First Look
Things were kind of slow on the backside of Churchill Downs Saturday morning, as many horsemen played cat and mouse with the weather.
Overnight rains rendered the main track muddy, and of the Derby probables, only Gayego worked under the sometimes ominous-sometimes welcoming watch of the Twin Spires (Monba and Cowboy Cal worked at Keeneland).
I’m not one for getting into how horses look. My strengths as a handicapper come from reading charts and pedigree analysis. That said, I think I’ve seen enough horses at various stages of their careers and seen enough races that I can identify extremes. That is, I know when a horse looks super great or simply awful.
Gayego looked great today.
I was about a sixteenth of a mile away from where Gayego started his work, and I had him firmly in my sights as he raced down the backstretch and into the turn, and that’s when I really got impressed. His action into the turn was breathtaking, and even his gallop out after the work drew “oohs” and “aahs” as he cycled back into the backstretch.
His jockey and trainer flew in from California for the work, the breeder was there for the work, and I could understand why there were so many smiles to go around.
Sunday should be a lot busier from a work standpoint, as it looks as if it will stay dry overnight, and with a chance of rain on Monday, many trainers may want to get the work in sooner rather than later.
