Derby Updates

A.P. WARRIOR - Stan Fulton's A.P. Warrior, third in his past start in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby, continued his preparations for the Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on Thursday morning by galloping 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Steve Willard at Hollywood Park. The A.P. Indy colt, trained by John Shirreffs, who saddled 2005 Derby winner Giacomo, is scheduled to work Sunday at Hollywood Park and then ship to Louisville on Tuesday. Corey Nakatani has the Derby mount.

BARBARO - Lael Stable's unbeaten Barbaro arrived at Churchill Downs at 3:30 p.m. (EDT) following a short van ride from Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, KY. Upon his arrival at Churchill Downs, trainer Michael Matz was asked what made his Florida Derby (GI) winner a special horse.

"I think it is his ability and his heart," Matz said. "He's got a great attitude and his heart is a tremendous asset. He is a terrific athlete."

Matz said that Barbaro would "probably" work sometime this weekend.

"That's it. There's not that much more to do," Matz said. "Most of the final touches have been done." Barbaro is expected to go to the Churchill Downs track on Friday morning. He galloped before departing from Keeneland.

BLUEGRASS CAT/KEYED ENTRY - All three of trainer Todd Pletcher's Kentucky Derby 132 contenders trained over a "fast" track on Thursday at Churchill Downs. Pletcher said that all three of those horses - WinStar Farm's Bluegrass Cat; Sunlight Stables, Saylor and Lucarelli's Keyed Entry; and Aaron and Marie Jones' Sunriver - are scheduled to work on Sunday. But Pletcher said all three works could be moved back to Saturday if the forecast continues to call for significant rain on Sunday. Sunriver, third in the Florida Derby (GI), jogged two miles under retired Hall of Fame jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. Hutcheson (GII) winner Keyed Entry also jogged two miles under Jacob Roberts. Bluegrass Cat, winner of the Remsen (GII) and runner-up in the Tampa Bay Derby (GIII), galloped 1 ¼-miles under exercise rider Luis Castillo.

BOB AND JOHN/SINISTER MINISTER/POINT DETERMINED - Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert said all three of his Derby 132 contenders galloped on Thursday. Speaking via telephone from Ocala, Fla., Baffert reported that the Lanni Family Trust's Sinister Minister, winner of the Toyota Blue Grass (GI), galloped at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Mick Jenner. Baffert said that the son of Old Trieste would work at Churchill Downs on Saturday. Stonerside Stable's Bob and John, winner of the Wood Memorial (GI), and the Robert and Beverly Lewis Trust's Point Determined, runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (GI), galloped at Santa Anita. Baffert said current plans call for Bob and John and Point Determined to work on Sunday, April 30 at Santa Anita and board a flight to Louisville on Tuesday, May 2.

BROTHER DEREK - Cecil Peacock's Brother Derek was expected to land in Louisville at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) after a flight from California with a noon arrival at Churchill Downs. The colt will be housed in Barn 42. Trainer Dan Hendricks is scheduled to fly to Louisville Thursday night and will be at the track Friday morning when the Santa Anita Derby (Grade I) winner is scheduled to gallop. Alex Solis will have the mount Derby Day and is expected to be here for Brother Derek's work on Monday.

CAUSE TO BELIEVE - Peter Redekop and Peter Abruzzo's Cause to Believe was on the track at Churchill Downs before 6:30 Thursday morning for a visit to the paddock and then a 1 ½-mile gallop under exercise rider DaRon Long. Galen May, who is overseeing the colt's preparations for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who is in California, said Cause to Believe would go to the paddock at least once in the afternoon next week. Russell Baze, who has ridden in one Kentucky Derby (14th on Semoran in 1996) will have the mount.

DEPUTY GLITTERS - Joseph Lacombe Stable Inc's Deputy Glitters was scheduled to leave his Belmont Park base around noon Thursday for the trip to Churchill Downs. The Tom Albertrani trainee walked the shedrow this morning after working five furlongs in 1:01.46 on Wednesday at Belmont Park. Deputy Glitters will be housed in Barn 17 and be ridden in the Derby by Jose Lezcano.

FLASHY BULL/JAZIL - West Point Thoroughbreds LLC's Flashy Bull galloped at Keeneland on the training track under exercise rider Desmond Farrell and his Kiaran McLaughlin-trained stablemate, Shadwell Stable's Jazil galloped in New York at Belmont Park under exercise rider Simon Harris before departing for Kentucky. McLaughlin, who saddled 2005 Kentucky Derby runner-up Closing Argument, plans to gallop the two colts Friday morning at Keeneland and then head to Churchill Downs after noon. The duo is slated to gallop Saturday morning and work Sunday morning in company. Fernando Jara has the mount on Jazil; no rider has been named on Flashy Bull.

LAWYER RON - With trainer Robert Holthus back on the scene, the Estate of James Hines Jr.'s Lawyer Ron was the last horse off the track before the renovation break as he galloped two miles under exercise rider Betsy Couch.

"I didn't realize it had gotten so late, but he just loves to stand out there in the sun," said Couch, who took Lawyer Ron to the frontside before the morning's activity.

Holthus had been in Ocala, Fla., scouting two-year-olds at the sales for a client. He returned Wednesday afternoon. "I actually moved my flight up six or seven hours to get back here," Holthus said with a grin. "He galloped pretty good this morning and was feeling good."

Holthus said Lawyer Ron would cut back to 1 ½ miles in the morning and then work five furlongs after the break Saturday morning with Derby rider John McKee up.

PRIVATE VOW/STORM TREASURE - Mike McCarty's Kentucky Derby contenders Private Vow and Storm Treasure each galloped one mile on Thursday for trainer Steve Asmussen. Exercise rider Carmen Rosas was aboard for both gallops. Assistant trainer Scott Blasi said that the final pre-Derby works for both colts were scheduled on Monday, May 1.

SACRED LIGHT - Amerman Racing Stables LLC's Sacred Light walked the shedrow at trainer David Hofmans' barn at Hollywood Park a morning after working seven furlongs in 1:28.

"He looked good and we had the vet look him over and he is ready to ship," said Hofmans, who will send the Holy Bull colt to Kentucky on Saturday.

Aaron Gryder will have the riding assignment on Sacred Light if he gets into the Kentucky Derby field. The Derby is limited to 20 starters with preference to horses based on their earnings in graded stakes races. Sacred Light stands at No. 22 among those horses being considered for Derby 132. Hofmans said Sacred Light would have a Tuesday work at Churchill Downs, weather permitting.

SEASIDE RETREAT - William S. Farish Jr.'s Seaside Retreat punched his ticket to the Kentucky Derby Thursday morning by working :59.40 for five furlongs after the renovation break over a track labeled "fast." The move was the fastest of 22 at the distance and was accomplished with Derby rider Patrick Husbands up.

"We talked last night and Patrick said if he doesn't work good, I'm going to tell you," trainer Mark Casse said. "I said, absolutely; tell me what you feel. He phoned me from the horse and said 'We are going to the Derby, boss.' He was really impressed.

"He was worried, because when he went out there, he thought it was a little bit on the deep side, but he said he gets to the bottom of it. I told him he would like this track."

Seaside Retreat was sixth in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI) in his most recent start, but was runner-up in the $500,000 Lane's End (GII) on Turfway Park's Polytrack surface before that.

"I think what happens at Keeneland is, you either like or you don't like it," Casse said. "Some horses get to the bottom of it, and when they do, they run real fast. This horse swam in it. Patrick said he was worn out in the post parade." Casse thinks the complexion of this year's Derby will fit his colt's style.

"If he was a speed horse, I would be looking somewhere else," Casse said. "I think the race has a good chance to set up well for us."

Casse said Seaside Retreat's major work was done and that the King Cugat colt would gallop up to the race.

"He has skin rash on both hips that he got around the time of the Blue Grass, so he doesn't look as attractive as I would like him to," Casse said. "But as long as he runs fast, that's the main thing."

Husbands returned to Woodbine in Toronto Thursday afternoon and will come back to Louisville next Thursday to partner Casse's Top Notch Lady in the Kentucky Oaks on May 5.

SHARP HUMOR - Purdedel Stable's Sharp Humor, winner of the Swale (GII) and runner-up in the Florida Derby (GIII), galloped 1-½ miles under regular exercise rider Faustino Orantes after the renovation break. Trainer Dale Romans plans to work Sharp Humor after the break Saturday morning with Derby rider Mark Guidry up.

SHOWING UP - Lael Stable's unbeaten Showing Up, winner of the Coolmore Lexington (GII), galloped 1 3/8-miles at Belmont Park for trainer Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide to win the 2003 Kentucky Derby. Assistant trainer Robin Smullen was aboard for the gallop. Tagg liked what he saw from the son of Strategic Mission in the gallop and said he still hopes to run the late-developing colt in next week's Kentucky Derby.

"He was full of himself," said Tagg. "If everything looks good on Wednesday (of Derby Week), I'll enter him and if everything looks good on Thursday, I'll ship."

STEPPENWOLFER - Robert and Lawana Low's Steppenwolfer, runner-up in the Arkansas Derby (GI), galloped 1-½ miles before the renovation break under exercise rider Jody Pieper to the satisfaction of trainer Dan Peitz.

"This was another good morning and if we gets eight more days just like that, he will be ready to go," said Peitz, who never has saddled a Kentucky Derby starter. "He is galloping good and doing good. When I got here, I said I wanted three good weeks and he is halfway there."

Steppenwolfer is scheduled to work Saturday morning with Derby rider Robby Albarado up.

SWEETNORTHERNSAINT - Joseph Balsamo and Ted Theos' Sweetnorthernsaint paid his first visit to the main track at Churchill Downs Thursday morning, galloping 1-¼ miles under regular exercise rider Ernesto Ferdinand.

"He did well, but we may bump up the time we go out in the morning because Ernesto said the track was cut up a little bit," trainer Michael Trombetta said.

Sweetnorthernsaint, winner of the Illinois Derby (GII) in his previous start, is slated to work after the break Saturday morning with Derby rider Kent Desormeaux coming in for the move.

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