Buddha Injured; O'Brien's Pair Gallop
May 3, 2002
By Derby Notes Team

Kentucky Derby Headlines:

• Buddha Injured, Out Of Derby
  
• Day May Miss First Derby Since '83
  
• O'Brien Duo Gallops At Keeneland
  

BLUE BURNER - It was a longer morning at the racetrack than trainer Bill Mott and exercise rider Judy Nicks had planned for Blue Burner on Friday, but in the end it all appeared to work out fine for the colt who'll break from the outside in Post 20 in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

The French Deputy colt was scheduled for a mile and three-eighths gallop and a tour of the paddock - which he did accomplish - but he had an additional hour-plus tacked on to his time at the track when everything was shut down following a spill near the first turn.

"I actually think it was good for him," Nicks said. "He had to stay out there and stay calm and he did it. He was good with it; really good. It's a matter of experiencing new things with these horses and he handled it all just fine."

"We were in the paddock when it (the spill) happened and he had to spend a fair amount of time just standing and looking," Mott noted. "But he was fine with it. It was good to see that he didn't turn a hair."

Blue Burner is scheduled to be ridden by Corey Nakatani on Saturday.

BUDDHA - Gary and Mary West's Buddha, the horse many Derby observers thought might actually go favored in Saturday's mile and one-quarter classic, was withdrawn from the race Friday morning by trainer H. James Bond when he was discovered to have an apparent foot injury at Barn 48.

Bond discovered a problem in the left front leg of his roan/gray colt at approximately 5 o'clock Friday morning when he was taken from his No. 7 stall in the barn to begin his day. The horse, winner of the Grade I Wood Memorial in New York on April 13 and a Tuesday morning arrival at Churchill Downs, was attended to by both Dr. Larry Bramlage and Dr. Ken Reed.

At a 7 o'clock press conference at the track's stable area Media Center, Bond and Bramlage addressed the apparent injury.

"A preliminary look shows more of a foot (injury), possibly a bruised foot," Bond said. "We are going to do what's best in the interest of the horse and wait for another day. It is very disappointing for my clients and myself, but Buddha will have another day."

"Dr. (Ken) Reed is his primary care veterinarian," said Dr. Bramlage, "and he looked at him and I looked in on him this morning. I can't add much to what Mr. Bond has said other than it's time to find a right diagnosis and it has got to be so disappointing to his connections, but this is the right way to take care of the horse. We'll get the diagnosis and go on for another day. It is too bad because he is only 3 (years of age) once."

When asked if there was any indication of a problem prior to today, Bond replied: "No. Nothing in the work (Buddha has worked six furlongs on Belmont Park's training track Sunday morning in 1:13.42 and had galloped at Churchill Downs both Wednesday and Thursday).

When asked about the injury affecting his status for the Preakness, Bond stated: "Well, right now you have to see what happens. Right now it is very unlikely. I always said if there was a bump in the road, we wouldn't do it. There's a bump in the road. The timing is terrible."

Rider Pat Day, who apparently will miss his first Derby since 1983, said "his heart goes out" to Bond. "I was as excited and enthusiastic about this horse as any I can remember coming up to this race. His race in the Wood was excellent and he seemed to have the ability and intelligence to be a winner. I know James (Bond) is down there beating himself up - thinking what he could have done or should have done. But he did everything right, he did it all. He touched all the right bases. It is just something beyond his control."

Dr. Bramlage indicated that X-rays would be taken during the day. He has scheduled a press conference in the track's interview tent next to the paddock for 2:30 this afternoon to give an update on the horse's condition.

CAME HOME - Highly-regarded Came Home, seeking to become the ninth three-year-old in history to win both the Santa Anita Derby and Kentucky Derby, put in another strong gallop of a mile and one-half this morning under exercise rider Fernando Mera.

According to trainer Paco Gonzalez, the consistent GoneWest colt, winner of six of seven starts and $871,440, was eager to go and pulling hard again this morning.

Gonzalez said Came Home will be taken to the track tomorrow, Derby Day, to jog. "He's feeling so good, we have to do something with him in the morning."

A paddock schooling session was scheduled for Came Home Thursday, but, because of the heavy rain, it was canceled. "He was great in the paddock when we schooled him Wednesday, so I'm not concerned."

Previous horses to win both the Santa Anita and Kentucky Derbies have been:

Hill Gail, 1952; Determine, 1954; Swaps, 1955; Lucky Debonair, 1965; Majestic Prince, 1969; Affirmed, 1978; Winning Colors, 1988, and Sunday Silence, 1989.

EASY GRADES - Desperado Stables' Easy Grades went to the track at 7:30 this morning and galloped a mile and one half under exercise rider Cindy Lerille. Trainer Ted H. West, as well as his assistant - his father, Ted West - were on hand for the gelding's final exercise in front of his appearance in Kentucky Derby 128.

"He'll just walk for a half hour tomorrow morning," said the young West. "I don't usually put my horses on the track the day of a race."

ESSENCE OF DUBAI - Godolphin Racing's Essence Of Dubai visited the paddock and then galloped a mile and a quarter under exercise rider Lee Roebuck.

David Flores has the mount Saturday.

"Things have gone pretty smooth since we have been here," said Tom Albertrani, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. "He only missed one day of paddock schooling because of the rain (Thursday), and he was fine this morning. He has had plenty schooling and I don't expect he'll have any problems Saturday."

Bin Suroor was on the scene Friday morning after arriving from England on Thursday.

"I think this one is our best chance," bin Suroor said of Essence Of Dubai, who gives Godolphin a Derby starter for the fourth consecutive year. "I feel he is the best horse we have brought over here. Others had run the nine furlongs in Dubai before coming here, and he has run 10.

"He looks very good, and this cooler weather has been good for him and the filly (Imperial Gesture, Godolphin's Kentucky Oaks entrant)."

HARLAN'S HOLIDAY - Morning-line Derby favorite Harlan's Holiday was on the track at 6:15 to gallop a mile and a half under assistant trainer Helen Pitts.

Edgar Prado will ride Saturday.

"Everything has been going great," trainer Ken McPeek said. "We just have to get a good trip."

McPeek was asked about Saturday's competition, and who concerned him the most.

"Came Home," McPeek said, without hesitation. "When I saw him at the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Belmont Park last fall, I thought when I saw him in the paddock, there was a horse I could beat. I saw him in the paddock here, and he is a different horse. He is a totally different horse, bigger, stronger, better looking, healthier."

IT'SALLINTHECHASE - Exercise rider Joe Higgins took It'sallinthechase to the track Friday morning at 7 o'clock for a gallop of a mile and one half in anticipation of his start in the 128th Kentucky Derby Saturday at 6:04 p.m.

Trainer Wilson Brown, who has become a media darling Derby Week with his simple, down-home approach as the underdog's underdog in his first Derby, reported all was well with his $27,000 sale purchase. "No matter what happens tomorrow," the trainer said, "they won't be able to take all this away from me and my owners. We're really going to do it; we're going to run in the Kentucky Derby."

It'sallinthechase was scheduled to school today with horses from the first race.

JOHANNESBURG/CASTLE GANDOLFO - Trainer Aidan O'Brien's Kentucky Derby hopefuls galloped over the muddy main track at Keeneland Race Course before an audience of media and other spectators.

Before the track was opened after the renovation break, both horses hit the track. Johannesburg was the first one out, walking to the Beard Course chute and then galloping seven-eighths of a mile after the track was harrowed.

Next up was Castle Gandolfo, who came on to the track and did the same thing, galloping a little farther.

Castle Gandolfo had a paddock schooling session Thursday afternoon. The two are scheduled to van to Churchill Downs Saturday morning and need to be on the grounds by 10 o'clock, 90 minutes before the first race on the 11-race Derby Day card.

Three-time Kentucky Derby winning rider Gary Stevens has the mount on Johannesburg, and Jerry Bailey, a two-time Derby winner and, like Stevens, a Hall of Famer, will ride Castle Gandolfo.

Traveling head lad Pat Keating is supervising the two colts at Keeneland.LUSTY LATIN - Joey and Wendy Platts' Lusty Latin jogged two miles under exercise rider Amy Mullins.

Glenn Corbett has the mount Saturday.

Trainer Jeff Mullins reported satisfaction with the colt's preparations leading up to Derby 128.

"Everything has been going great. We have had no setbacks at all," said Mullins, one of five trainers making their Kentucky Derby debut.

Mullins was asked which member of the Derby field he would like have Saturday if he did not have Lusty Latin.

"Perfect Drift," Mullins said of the Spiral Stakes winner, "because my man, Eddie D, (Delahoussaye) is on him."

MEDAGLIA D'ORO - Edmund Gann's Medaglia d'Oro, which translates to 'gold medal' from the Italian, merely walked the shedrow on a lovely Friday morning at Chuchill Downs. The handsome, dark colt has a date in the Kentucky Derby tomorrow afternoon and his trainer - Hall of Famer Robert Frankel - is feeling confident he'll acquit himself well in the mile and one quarter.

"He's doing great," the conditioner said. "It's all just the way I'd want it."

Frankel said he'd have the son of El Prado on the track in the morning for a three-quarter mile gallop to "loosen him up and open him up. It's not unusual for me to do that with some of my horses. I did it with You (his entrant in today's Grade I Kentucky Oaks) at 5:30 this morning."

Medaglia d'Oro was scheduled to school with horses from the first race today.

OCEAN SOUND - Irish-bred Ocean Sound was on the track this morning to gallop a mile and one-half with Adam Kitchingman up for trainer Jim Cassidy.

Ocean Sound schooled in the Churchill Downs paddock Thursday during the third race and, despite the rain, was "great," according to Cassidy.

PERFECT DRIFT - Spiral Stakes winner Perfect Drift completed his Kentucky Derby preparations Friday morning at the Trackside Training Center by galloping a mile and three-quarters under Joe Deegan.

Eddie Delahoussaye will ride Saturday.

"It is very quiet over here this morning," trainer Murray Johnson said. "He had his normal day, and I couldn't be happier with how things have gone (leading up to the Derby).''

Perfect Drift is scheduled to load at 6 a.m. Saturday for the four-mile van ride to Churchill Downs. He will be housed in Barn 42, Stall 6.

Johnson was asked which Derby starter he would like have Saturday if he did not have Perfect Drift.

"I would probably go with Private Emblem," said Johnson, who saddled Green Alligator to a fourth-place finish in the 1991 Run for the Roses.

"I think he is an improving horse. I don't know if he is seasoned enough, but he could probably do it if he gets the perfect trip. But then, that's something we would all need. But he's got that little spurt, where he could make a move and not be used too much, and if a horse like mine gets hung up in traffic, maybe he could do it."

PRIVATE EMBLEM - Cassells and Zollars' Private Emblem, who earned his place in the 128th Kentucky Derby with an impressive victory in the Arkansas Derby, galloped approximately a mile and one-quarter this morning under exercise rider Lisa Orn.

Trainer Steve Asmussen pointed out that, with the defection of Buddha, his horse will be breaking from the exact middle of the 19-horse field. Because the colt wears a blanket in the gate, he will be among the first horses to enter.

Private Emblem is scheduled to school in the paddock today with horses entered in the third race.

PROUD CITIZEN - Bob Baker, David Cornstein and Bill Mack's Proud Citizen galloped under exercise rider Stacy Maker shortly after 6 a.m.

Mike Smith will ride Saturday.

Proud Citizen will attempt to give trainer D. Wayne Lukas his fifth Kentucky Derby victory, and the trainer was asked if the Coolmore Lexington winner was showing the same winning signs as his previous winners.

"He is touting us," Lukas said. "He is very strong. I wish they would run the race today."

Lukas was asked about the quality of this year's 3-year-old crop.

"Let's not judge this crop yet," Lukas said. "In 1985 when Tank's Prospect ran seventh, I was kicking myself. You came back the next year to find that four of them went on to be not only millionaires, but multimillionaires."

REQUEST FOR PAROLE - Sam and Jeri Knighton's Request For Parole was on the track when it opened at 5:45 to gallop a mile and a half under exercise rider Loren Diego.

Robby Albarado will ride Saturday.

"He really likes digging into it when it is a little wet like it is this morning," trainer Steve Margolis said. "He has had a good week, galloped well in the mornings, eating good and feeling good. I am very happy."

Margolis was asked what Derby entrant he would like to have Saturday if he did not have Request For Parole.

"Probably Medaglia d'Oro," Margolis said. "I don't think he needs to be on the lead, plus having Frankel (trainer Bobby Frankel), that's a plus."

SAARLAND - Cynthia Phipps' Saarland, who will have John Velazquez aboard in the 128th Kentucky Derby, galloped a mile and one-half this morning under Adolph Krajewski.

Trainer Shug McGaughey schooled the Unbridled colt in the Churchill Downs paddock Thursday in spite of the rain and reported that Saarland's demeanor was "perfect."

WAR EMBLEM/DANTHEBLUEGRASSMAN - War Emblem and Danthebluegrassman, trainer Bob Baffert's two entrants in the 128th Kentucky Derby,each galloped a mile and one-half this morning.

War Emblem, representing The Thoroughbred Corporation of Prince Ahmed bin Salman, will have Victor Espinoza up, while Mike Pegram's Danthebluegrassman will be handled by Kent Desormeaux.

WILD HORSES - Peachtree Stable's Wild Horses went to the racetrack this morning for a paddock session and a mile and three-eighths gallop under exercise rider and assistant trainer Cindy Hutter. But their stay trackside was extended when a spill on the first turn caused a shutdown of all activity on the track while the injured horse and rider were aided.

"He was out there longer than we thought, and he spent extra time in the paddock, but it was OK," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "He handled it fine and there weren't any hassles."

Wild Horses will be handled by Rene Douglas in the Derby, which will carry a record purse of $1,190,000.

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