JC / Railbird

Kentucky Derby

Monday Morning Notes

– Derby works: At Churchill, Big Truck breezed a bullet five furlongs in :59.40; Z Fortune, reportedly looking magnificent this weekend, worked four furlongs in a slow :51; at the same distance, Visionaire went :48.40 (“under some pressure“) and Bob Black Jack :48.60 (with rider Richard Migliore up). Pyro also worked this morning, without company, breezing four furlongs in :49.80 over the track.
– After missing two days of training due to fever, Smooth Air returned to the track on Sunday. Trainer Bennie Stutts said the colt would gallop for the remainder of the week, which means his his final Derby work happened on April 19, when he went seven furlongs in 1:25.80 at Calder. Last work two weeks out is not usually a positive going into the Derby.
– Oaks news: Battaglia Memorial winner Absolutely Cindy will start in the Oaks on Friday. The filly worked three furlongs in :37 at Churchill on Sunday.
– Sunland is seeking graded status for the Winstar Derby.
– Lava Man finished third in the Khaled Stakes on Sunday, his first start in six months. “I thought we were in a really good spot, and it was typical of a horse just needing a race,” said rider Corey Nakatani of the effort (Blood-Horse). Trainer Doug O’Neill said he was disappointed by the finish, but that the 7-year-old gelding got something out of the race for his next start, reports the LA Times:

– Also at Hollywood on Sunday, Bel Air Sizzle, fresh off an allowance win only three days before, won the Melair Stakes after Gambler’s Justice was disqualified for interference in the stretch and bumped to third. The 3-year-old filly was mistakenly entered in the Melair because of a racing office mistake; trainer Barry Abrams had planned to enter Santa Paula winner Lethal Heat instead.
– Shadai Stallion Station tries, tries again with War Emblem.

Posted in Racing on April 28, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on Monday Morning Notes

Scrutiny (or how to embrace minutia)

One of my favorite moments of “First Saturday of May” is when Kentucky Derby week finally arrives, and the camera shows trainer Michael Matz going through his daily routine.
Then we pan out and see an onslaught of press watching Matz’s and Barbaro’s every move. My wife gasped at the sight of the media crush, and I heard similar whispers from throughout the theater.
Heck, I knew it was coming, and it even surprised me. When you go from quiet mornings at Fair Hill to Derby week, you’re not in Kansas anymore as the saying goes.
Scoops are hard to come by, of course. It’s unlikely that you’re going to talk to anyone alone. More than anything, the race is to be the first to post something since being the only news outlet with a story is tough to come by.
It’s important to keep this dynamic in mind when trolling the backside for news. A co-worker of mine had his spidey sense tingling on Sunday morning when Recapturetheglory did not go to the track despite having worked two days previous. His suspicians increased when trainer Louis Roussel was not around the barn in the morning.
So far it’s turned out to be nothing, but Smooth Air was supposedly fine on Friday after not going to the track for training, and then on Saturday we learned he had a fever.
Truth is, I understand that the media can’t always be the first to know about certain things. If I were an owner, I know I’d want to hear bad news from my trainer—not read about it on Thoroughbred Times or Daily Racing Form.

Posted in Racing on April 27, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / Comments Off on Scrutiny (or how to embrace minutia)

Doubts Dispelled

Reports of Colonel John’s disdain for dirt may have been exaggerated. The Tiznow colt worked five furlongs in :57.61 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:10.99 over the fast Churchill track. “At the moment it doesn’t look like the work took a lot out of him,” said trainer Eoin Harty. “He got a good blow but he appears to be well back to himself” (DRF). Also on the worktab were Adriano (five furlongs in 1:00.80), Court Vision, Z Humor, and Eight Belles. I’ll leave it to Ed to report from the scene on how everyone looked.

Posted in Racing on April 27, 2008 / Tagged Kentucky Derby / 3 comments