Kentucky Derby 134 Update: March 24

TOP STORIES:

- Adriano Dominant Winner in Lane's End
- Kentucky Derby Favorite Pyro Works at Keeneland
- Massive Drama Draws Outside for UAE Derby
- Late Nominations to Kentucky Derby, Triple Crown Due March 29

MIDWEST/ADRIANO ROLLS IN LANE’S END, KENTUCKY DERBY POSSIBLE – Courtlandt Farm’s Adriano rolled to an easy 2 ½-length victory in Saturday’s $500,000 Lane’s End Stakes (Grade II) at Turfway Park, but that emphatic win might not be enough to propel the son of A.P. Indy onto the list of contenders for the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI).

The chestnut colt was considered to be primarily a turf horse before the Lane’s End, but his dominating victory under jockey Edgar Prado over Turfway Park’s Polytrack surface could prompt trainer Graham Motion to reconsider.  Adriano’s lone start on dirt was a disappointing ninth-place run behind Cool Coal Man in the Fountain of Youth (GII) at Gulfstream Park. That listless effort had moved Motion to say last week that a Kentucky Derby bid by the colt was “unlikely…but never say never.”

Motion has no doubt been mulling over future options in the hours since Adriano’s win at the Florence, Ky. track improved the colt’s record to 3-1-0 in seven races.  The winner’s purse of $291,400 virtually assured a spot for Adriano in the Kentucky Derby field should Motion and Courtlandt Farm owner Donald Adams decide to pursue that goal.

“I think we all agree that he’s probably more of a turf horse,” Motion said after the victory.  “The horse showed that on his day he can be brilliant.” 

Adriano covered the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:50.20.  Favored Halo Najib rallied for second, while Medjool finished third and Racecar Rhapsody was fourth in the 11-horse field.

“He had a little rough trip around the turn, but I was real pleased with his effort,” said trainer Dale Romans of runner-up Halo Najib.  “He split horses, he was in the middle of horses all the way.  They were bouncing him around on both sides, but he responded when (jockey Kent Desormeaux) called on him.  He just didn’t get there.”

The order of finish was completed by Chitoz, Cannonball, Macho Again, Turf War, El Aleman, Rich Young Ruler and Duke of de Buqe. Halo’s King was a late scratch.

Earlier on the Lane’s End program, John T.L. Jones, Jr. and Bill Jones’ Big Glen dueled with previously unbeaten and favored Miner’s Claim through the stretch to win the $100,000 Rushaway Stakes by a neck.  Previously unbeaten Icabad Crane was three lengths back in third.

The Frank Brothers-trained Big Glen, who had finished fourth in his previous start in Turfway’s John Battaglia Memorial, covered a mile and a sixteenth in 1:44.55.  The winner is not nominated to the Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown.

“He had a very good trip and showed guts to get there,” Brothers said.  “He got the trip and that’s what made the difference.  He saved the ground. This horse is a hard-tryer.”

Trainer Mark Casse was pleased with the run by Miner’s Claim, a son of Mineshaft who made his first start of the year and set the pace in the Rushaway.

“I was very proud of him,” said Casse.  “It really wasn’t his running style, but we wanted to get a good race into him.”

PYRO WORKS AT KEENELAND – Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Pyro, winner of the Louisiana Derby (GII) and current favorite for the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, turned in his first major training move since his return to Kentucky in a five-furlong work on Monday over the Polytrack surface at Keeneland.

The Steve Asmussen-trained son of Pulpit covered the distance in 1:02.40 under exercise rider Dominic Terry.  Keeneland clockers recorded fractions of :26.40, :38.80, and :50.80 and the colt galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.40.

“It was exactly what we wanted to see and what we asked him for,” Asmussen said.  “He was very comfortable over the track and we hope that continues.”

Pyro has raced only over conventional dirt surfaces, but is scheduled to run over the synthetic Polytrack surface at Keeneland when he makes his final Kentucky Derby prep in the $750,000 Toyota Blue Grass (GI) on April 12.

SOUTHEAST/ELYSIUM FIELDS HEADS FLORIDA DERBY PROBABLES – Robert Evans’ Fountain of Youth (GII) runner-up Elysium Fields heads the list of likely starters for Saturday’s $1 million Florida Derby (GI) at Gulfstream Park.

The colt is trained by Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide to win the 2003 Kentucky Derby, and could be the favorite in field of as many as 11 horses in the 1 1/8-mile test.

Other accomplished Florida Derby contenders include Hopeful (GI) winner Majestic Warrior and Fierce Wind, winner of Tampa Bay Downs’ Sam F. Davis.

Horses looking to emerge from the race as major Kentucky Derby contenders include unbeaten Big Brown, an impressive allowance winner at Gulfstream Park; recent allowance winner Nistle’s Crunch; and Tomcito, a 3-year-old son of Street Cry who will make his U.S. debut after five races in Peru.  Four of those races were victories, including a win in Peru’s Derby Nacional at 1 ½ miles – a furlong beyond the Kentucky Derby distance of 1 ¼ miles.

DUBAI/MASSIVE DRAMA DRAWS OUTSIDE FOR UAE DERBY – Zayat Stables’ American hope Massive Drama drew the outside post in a field of 12 horses entered for Saturday’s $2 million UAE Derby (GII) at a mile and an eighth at Dubai’s Nad Al Sheba.

Garrett Gomez, the Eclipse Award winner as America’s top jockey in 2007, will be aboard Massive Drama, the winner of the Hollywood Prevue (GIII) will make his racing debut for trainer Dale Romans, who assumed oversight of the colt when owner Ahmed Zayat moved him out of the California-based stable of three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert.

The Louisville-born Romans was expected to arrive in Dubai on Tuesday.  Assistant Henrietta Steele was happy with the way Massive Drama galloped over the track on Monday.

“I’m happy with the way he was moving,” said Steele of the 3-year-old son of Kafwain. “He had his ears pricked – he seemed to have the sun on his back and love in his heart.”

Also in the field is Godolphin’s Triple Crown nominee Numaany (post five).

LATE NOMINATIONS TO DERBY, TRIPLE CROWN DUE SATURDAY – Late nominations to the 134th running of the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby presented by Yum! Brands and the Triple Crown are due by midnight on Saturday, March 29.

Horses may be made eligible for the three-race series for a fee of $6,000.  A total of 449 3-year-olds were nominated for a fee of $600 by the early nomination deadline of Jan. 19.