DAILY DERBY UPDATE: Friday, April 28, 2023

Includes Kentucky Oaks horses

Overnight rain in Louisville left a sealed and muddy track for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks horses to navigate Friday morning.   But, no harm; no foul. No works were scheduled and routine gallops were the norm of the day.

Saturday figures to be much different with rain clearing out of the Louisville area and as many as 12 Derby works and two Oaks work scheduled. Temperatures are forecast to be in the low 50s under cloudy skies.

Trainers Todd Pletcher and Brad Cox fill eight of the spots with breezes Churchill Downs says are scheduled during the 7:30-7:45 training window for Derby and Oaks horses.

Pletcher has half-mile works scheduled for Kingsbarns and Major Dude, who will work together, plus Forte and Tapit Trice, who will work in company but not together.

Cox plans to work Angel of Empire with Jace’s Road and Hit Show with Verifying.

Also expected to work are Mage for Gustavo Delgado, Confidence Game for Keith Desormeaux and Cyclone Mischief for Dale Romans. Bill Mott has penciled Rocket Can in for Saturday but could wait until Sunday depending on track condition.

Scheduled to work for the Oaks is Mimi Kakushi for trainer Salem bin Ghadayer and Defining Purpose for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Three Kentucky Derby works took place Friday. Trainer Tim Yakeen worked Practical Move five furlongs in :59.60 and Reincarnate a half-mile in :46.40 at Santa Anita. At Gulfstream Park, Lord Miles worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Tomorrow morning at Santa Anita, Skinner is scheduled to work for trainer John Shirreffs.

At Belmont Park, Promiseher America worked a half-mile in company in :49.60 over the training track for trainer Ray Handal in preparation for the Kentucky Oaks.

At the San Luis Rey Training Center, And Tell Me Nolies worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 for trainer Peter Miller.

ANGEL OF EMPIRE/HIT SHOW/JACE’S ROAD, VERIFYING  – With the sloppy track condition, trainer Brad Cox’s Derby quartet had a lighter training day ahead of their final Derby works Saturday.

Angel of Empire trained at 5:30 a.m. and jogged about two miles. At 7:30 a.m., Hit Show, Jace’s Road and Verifying all had light gallops.

All four horses are scheduled to work Saturday at 7:30 a.m. according to Churchill Downs.

CONFIDENCE GAME  – Confidence Game returned to the track to gallop Friday morning after walking the shedrow on Thursday. Alex Cano, the regular exercise rider and assistant trainer for Keith Desormeaux, guided Confidence Game one mile and a quarter over the sloppy sealed track. 

The barn confirmed that Confidence Game will put in his last breeze ahead of the Derby on Saturday at 7:30 a.m. In his prior workout at Churchill Downs on April 14, the son of Candy Raid by the Bernardini dam Eblouissante traveled a mile from the gate in 1:38.20 with company.

“He had someone come with him from the gate and then on the backside another horse picked him up,” assistant trainer Julie Clark said. “We liked how he looked today ahead of his next work.”

CONTINUAR  – Continuar (JPN) spent an hour in the mile chute under Kazunari Yoshida before returning to the Quarantine Barn. The Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitee is trained by Yoshito Yahagi, who is scheduled to arrive in Louisville Monday.

Continuar, who will be ridden in Derby 149 by Ryusei Sakai, is expected to work Tuesday.

DERMA SOTOGAKE  – Derma Sotogake (JPN) spent an hour in the mile chute under Masatoshi Segawa before turning to the Quarantine Barn. Winner of the UAE Derby in his most recent start for trainer Hidetaka Otonashi, Derma Sotogake will be ridden in the Derby by Christophe Lemaire.

He is expected to work Tuesday.

DISARM – Disarm had routine training session Friday in which he was accompanied to the track by assistant trainer Scott Blasi on his pony and galloped 1 ½ miles with rider Roberto Howell in the irons.

The son of Gun Runner is scheduled to work Monday.

FORTE/KINGSBARNS/MAJOR DUDE/TAPIT TRICE –  Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Kentucky Derby trio of Forte, Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns all galloped “a mile and a quarterish” over a sealed track at 7:30.

The Hall of Famer and two-time Kentucky Derby-winning conditioner plans to give his charges half-mile breezes in the morning with Forte and Tapit Trice scheduled to work in company but not together. Kingsbarns will work with Spendthrift’s Major Dude, who is on the Derby also-eligible list.

LORD MILES – Lord Miles worked five furlongs in 1:02.40 Friday morning over the fast main track at Gulfstream.

“He worked well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said via text. “All being well, we will leave tomorrow.”

Winner of the Wood Memorial (GII) in his most recent start, Lord Miles will be ridden in Derby 149 by Paco Lopez and represent the third Derby mount for Lopez.

MAGE –  The Good Magic colt is expected to have a final breeze on Saturday morning. “That’s the plan, yes,” said Gustavo Delgado Jr., assistant trainer to his father, Gustavo Delgado. “It would have to be really bad (track conditions) for him not to go out tomorrow.”

The Delgados watched the Florida Derby (GI) runner-up gallop again on Friday morning during the session reserved for Derby and Oaks horses. Regular exercise rider J.J. Delgado was aboard him for a trip to the paddock for schooling, and then a routine gallop. J.J. Delgado is expected to ride him in the planned breeze.

PRACTICAL MOVE/REINCARNATE –  Trainer Tim Yakteen worked both of his Kentucky Derby hopefuls at Santa Anita.

Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner Practical Move breezed five furlongs in :59.60. Later in the morning, Reincarnate breezed a half-mile in :46.40.

The two colts are scheduled to fly to Louisville Saturday.

ROCKET CAN – Trainer Bill Mott is going to call an audible as to when the colt prepares for the Derby with a final breeze on Saturday or Sunday. On Friday, the Into Mischief colt was out for a gallop with regular exercise rider Guelser Cardona aboard. A final breeze ahead of the Derby is still planned for this weekend, but track conditions will determine the day.

“I’m waiting to see how the track is,” said Mott. “I’d rather wait another day, if we can give him a better track.”

SUN THUNDER –  The runner-up in the Risen Star (GII) at the Fair Grounds was out for a gallop on the sealed track with exercise rider Martin Vargas. He breezed a half-mile in :48.60 with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. on Wednesday.

The Into Mischief colt, a $400,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2020, will have maintenance work looking ahead to the Derby in eight days, said Greg Geier, assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek. He said the fourth-place finisher in the Blue Grass Stakes (GI) at Keeneland is training well.

TWO PHIL’S –  After putting in his final drill before the Derby on Thursday, Two Phil’s had a walk day on Friday at Hawthorne Race Course.mTrained by Larry Rivelli, the son of Hard Spun by the General Quarters dam Mia Torri fired a :59 five-furlong bullet at Hawthorne, where he has been stabled since his win in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (GIII). He will be piloted by Jareth Loveberry in the Derby, who traveled from Kentucky to Hawthorne especially for Thursday’s work. 

“The track was fast and tight,” Loveberry said. “He was relaxed the whole work. We took him out with the pony and he stood there nice and calm watching horses for three or four minutes. He broke off from the pony nice and smooth and he worked the last 3/16ths really well.”

Loveberry has ridden Two Phil’s in every race but his first, piloted him in every win, and has been aboard for many of the workouts.

“This work was his best, especially breaking from the pony,” Loveberry said. “I usually have to grab him and set him right behind a horse so he gets dirt and relaxes. He was relaxed the whole work yesterday.”

ALSO-ELIGIBLES  – Cyclone Mischief (No. 21 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard) galloped 1 ½ miles this morning under Faustino Herrarte and is scheduled to work Saturday morning for trainer Dale Romans with Tammy Fox aboard.

Major Dude (No. 22) galloped about 1 1/4 miles under Joel Osorio for trainer Todd Pletcher. Major Dude is scheduled to work Saturday morning in company with Kingsbarns.

Mandarin Hero (No. 23) arrived at Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon after 4 o’clock and settled into the Quarantine Barn. Runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) in his U.S. debut, Mandarin Hero walked the shedrow at the Quarantine Barn and is scheduled to go to the track Saturday morning. Mandarin Hero is trained by Terunobu Fujita.

SHAPING UP: THE KENTUCKY DERBY – Here are the horses (with jockeys and trainers) that are qualified for the Kentucky Derby and those on the also-eligible list (in alphabetical order with AEs listed last in preference order):

Angel of Empire (jockey Flavien Prat, trainer Brad Cox); Confidence Game (James Graham, Keith Desormeaux); Continuar (JPN) (Ryusei Sakai, Yoshito Yahagi); Derma Sotogake (JPN) (Christophe Lemaire, Hidetaka Otonashi); Disarm (Joel Rosario, Steve Asmussen); Forte (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher); Hit Show (Manny Franco, Brad Cox); Jace’s Road (Florent Geroux, Brad Cox); Kingsbarns (TBA, Todd Pletcher); Lord Miles (Paco Lopez, Saffie Joseph Jr.); Mage (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado); Practical Move (Ramon Vazquez, Tim Yakteen); Raise Cain (TBA, Ben Colebrook); Reincarnate (John Velazquez, Tim Yakteen); Rocket Can (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott); Skinner (Juan Hernandez, John Shirreffs); Sun Thunder (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Tapit Trice (Luis Saez, Todd Pletcher); Two Phil’s (Jareth Loveberry, Larry Rivelli); and Verifying (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox)

Also-Eligible: Cyclone Mischief (TBA, Dale Romans); Major Dude (TBA, Todd Pletcher); and Mandarin Hero (JPN) (TBA, Terunobu Fujita).

LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS UPDATE (unedited)

BOTANICAL, THE ALYS LOOK, WET PAINT  – Trainer Brad Cox’s trio of Longines Kentucky Oaks runners Botanical, The Alys Look and Wet Paint all walked the Barn 22 shedrow following their Thursday morning works. All three fillies are scheduled to return to the track Saturday.

DEFINING PURPOSE –  The Ashland Stakes (GI) winner was out on the sealed track, with regular exercise rider Shelby Spalding aboard, for her usual mile-and-a-quarter gallop.

Plans still call for the Magdalena Racing, Collette Marie Vanmatre and James Ball filly to breeze on Saturday, said Greg Geier, assistant to trainer Kenny McPeek.

DORTH VADER – John Ropes’ Dorth Vader arrived at Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon from South Florida for trainer Michael Yates. Dorth Vader is expected to train Saturday morning, according to Yates.

FLYING CONNECTION  – Brad King, Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis’ Flying Connection walked the shedrow a day after working five furlongs in company in 1:00.60.

Trained by Todd Fincher, Flying Connection is scheduled to return to the track Saturday morning.

GAMBLING GIRL  – Repole Stable’s Gambling Girl walked the shedrow at trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn a day after working a half-mile in company in :50.

Gambling Girl is scheduled to return to the track Saturday morning.

MIMI KAKUSHI – Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al  Maktoum’s Mimi Kakushi jogged a mile with the pony and then galloped a mile under Xavier Ziani over the sloppy track.

“She has been on a wet track before, but not like this,” trainer Salem bin Ghadayer said. “She did very well on it this morning.”

The winner of the UAE Oaks (GIII) in her most recent start, Mimi Kakushi is scheduled to work a half-mile in the morning with Ziani to be aboard. Mickael Barzalona has the mount in the Kentucky Oaks.

PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS –  Trainer Brendan Walsh sent his impressive filly Pretty Mischievous back to the track to jog once around the sloppy sealed track under exercise rider Albino Martinez a day after breezing four furlongs in :47.80. The daughter of Into Mischief and the Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer won an allowance race at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old over a sloppy sealed track. One of two Godolphin homebred fillies in the Oaks along with Wet Paint, Pretty Mischievous won two of her three Oaks prep races, all at Fair Grounds. She finished second to Southlawn in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) last out. 

“In the (Fair Grounds Oaks), she just got a little bit lax once she cleared everybody (in the homestretch),” Walsh said. “She ran well, but the race set up for somebody to come from off the pace. We were there to be shot at.”

PROMISEHERAMERICA – Hoffman Thoroughbreds  and Tom McCrocklin’s Gazelle (GIII) winner Promiseher America worked a half-mile in 49.60 in company over the Belmont Park training track for trainer Ray Handal.

“It was exactly what I wanted,” Handal said. “I was looking for :49, 1:01 and 4 and a 1:15 or 16 gallop out and she did it perfectly. She did it all in hand just floating over the ground. All systems are go.”

She is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Sunday.

SOUTHLAWN  – Robert Masterson’s Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Southlawn walked trainer Norman Casse’s Barn 5A shed row following her easy half-mile move in :48.80 Thursday.

WONDER WHEEL –  A day after traveling four furlongs in the second-fastest time, D.J. Stable’s Wonder Wheel headed back to the track to jog two times around the outside rail under exercise rider Kim Carroll. Coming into the Oaks dappled out with a healthy coat and sharp morning works, the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI) winner will look to return to her 2-year-old form after finishing sixth in April’s Ashland Stakes (GI) and second in February's Suncoast Stakes for trainer Mark Casse.

“She came out of yesterday’s work really well,” assistant trainer David Carroll said. “She’s a champion and is so talented. Unfortunately we didn't see the best of her in her last race. There was no real reason why she ran the way she did. She cooled out in five minutes and bounced back to the barn. She cleaned up her feed. She scoped clean. She was two for two (at Keeneland) so you can’t blame the track. After the race Tyler (Gaffalione) thought she just had a bad day.”

The dark bay daughter of Into Mischief by Wonder Gal is also two-for-two at Churchill Downs, breaking her maiden from off the pace and winning the Debutante Stakes wire-to-wire. Joel Rosario, who was aboard for Thursday’s workout, will be aboard Wonder Wheel in the Oaks, his first mount on the four-time winner.

“He’s as good as they come—a terrific rider,” Carroll said. “We’re of the opinion that maybe the way that she ran in the Breeders’ Cup was probably best race that she has run, even though (rallying from far back to win) wasn’t by design. I think if she were to relax and settle near the back, there’s no better pilot than Joel to get her switched off early and flying home late.” 

ALSO-ELIGIBLE – Richard Bahde’s Taxed (No. 15 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard) galloped 1 ½ miles under Saturino Vergara for trainer Randy Morse. Taxed, runner-up in the Fantasy (GIII) in her most recent start, worked a half-mile on Wednesday in :47.60 under jockey Rafael Bejarano.

Stonestreet Stables’ Julia Shining (No. 16) walked the shedrow at trainer Todd Pletcher’s barn a day after working a half-mile in company in :49.60. Julia Shining is scheduled to return to the track Saturday morning.

Gold Standard Racing Stable’s Hoosier Philly (No. 17) walked the shedrow a day after working a half-mile in :48.40.

SHAPING UP: THE KENTUCKY OAKS – Here are the horses (with trainers) that are qualified for the Longines Kentucky Oaks and those on the also-eligible list (in alphabetical order with AEs listed last in preference order):

Affirmative Lady (John Velazquez, Graham Motion); And Tell Me Nolies (Ramon Vazquez, Peter Miller); Botanical (Chris Landeros, Brad Cox); Defining Purpose (Brian Hernandez Jr., Kenny McPeek); Dorth Vader (TBA, Mike Yates); Flying Connection (Florent Geroux, Todd Fincher); Gambling Girl (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher); Mimi Kakushi (Mickael Barzelona, Salem bin Ghadayer); Pretty Mischievous (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh); Promiseher America (TBA, Ray Handal); Southlawn (Rey Gutierrez, Norm Casse); The Alys Look (Luis Saez, Brad Cox); Wet Paint (Flavien Prat, Brad Cox); Wonder Wheel (Joel Rosario, Mark Casse).

Also-Eligible: Taxed (Rafael Bejarano, Randy Morse); Julia Shining (TBA, Todd Pletcher); Hoosier Philly (Edgar Morales, Tom Amoss).