I'll Have Another Works at Hollywood Park; Saturday Drills Possible for Hansen, Union Rags, Dullahan

Apr 29, 2012

Godolphin Racing’s Alpha galloped 1¼ miles at Belmont Park Friday morning.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said that the Wood Memorial (GI) runner-up is scheduled to work Saturday morning at Belmont. Jockey Rajiv Maragh will be aboard for the work, but McLaughlin said the Alpha team has not committed to a rider for the Kentucky Derby.

BODEMEISTER / LIAISON – Zayat Stables LLC’s Bodemeister schooled in the gate Friday morning before galloping 1 ½ miles under exercise rider George Alvarez. The colt was out during the 8:30 training period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks horses.

“He was a perfect gentleman,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He’s been very calm and cool here. He galloped easy around there.”

Arnold Zetcher’s Liaison jogged earlier in the morning in his return to the track following a work on Wednesday.

“He was happy,” Baffert said.

CREATIVE CAUSE – San Felipe (GII) winner Creative Cause galloped 1 ½ miles at Hollywood Park Friday morning under the watchful eye of trainer Mike Harrington as the roan son of Giant’s Causeway finished preparation for a flight from Los Angeles to Louisville on Saturday.

Harrington said the colt could work Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs, weather permitting. If the weather doesn’t permit, Harrington has said it won’t make any difference in the way Creative Cause is moving toward his appointment on May 5 in the Kentucky Derby. His graded earnings of $836,000 put him fifth on the list of the race’s top money winners.

Harrington is scheduled to travel on Saturday, also, and will be on the grounds late that day or Sunday morning.

DADDY NOSE BEST / SABERCAT – The Steve Asmussen-trained duo of Daddy Nose Best and Sabercat continued their preparations for Kentucky Derby 138 with early morning gallops Friday at Churchill Downs.

Bob and Cathy Zollars’ Daddy Nose Best is undefeated in two starts this year with victories in the El Camino Real Derby (GIII) and the Sunland Derby (GIII).

Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC’s Sabercat ended his 2-year-old campaign with a win in the Delta Downs Jackpot (GIII). In his first start at 3, he finished eighth in the Rebel (GII) at Oaklawn Park. In the final Derby prep for the dark bay son of Bluegrass Cat, Sabercat finished third behind Bodemeister and Secret Circle in the Arkansas Derby (GI).

Both colts are scheduled to work Monday.

DONE TALKING – Skeedattle Stable’s Done Talking is scheduled to work five furlongs Saturday morning at Laurel with jockey Sheldon Russell aboard.

“He will go out about 7 o’clock,” trainer Hamilton Smith said of the Illinois Derby (GIII) winner. “There may be a little weather coming in, but he’s not afraid of some mud.”

Smith plans to head west to Louisville early Sunday morning with an expected departure from Laurel between 3:30-4 o’clock and arrive at Churchill Downs that afternoon. 

Done Talking will represent the first Kentucky Derby starter for Smith and Russell.

DULLAHAN – Donegal Racing’s Dullahan galloped 1 ½ miles after the renovation break under regular exercise rider Faustino Aguilar.

The chestnut son of Even the Score won the Toyota Blue Grass (GI) in his most recent start for trainer Dale Romans. He is scheduled to work at Churchill Downs on Saturday after the renovation break at approximately 8:30 a.m.

EL PADRINO/GEMOLOGIST – Trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday morning he was watching the weather to determine when his two Kentucky Derby prospects will put in their final workouts at Palm Meadows before heading to Louisville on Tuesday.

“I don’t know yet whether they’ll work on Saturday or Sunday,” he said before opting for Saturday. “It depends on the weather.” The original schedule called for the colts to work on Sunday.

Gemologist is owned by WinStar Farm, who won the 2010 Kentucky Derby with Super Saver to give Pletcher his initial Derby victory, and El Padrino is owned by Let’s Go Stable.

HANSEN – Kendall Hansen and Skychai Racing’s Hansen galloped early Friday morning at Trackside Training Center under Joel Barrientos.

Trainer Mike Maker said the colt would work Saturday or Sunday depending on weather and noted that if it was “heavy rain” the work would be the following day. 

I’LL HAVE ANOTHER – Never at a loss for adjectives when it comes to his horses, trainer Doug O’Neill called the final Kentucky Derby prep workout for I’ll Have Another “fantastic.”

“He worked great, I couldn’t be happier,” the trainer said from his Hollywood Park base Friday morning. The colt, owned by J. Paul Reddam, breezed six furlongs over Hollywood’s Cushion Track synthetic surface in 1:13.40, and galloped out seven furlongs in 1:27.

The colt, with $601,000 in graded stakes earnings, will ship to Louisville on a flight from Los Angeles Saturday.

MARK VALESKI – Brereton Jones’ Mark Valeski galloped 1 ½ miles after the morning renovation break during the period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks hopefuls under trainer Larry Jones.

“We are at the point now where we are checking the weather,” Larry Jones said. “Right now he is scheduled to work Monday, but I wouldn’t have a problem waiting until Tuesday with him.”

Rosie Napravnik has the Derby riding assignment on Mark Valeski.

OPTIMIZER – Bluegrass Hall’s Optimizer galloped after the morning renovation break under exercise rider Joel Cano.

Sitting 21^st on the list of horses under consideration for Derby 138, Optimizer would need one defection from the horses with more graded stakes earnings to make the starting gate.

Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Optimizer is scheduled to work Sunday or Monday depending on weather. Jon Court would have the Derby mount.

PROSPECTIVE – John Oxley’s Tampa Bay Derby (GII) winner Prospective galloped 1 ½ miles at Churchill Downs on Friday under regular exercise rider Juan Bernardini.

According to assistant trainer Norman Casse, Prospective will breeze five furlongs with a workmate Saturday after the renovation break.

ROUSING SERMON – “He’s just doing great,” trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said Friday morning after the son of Lucky Pulpit finished a 1 ½-mile gallop at Hollywood Park. Owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Larry D. Williams, Rousing Sermon is scheduled on a flight from Los Angeles Saturday morning en route to Louisville.

Hollendorfer, who will arrive on Monday, said his Derby prospect will work 5 furlongs over the Churchill oval on Tuesday.

TAKE CHARGE INDY – Chuck and Maribeth Sandford’s Take Charge Indy had a typically easy morning Friday, the day after he worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 at the Palm Meadows Training Center.

Trainer Pat Byrne said the A.P. Indy colt came out of the work very well. The Florida Derby (G1) winner worked in company with Zimmer, a 6-year-old allowance winner.

“The horse looks good. He ate up everything,” Byrne said. “It was a really, really super work. He was hollering for his feed tub at 10:30.

“Everything is positive. It all looks good right now.”

Byrne will fly with the colt from Florida to Louisville on Tuesday morning.

TRINNIBERG – Shivananda Parbhoo’s Trinniberg arrived at Churchill Downs at 9 p.m. Thursday and settled into his surroundings at Barn 41.

Winner of the Bay Shore (GIII) and Swale (GIII) in his lone starts of 2012, Trinniberg walked the shedrow this morning and is expected to go to the track in the morning according to exercise rider Sabastian Garcia.

Willie Martinez has the mount on Trinniberg, who is trained by Bisnath Parboo.

UNION RAGS – Chadds Ford Stable’s Union Rags galloped 1½ miles Friday morning on his first tour of the track at Churchill Downs this year. He is scheduled to breeze Saturday.

The colt, who was shipped to Louisville from Keeneland on Thursday afternoon, finished second in the Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) over the track in November.

Exercise rider Peter Brette was aboard for the gallop during the 8:30 training period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks candidates. Union Rags showed a lot of energy during his time on the track.

“He’s been amazing,” trainer Michael Matz said. “The further he goes, the stronger he gets. He’s amazing that way.”

Rather than go directly to the gap closest to Barn 42, Matz had Brette walk the colt through the barn area and enter the course at a gap near the half-mile pole on the backstretch. They jogged around the clubhouse turn in the wrong direction then turned and did the morning exercise.

“I thought it went fine,” Matz said. “He galloped nice today. He enjoyed it and it looked like he was having fun out there.”

Rain is forecast for Saturday morning and Matz said that he might push back the colt’s final work for the Derby to Sunday or Monday.

“We’ve got to play it by ear,” he said. “I want to make sure we get on a good track.”

WENT THE DAY WELL – Team Valor International and Mark Ford’s Went the Day Well galloped 1 ½ miles under Zeke Castro after the morning renovation break during the training period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks hopefuls.

Dave Rock, assistant to trainer Graham Motion, said Went the Day Well is scheduled to work in company with Crimson China at 8:30 tomorrow morning with John Velazquez scheduled to be aboard as he was for the colt’s previous work last Saturday at Keeneland. 

WORKTAB – Vinery Madison (GI) winner Groupie Doll worked a “bullet” four furlongs in :47 on the fast Churchill Downs track Friday morning for trainer Buff Bradley. The 4-year-old daughter of Bowman’s Band is being pointed to the $300,000-added Humana Distaff on Kentucky Derby Day.

Barbara Hunter’s homebred Snow Top Mountain breezed five furlongs in 1:01.60 for trainer Tom Proctor on Friday. It was the sixth fastest of 36 at the distance. Snow Top Mountain won the Suwannee River (GIII) at Gulfstream Park in Feb.

JEOG Racing LLC’s homebred Scatman, 3^rd in the Rebel (GII) and most recently ninth in the Toyota Blue Grass (GI), breezed five furlongs in 1:01.20 for trainer Mike Lauer. It was the fifth fastest five-furlong move of the morning.

Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 138^th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 5, 2012, and its Spring Meet is scheduled for April 28-July 1. The track has hosted the Breeders’ Cup World Championships a record eight times. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.

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