexington Stakes (GII) winner Proud Citizen alongside his pony at 5:45 a.m., sharp.

With excersise rider Stacy Maker up, the Gone West colt came away from the five-furlong pole running and remained on the muscle through the wire and into the gallop out. The final time of :58 4/5 was as impressive as the work itself.

This colt looks magnificent in his coat, in his condition and is travelling very well. He is moving forward at the right time and training for the Derby as well as any horse on the grounds.

Sunday Break (Jpn), who may not get in the Derby field due to insufficient graded earnings, followed not long after Proud Citizen, going seven furlongs in company with a stablemate. They went together until the three-sixteenths pole when Sunday Break (Jpn) went on away from his workmate easily. The final time was 1:28 2/5 and was done with relative ease; the son of Forty Niner looked much better today than he has since he arrived at Churchill Downs.

Saarland was the next to take to the track, coming out shortly before 7:00 a.m. for his five-furlong move. This work was done in typical Shug McGaughey style in that the Unbridled colt wasn't asked for speed and went evenly throughout. Throat surgery may have helped Saaraland, as he did not hold his breath or make any abnormal breathing sounds during the move.

Saarland's action is very good over the Churchill surface, and he was well within himself in the breeze which was timed in 1:02 flat.

A barrage of workers hit the track following the 8:00 a.m. renovation break on Apr. 29. Medaglia d'Oro was the first to go for trainer Bobby Frankel. He went away from the six furlong pole at a good clip and maintained the same pace in the entire work, never really being asked by the rider for any effort. He has held his weight well and is training in a relaxed fashion for the Derby.

Came Home, with jockey Chris McCarron in the irons, went shortly after Medaglia d'Oro. He galloped aggressively to the five-furlong pole pulling McCarron along. He kept the Gone West colt well off the inside rail around the turn and down the stretch to try to keep him relaxed. Came Home has beautiful action over the Churchill strip, as he runs with his ears forward just waiting for Chris to ask him for more. He was well within himself throughout the move and though he did not gallop out fast, it was no reason for concern as Came Home seems to be the kind of horse that gives you everything he has when he is asked.

Two potential long shots in the Derby - Easy Grades and Lusty Latin - the second and third place finishers behind Came Home in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) - were out after the break as well.

Easy Grades, with jockey Jorge Chavez up, worked better than he did last week, going five furlongs in 1:01 1/5, but he was all-out to do so, and he doesn't appear to get a hold of the local surface well.

Lusty Latin and jockey Glenn Corbett were more impressive to watch, as the gray or roan son of El Prado has a huge stride and floats over the ground. Lusty Latin was not asked for a lot by the rider, but finished well and galloped out strong. If there is a ridiculously fast pace, his late running and one-paced style may get him a piece of the Derby pie.

The last Derby contender to work on Apr.29 was Blue Burner for trainer Bill Mott. With excersise rider Judy Nicks up, the son of French Deputy was joined by a workmate at the five-furlong pole. Judy tapped Blue Burner with the whip several times when they began, and he left the pole running. It was obvious Mott wanted a strong work for this colt because Judy kept after him the entire length of the work, turning her whip and giving him some well - ment cracks behind the saddle to get his attention.

I believe this work was a wake up call for Blue Burner, who seems to have been giving it up down the stretch in his races on his own accord. It looks as though his team wants him to know that training is not a game, but serious business.

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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