Derby Updates

Trainer Steve Asmussen's trio of Kentucky Derby 133 contenders - headed by possible favorite Curlin - arrived at Churchill Downs early Monday afternoon following a van ride from Keeneland. Curlin breezed five furlongs in 1:00.80. Exercise rider Carlos Rosas was in the irons for the move that ranked 13th out of 18 moves at the distance.

Fox Hill Farms' Hard Spun worked a mile over the Polytrack at Keeneland in 1:42 on Monday morning with jockey Mario Pino up.

ANY GIVEN SATURDAY/CIRCULAR QUAY/COWTOWN CAT/SAM P./SCAT DADDY - Starlight Stable and Paul Lucarelli's Sam P., runner-up to Great Hunter in the Robert B. Lewis (Grade II) and third to Tiago in the Santa Anita Derby (GI), tuned up for an expected run in the $2 million Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands (GI) with a sharp five-furlong workout at Churchill Downs on Monday.

The 3-year-old son of Cat Thief - one of five likely Derby starters trained by three-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher - breezed five furlongs over a "fast" track under exercise rider Horacio DePaz in 1:00.60, which ranked second among 39 moves at the distance. Churchill Downs clockers caught Sam. P in fractions of :13.40, :25.40 and :37.60 as he worked in company with stablemate Just A Streak.

"We thought it was good," said Pletcher. "The horse had a good energy level. He got over the ground well. He showed last fall that he likes the track here. We were happy with it."

Sam P. won a one-mile allowance race at Churchill Downs last fall, a race in which he defeated fellow Kentucky Derby hopeful Chelokee by 2 ¼-lengths. Pletcher made an equipment change on the colt when he added blinkers in the Santa Anita Derby, but he said there's a good chance that the new equipment will be dropped for the colt's Derby run.

"We felt like putting some blinkers on him might get him a little more focused and actually overdid it a little bit. He was a little bit rank in the Santa Anita Derby and I thought he stayed on well to be third, considering that. We're going to decide whether we're going to take the blinkers off, or at least cut them back. We're probably leaning towards taking them off altogether."

Pletcher said that Sam P. is considered definite for the "Run for the Roses."
"He's doing well, he's got the earnings to get in and he's got a win over the track, so we might take a shot. We need him to step his game up to another level, but it's the right time to do it."

The four other Kentucky Derby contenders in Pletcher's barn remain at Keeneland. Illinois Derby (GII) winner Cowtown Cat jogged over the Polytrack surface on Monday as he returned to the track for the first time since he turned in a sharp five-furlong workout on Saturday. Three colts that worked on Sunday - Florida Derby (GI) winner Scat Daddy, Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Circular Quay, and Sam F. Davis winner Any Given Saturday - all walked in Pletcher's Keeneland shedrow on Monday.

If all five enter the starting gate at Churchill Downs on Saturday, May 5, it will Pletcher's largest collection of Kentucky Derby starters and would tie a record for most Derby starters shared by Hall of Fame trainers D. Wayne Lukas and Nick Zito. Pletcher saddled the Derby runner-up in 2001 with Invisible Ink and last with Bluegrass Cat, but he believes that this year's group has the potential to yield an even better final result.

"This is definitely the best group we've ever brought (to the Derby)," Pletcher said. Having a couple of seconds in the Kentucky Derby, I thought those horses ran extremely well. But going into it today, I think this is the best group we've had."

CURLIN/REPORTING FOR DUTY/ZANJERO - Trainer Steve Asmussen's trio of Kentucky Derby 133 contenders - headed by possible favorite Curlin - arrived at Churchill Downs early Monday afternoon following a van ride from Keeneland.
The trio of Derby hopefuls that also includes Zanjero and Reporting for Duty made the westward journey on Interstate 64 just hours after all three turned in major workouts over the Polytrack surface at the Lexington, Ky. track.

Stonecrest Farm, Padua Stable, George Bolton and Midnight Cry Stable's Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Curlin breezed five furlongs in 1:00.80. Exercise rider Carlos Rosas was in the irons for the move that ranked 13th out of 18 moves at the distance.

"He looked like he did it well and moved good," said Asmussen. "He was nice and relaxed."

Ronald Winchell's Zanjero, third and beaten just over a head by Dominican in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI), breezed five furlongs in 1:01 under Rosas.

Bob and Cathy Zollars' Reporting for Duty, runner-up in the Illinois Derby (GII), breezed six furlongs in 1:12.40 under Rosas. The son of Deputy Commander worked in company with the 3-year-old filly Appealing Zophie, the winner of the Spinaway (GI) at two who completed the distance in an identical time.

CHELOKEE - Centennial Farm's Chelokee, third in the Florida Derby (GI), returned to Keeneland's Polytrack surface for a jog on Monday.

Trainer Michael Matz had given the colt an unanticipated day off on Sunday following some anxious moments during a Saturday gallop. The colt's right rein broke during Saturday's exercise and assistant trainer Peter Brette could not control the colt until Matz, on his pony, was able to catch the son of Cherokee Run and lead him off to the track and back to the barn.

Matz said he had no firm plans for a workout for Chelokee, who is danger of failing to make the field for Kentucky Derby 133 because of insufficient earnings in graded stakes races.

COBALT BLUE/GREAT HUNTER/LIQUIDITY - Trainer Doug O'Neill's trio of Kentucky Derby hopefuls jogged a mile and then galloped a mile and half Monday morning at Keeneland. Regular exercise rider Tony Romero handled all of the exercise.

O'Neill, who has had his Derby horses at Keeneland since the second week of April to train over the Polytrack surface, helped introduce the Polytrack era at Del Mar Monday morning, taking five horses down from Hollywood Park to be part of the first group of horses on the new track at Del Mar.

"It was beautiful. It was like Keeneland in the Del Mar area," O'Neill said.
The trainer, who never has had a Kentucky Derby starter, plans to leave California Wednesday night for Kentucky, where he will remain through the Run for the Roses.

O'Neill plans to work all three colts Friday, give them a day off Saturday and then jog them Sunday morning before shipping to Churchill Downs that afternoon.
Riding assignments for the colts are: Corey Nakatani (Great Hunter), David Flores (Liquidity) and Victor Espinoza (Cobalt Blue).

DELIGHTFUL KISS - Hobeau Farm's Delightful Kiss galloped Monday morning at Churchill Downs with exercise rider Alex Castanon up.

"He went very well and he two-minute licked the last half-mile," trainer Pete Anderson said. "He will work a half-mile in the morning and Alex will be on him."
Russell Baze has the call on Delightful Kiss.

HARD SPUN - Fox Hill Farms' Hard Spun worked a mile over the Polytrack at Keeneland in 1:42 on Monday morning with jockey Mario Pino up.

"I didn't time him, I was just watching my horse," trainer Larry Jones said. "It was very good. It was a nice breeze to get some air in his lungs and stretch his legs. They said he got the first half in 52 and the last half in 50. He got the last eighth in 12 flat and galloped out strong."

Jones said he would probably ship Hard Spun to Churchill Downs on Saturday with his final pre-Derby work scheduled for Monday. It would be the Danzig colt's second work at Churchill Downs.

"I just didn't want to be shipping one horse over just to work when I have nine others here," said Jones about the reason for working at Keeneland after the Churchill Downs work.

In his April 12 work at Churchill Downs, Hard Spun covered five furlongs in 1:00.20, the fastest of 15 at the distance that day.

IMAWILDANDCRAZY GUY/STORM IN MAY - Trainer Bill Kaplan said that Lewis Pell and Michael Eigner's Imawildandcrazyguy would be shipped to Churchill Downs on Wednesday or Thursday for the Kentucky Derby.

With graded stakes earnings of $104,000, Imawildandcrazyguy would land in the No. 20 spot of horses under consideration for the Derby and earn a spot in the starting gate. The Wild Event gelding finished sixth in his most recent start, beaten 6 ¼ lengths by Scat Daddy after breaking awkwardly in the Florida Derby (GI). Prior to that, he had finished fourth in the Louisiana Derby (GII) and second in the Risen Star (GIII).

"We only made the decision a couple of days ago to come," said Kaplan, who has not named a rider for Imawildandcrazyguy. "Both of my horses will work Monday. Juan Leyva, who will ride Storm in May, will work that horse."

Storm in May galloped a mile and a half at Churchill Downs Monday with exercise rider Mick Jenner up.

"The reason I am not up there yet is because I am at the Ocala sale where I buy my Kentucky Derby horses," Kaplan said. "I bought both of these horses there."
Storm in May was a $16,000 April purchase last year and Imawildandcrazyguy was a $17,000 investment last August.

NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ - Elizabeth Valando's Nobiz Like Shobiz got down to some serious business Monday morning, working five furlongs in :59.60 on the Belmont Park training track with jockey Cornelio Velasquez up.

"I moved the work up a day so that gives me two days to play with later on if we have bad weather," trainer Barclay Tagg said. "I thought he did it very nicely. He galloped out seven furlongs in 1:27 and change and the mile in 1:42 and change."
The son of Albert the Great is slated for his final pre-Derby work Sunday at Belmont and is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs on May 2.

STORMELLO - Hollywood Futurity (GI) winner Stormello galloped a mile and a half at Hollywood Park on Monday morning with exercise rider Alin Vidal up.
Trainer and co-owner Bill Currin plans to give the Stormy Atlantic colt his final major Derby prep Saturday and ship to Louisville on Monday, April 30.

Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Kent Desormeaux has the call.

STREET SENSE - James Tafel's Street Sense stood in the starting gate and then galloped a mile and a quarter before the renovation break at Churchill Downs with exercise rider Mark Cutler up.

Weather permitting, trainer Carl Nafzger plans to work Street Sense five furlongs before the break in the morning with regular rider Calvin Borel up.
Thunderstorms were forecast for later Monday and into Monday night and Nafzger said if conditions were too bad, the work could be moved back a day.

TIAGO - Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss' Tiago walked the shedrow at trainer John Shirreffs' barn at Hollywood Park on Monday, a day after working seven furlongs in 1:25.

Two years ago, Shirreffs' Kentucky Derby-winning Giacomo had a seven-eighths work in 1:23.80 at Hollywood Park and the trainer was asked if there were any similarities in the moves of Giacomo and his half-brother Tiago.

"It is hard to compare because they are different horses," Shirreffs said. "But this horse just ran a mile and an eighth in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) and came back nine days later and worked six furlongs and then in six days worked seven furlongs. That's a heavy workload, but he is taking it well."

Jockey Mike Smith was up for the work and is slated to be aboard again Sunday when Shirreffs has the final pre-Derby work scheduled for Tiago.
The colt will ship to Louisville either Monday, April 30 or Wednesday, May 2.
"I will keep an eye on the weather there," Shirreffs said on the determining factor on shipping.

TEUFLESBERG - With part owner and trainer Jamie Sanders up, Southwest Stakes winner Teuflesberg galloped a mile and a quarter Monday morning at Keeneland.

"He's doing just great and we a few reporters come by to see him this morning," said Sanders, who co-owns the Johannesburg colt with Gary Logsdon and Donnie Kelly.

Teuflesberg is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs on Friday with a work scheduled for Saturday

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