Derby Updates

Champion Street Sense delivered a knockout performance Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs.  With jockey Calvin Borel up, 2006 Eclipse Award winner Street Sense, owned by James Tafel, worked a bullet five furlongs in 59 seconds and did not draw a deep breath coming off the track.

ANY GIVEN SATURDAY/CIRCULAR QUAY/COWTOWN CAT/SAM P./SCAT DADDY - Four of trainer Todd Pletcher's five contenders for the $2 million Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands were back on the track on Tuesday following weekend workouts.

WinStar Farm and Gulf Coast Farm's Cowtown Cat, winner of the Illinois Derby (GII) and the Gotham (GIII), galloped 1 ½-miles over Keeneland's Polytrack surface with exercise rider Loren Robson in the saddle.  The son of Distorted Humor had worked five furlongs on Saturday.

Michael and Doreen Tabor's Louisiana Derby (GII) winner Circular Quay returned to the track for the first time since a five-furlong breeze on Sunday and jogged two miles at Keeneland under three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Angel Cordero, Jr. 

WinStar Farm and Padua Stable's Any Given Saturday, third in the Wood Memorial (GI) last time out, stood at the Keeneland starting gate and jogged two miles under exercise rider Martin Mendoza.  The son of Distorted Humor also breezed on Sunday.

James Scatuorchio and Michael Tabor's Scat Daddy, winner of the Florida Derby (GI) and Fountain of Youth (GII), galloped two miles with Mendoza up.

At Churchill Downs, it was an easy day for Starlight Stable and Paul Lucarelli's Sam P., who walked in the shedrow on the day after a five-furlong work under the historic Twin Spires. 

 "He came back well and at up good," said Pletcher assistant Mike McCarthy of the third-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby (GI).

CHELOKEE - Centennial Farm's Chelokee, third in the Florida Derby (GI) in his most recent start, had an easy morning at Keeneland as he jogged over the Polytrack surface at Keeneland with assistant trainer Peter Brette in the saddle.

Trainer Micheal Matz said plans for the next work remain uncertain for the son of Cherokee Run, who might not have sufficient earnings in graded stakes races to qualify to start in what is expected to be a full field of 20 horses for the Kentucky Derby.

COBALT BLUE/GREAT HUNTER/LIQUIDITY - Trainer Doug O'Neill's trio of Kentucky Derby hopefuls all jogged a mile and galloped a mile and a half over the Polytrack at Keeneland on Tuesday morning. Tony Romero handled the riding duties on all three.

O'Neill is scheduled to catch the red eye out of Los Angeles Wednesday night.

 "We fly to Cincinnati and then get a plane down to Lexington," O'Neill said. "We get in at 9:40, so I will miss the training Thursday. We will go to the track for a couple hours to get everything lined up for the works Friday."

Romero will handle all of the works. O'Neill plans to ship the three to Churchill Downs on Sunday after training that morning at Keeneland.

Cobalt Blue, who is owned by Merv Griffin, will be ridden in the Derby by Victor Espinoza. J. Paul Reddam owns Great Hunter and Liquidity; Corey Nakatani is scheduled to ride the former and David Flores the latter.

CURLIN/REPORTING FOR DUTY/ZANJERO - Trainer Steve Asmussen's trio of Kentucky Derby contenders - a group headed by unbeaten Arkansas Derby (GII) winner and possible favorite Curlin - had an easy morning as all three walked the shedrow following their Monday afternoon arrival at Churchill Downs.

Stonecrest Farm, Padua Stable, George Bolton and Midnight Cry Stable's Curlin, Ronald Winchell's Zanjero, third in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI); and Bob and Cathy Zollars' Reporting for Duty, the runner-up in the Illinois Derby, each worked on Monday over Polytrack at Keeneland before they boarded van in early afternoon for the hour-long ride to Churchill Downs.

 "They all shipped well and they're all doing good," said Scott Blasi, the assistant trainer who oversees Asmussen's stable at Churchill Downs.

DELIGHTFUL KISS - Hobeau Farm's Delightful Kiss worked a half-mile in :49 under exercise rider Alex Castanon after the renovation break at Churchill Downs. The move was the 12^th-fastest of 24 at the distance.

 "I got him in 13, 26, 37 and 48 and out the three-quarters in 1:15," trainer Pete Anderson said. "So his last quarter was 22 or 22 and change and he galloped out beautifully."

Anderson, who rode in two Kentucky Derbies, said he would probably walk Delightful Kiss to the paddock in the morning with a rider up and then walk him back to Barn 22.

Russell Baze has the call on Delightful Kiss.

DOMINICAN/SEDGEFIELD - Trainer Darrin Miller's two Kentucky Derby hopefuls galloped a mile and a half at Keeneland on Tuesday morning. Exercise rider Willie Herrera was aboard Dominican and Miller was at the controls for Sedgefield.

Both horses are owned by Silverton Hill Farm of Springfield, Ky.

Miller, who never has had a Kentucky Derby starter, is planning on bringing the two to Churchill Downs on Thursday after they have trained that morning at Keeneland.

Dominican is scheduled to work Sunday and Sedgefield "possibly that day," Miller said.

Rafael Bejarano has the riding assignment on Dominican; no rider has been confirmed for Sedgefield, whose Derby status has not been finalized.

HARD SPUN - Fox Hill Farms' Hard Spun walked the shedrow at trainer Larry Jones' barn at Keeneland on Tuesday, a day after working a mile on the Polytrack in 1:42.40.

 "He's doing very well this morning," Jones said. "He will go back to the track in the morning and probably gallop."

Jones now plans to ship to Churchill Downs on Sunday rather than Saturday.

 "We will gallop him here on Sunday morning and then put him on a van and get over there sometime between training hours and the first part of the racing program," Jones said.

Mario Pino has the riding assignment.

NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ - Trainer Barclay Tagg reported that Nobiz Like Shobiz, owned by Elizabeth Valando, was doing great Tuesday morning, a day after working five furlongs in :59.60 on the Belmont training track.

The Albert the Great colt walked the shedrow and is scheduled to return to the track in the morning.

Cornelio Velasquez, who was aboard Nobiz Like Shobiz in Monday's work, is scheduled to ride in the Derby. The colt is scheduled to have his final pre-Derby work Sunday and ship to Churchill Downs on Wednesday, May 2, where he will be housed in Barn 48, the same location Tagg had Funny Cide in 2003 when Funny Cide won Kentucky Derby 129.

SLEW'S TIZZY - Trainer Greg Fox said no decision has been made on a possible bid for the Kentucky Derby by Joseph LaCombe Stable's homebred Slew's Tizzy, winner of Saturday's $325,000 Coolmore Lexington (GII), but Fox described the colt's status for the "Run for the Roses" as being "50-50" at this point.

Fox said the decision would be made after discussions with LaCombe. 

 "I've never had a horse come out of a race so well, so that's the good news," said Fox. "With that in mind, we could actually run [in the Derby] and I wouldn't have any problem with doing that if we decide to take a shot.  Right now we're just sitting on the fence and we'll make a decision probably by this weekend.  Right now, we're 50-50 and we're just talking about it a lot.  I'm just enjoying the fact that the horse is doing as well as he is."

The 3-year-old son of Tiznow walked the shedrow on Tuesday at Fox Stables, a farm located next to the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington.   Fox said Slew's Tizzy would go back to the track on Wednesday.

STORM IN MAY/IMAWILDANDCRAZYGUY - Storm in May galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Mick Jenner after the break at Churchill Downs, while stablemate Imawildandcrazyguy had his morning activity at Calder Race Course in Miami.

Imawildandcrazyguy is scheduled to ship to Louisville either Wednesday and Thursday, and both Bill Kaplan trainees are scheduled to work Monday. Juan Leyva has the call on Storm in May; no rider has been confirmed for Imawildandcrazyguy.

STORMELLO - Part owner and trainer Bill Currin said that Stormello had another good morning at Hollywood Park, galloping a mile and a half under exercise rider Alin Vidal.

 "Yesterday, he had an easy gallop and today he had a good, strong gallop," Currin said. "Tomorrow will be stronger. He's very eager."

Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Kent Desormeaux is scheduled to handle Stormello's final pre-Derby work Sunday at Hollywood Park before the colt ships to Kentucky on Monday. Desormeaux has the mount in the Derby.

STREET SENSE - The champ delivered a knockout performance Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs.

With jockey Calvin Borel up, 2006 Eclipse Award winner Street Sense, owned by James Tafel, worked a bullet five furlongs in 59 seconds and did not draw a deep breath coming off the track.

Clockers timed the move in :12.40 for the first eighth, :24.40 for the quarter, :36.40 for three-eighths, :47.80 for the half-mile and out six furlongs in 1:11.40. The move was the best of 36 at the distance over a track labeled "fast" and accomplished before the renovation break.

Trainer Carl Nafzger was beaming after the work.

 "I told Calvin, what we want here ... he's fit; we don't worry about fitness. All we are trying to do here is make him happy," Nafzger said. "That's the way I always work. I don't want to stress him; don't ask him for something he doesn't have. Let him do what he enjoys doing, but don't ask him to do a lot, and that's what he did. He likes to run. He did everything right. He's done everything right the whole time."

In his runner-up effort in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI), Street Sense ducked in a few times in the stretch. Nafzger was asked if he was worried about a repeat of that happening in the Kentucky Derby.

 "I'm more worried about 19 other horses," Nafzger said. "I'm not really worried about what he is going to do. You don't change anything. When you get to a Grade I race with horses of that quality it is a jockeys race. You have done your part. You are done. You are finished. I don't change the dimension of my horse. My horse's dimension is where we have found he is most effective and we leave him in that dimension and let him do it from there."

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

 "He's doing wonderful this morning," said Sanders, who owns the Johannesburg with Donnie Kelly and Gary Logsdon. "He is just getting better and better. That's the reason I want to run in the Derby, because he is doing so good. I wouldn't run a horse in the Derby if I didn't think he had a chance. He is peaking right now and I really believe he is going to run good."

Stewart Elliott, winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby on Smarty Jones, has the call on Teuflesberg, who is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs on Friday night with a work scheduled for Saturday.

TIAGO - Santa Anita Derby (GI) hero Tiago jogged Tuesday morning at Hollywood Park. It was the Pleasant Tap colt's first day back at the track since working seven furlongs in 1:25 on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

Jockey Mike Smith has the riding assignment on Tiago, who is scheduled to have his final pre-Derby work Sunday at Hollywood Park and then ship to Churchill Downs either Monday or Wednesday.

XCHANGER - Circle Z Stables' Xchanger's participation in Kentucky Derby 133 "is not out of the question," according to trainer Mark Shuman, who added, "but I don't like to come back in two weeks. I want to do what's best for the horse."

Xchanger won the Tesio Stakes at Pimlico last Saturday.

Shuman said he would meet with the owners of the Exchange Rate colt over the next couple of days and likely have a decision Friday.

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