Denis of Cork to skip Rebel

DENIS OF CORK (Harlan's Holiday), the undefeated winner of the Southwest S. (G3), will skip the Rebel S. (G2) on Saturday at Oaklawn Park and await either the Wood Memorial (G1) or the Illinois Derby (G2) on April 5.

Trainer David Carroll said that after discussing the situation with owner William K. Warren, they concluded that Denis of Cork only needs one more race before the May 3 Kentucky Derby (G1).

"Mr. Warren and I felt that he needs only one more race before the Kentucky Derby," Carroll told The Blood-Horse. "He's sitting on a big race, but it's the one after that we feel he's going to really explode. He's a big horse, but he doesn't carry a lot of weight. So, although he's clean-winded, he's not robust by any means. If he were a green horse and we felt he needed another race we would have run him, but he's very professional; he can do different things on different tracks. We just feel he's one race away from his career best and we want that race to come in the Kentucky Derby."

Denis of Cork earned a "0" on the Thoro-Graph sheets for his 2 1/4-length victory in the one-mile Southwest, and Carroll said that weighed heavily on their decision. The bay colt received a "6" for his first win of the season at Fair Grounds.

"We do things as a team and throw things on the table," Carroll said. "We did look at the speed sheets, and took into consideration the horse's disposition and conformation. As I said, he doesn't carry an excess of flesh, and I'm always I'm trying to keep the weight on him. Because of his body weight and conformation, I want to space his races. I think he runs better that way."

Carroll said Denis of Cork likely will run in the Wood Memorial, while Blackberry Road (Gone West) will point toward the Illinois Derby. Those plans could be reversed, however.

"Blackberry Road came out of the Louisiana Derby (G2) very, very tired, the most tired I've ever seen him," Carroll said. "He was a little closer to the pace than he wanted to be. (Jockey) Robby (Albarado) put him in the race early to get a clean trip. He had a chance to go for it turning for home, but got tired. Still, he was only beaten 1 1/2 lengths for second. I still feel like he's sitting on his best race."

Blackberry Road finished fourth in Saturday's Louisiana Derby. Prior to that, he was a troubled fifth to Pyro (Pulpit) in the Risen Star S. (G3), where he was stuck in traffic in the stretch, and second to Z Fortune (Siphon [Brz]) in the Lecomte S. (G3) in his three-year-old debut.

Carroll understands the challenge of taking on War Pass (Cherokee Run), the undefeated winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), in the Wood Memorial.

"War Pass is the champion, but we're hoping there's a chink in his armor," Carroll said. "He's an exciting horse to watch run. He runs them off their feet and dares them to go with him, so it's damned if you do damned if you don't. Our best chance of beating him would be at a mile and a quarter. He'd have an advantage in the Wood, but it's the one after that we're interested in. This next one is more for conditioning. We don't have to win."