DAILY DERBY UPDATE: Monday, April 24, 2023

Includes Kentucky Oaks update

ANGEL OF EMPIRE/HIT SHOW/JACE’S ROAD, VERIFYING – It was a routine morning at trainer Brad Cox’s Barn 22 with all four of his Kentucky Derby contenders having routine gallops.

Angel of Empire was the first of Cox’s quartet of Kentucky Derby contenders to train at 5:30 a.m. Hit Show, Jace’s Road and Verifying all trained at 7:30 a.m. Cox routinely oversees his Keeneland operation Mondays and is expected to be back at Churchill Downs Tuesday. Cox can't necessarily train all four of his Derby and Oaks contenders at the same time because groom Darwin Aguilar is in charge of Angel of Empire, Hit Show and Longines Kentucky Oaks runner Wet Paint.

CONFIDENCE GAME – Confidence Game galloped a mile and a quarter under exercise rider Alex Cano before 7 o’clock. Winner of the Rebel in his most recent start and a two-time winner at Churchill Downs, Confidence Game worked a mile here out of the gate in 1:38.20 on April 14 and is scheduled for his final pre-Derby work in several days.

Trained by Keith Desormeaux, Confidence Game will be ridden in the Derby by James Graham.

CONTINUAR – Continuar (JPN) warmed up in the mile chute during the first morning harrow break and then galloped 1 ½ miles under Kazunari Yoshida before completing his morning activity with a paddock schooling session. Third in the UAE Derby (GII) in his most recent start, Continuar is trained by Yoshito Yahagi and will be ridden in the Derby by Ryusei Sakai. Yahagi is scheduled to arrive in Louisville next Monday.

DERMA SOTOGAKE – Hiroyuki Asanuma’s Derma Sotogake (JPN), runaway winner of the UAE Derby in his most recent start, warmed up in the mile chute during the first harrow break of the morning and then galloped 2 miles under Masatoshi Segawa before cooling down in the mile chute and returning to the Quarantine Barn.

Trainer Hidetaka Otonashi is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on May 2. It would be his first Derby starter. Christophe Lemaire, who was aboard for the UAE Derby victory, has the mount in the Run for the Roses.

DISARM - Two Mondays before the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Disarm breezed five furlongs in 1:00 with Joel Rosario aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen at Churchill Downs. He was the sole Derby worker at the track. It was Disarm’s first work since finishing third in the Stonestreet Lexington Stakes on April 15, the final points race for the Derby. He go six points, boosting his total to 46 and getting him into the Derby field.

“I thought he worked really well this morning coming out of the Lexington,” Rosario said. “He was well within himself the entire work. He looks a lot like his sire (Gun Runner). He’s built bigger than he is but looking at him they have a lot of the same traits.”

Trainer Steve Asmussen was on the scene and watched the work from the grandstand.

“He’s a very durable horse and I think the best is yet to come from him,” Asmussen said. “He’s a horse we missed a little time with over the winter and we’re behind schedule. The one opportunity for a points race was the Louisiana Derby. He ran solid but needed more points to get in it. He’s a horse we definitely didn’t want to miss this opportunity with. We were looking for a little sense of direction in his work this morning. I think he’s not given us everything to this point and there’s more in the tank. I like how he accelerated to the wire and got over the racetrack nicely.”

Asmussen and and Disarm's owner, Ron Winchell, finished second in last year’s Kentucky Derby with Epicenter.

FORTE/KINGSBARNS/MAJOR DUDE/TAPIT TRICE – Trainer Todd Pletcher’s quartet of Derby hopefuls all galloped 1 3/8 miles during the special Derby/Oaks training window this morning from 7:30-7:45.

Forte, who will be ridden in the Derby by Irad Ortiz Jr., was partnered by Hector Ramos. Tapit Trice, who will be ridden in the Derby by Luis Saez, was partnered by Amelia Green. Elder Flores was aboard Kingsbarns, whose Derby rider remains to be determined. Major Dude, in need of three defections by entry time next Monday to get in the starting gate, was ridden this morning by Joel Osorio.

MAGE – Mage arrived at Churchill Downs Monday morning after an overnight van ride from Gulfstream Park. Trained by Gustavo Delgado, Made worked six furlongs at Gulfstream on Saturday in 1:14.78.

ROCKET CAN – Rocket Can came out of his Sunday morning workout in good order, trainer Bill Mott said Monday. The colt went 5 furlongs in 1:01 with regular exercise rider Guelser Cardona aboard.

“He looked great,” Mott said. “He just walked the shedrow this morning. He’ll be back on the track on Tuesday, and probably won’t work until next week.”

SUN THUNDER – Trainer Kenny McPeek sent Sun Thunder, the fourth-place finisher in the Blue Grass Stakes, to the Churchill Downs track on Monday with exercise rider Martin Vargas.

“He galloped a mile-and-a-quarter, pretty routine, basic stuff,” McPeek said. “He’ll work on Wednesday.”

WILD ON ICE – Frank Sumpter’s Wild On Ice jogged in the mile chute for about 10 minutes before galloping two miles under exercise rider Oscar Rojero. Wild On Ice worked five furlongs in 1:00 at the track on April 17, and trainer Joel Marr has the Texas-bred’s final Derby work scheduled for Thursday with jockey Ken Tohill slated to be aboard.

LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS UPDATE (unedited)

BOTANICAL, THE ALYS LOOK, WET PAINT – Trainer Brad Cox’s trio of Longines Kentucky Oaks contenders Botanical, The Alys Look and Wet Paint all continued their regular training patterns for the first Friday in MaDawn and Ike Thrash’s The Alys Look and Godolphin’s Wet Paint galloped about 1 ½ miles at 7:30 a.m. while LNJ Foxwoods and Clearsky Farms’ Botanical galloped the same distance around 8:30 a.m.

 DEFINING PURPOSE – Defining Purpose came out of an easy half-mile work with regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr. on Sunday in fine shape, trainer Kenny McPeek said Monday. She was clocked in :48.40 in her first workout since she won the Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland on April 7, which helped put her at third in the Kentucky Oaks points standings.

“She’s real easy to handle,” McPeek said of the filly, who races in the silks of Magdalena Racing, Collette Marie Vanmatre and James Ball. “She’ll be out for a gallop tomorrow, pretty routine stuff.”

The Cross Traffic filly, out of the Strong Hope mare Defining Hope, won two of her four starts as a 2-year-old, including a maiden special weight race at Churchill Downs in November. Already she has bankrolled $543,688 from her seven career starts.

DORTH VADER – John Ropes homebred Dorth Vader, the winner of the Davona Dale Stakes (GII), is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Thursday, according to trainer Michael Yates.

Dorth Vader will fly from South Florida to Indianapolis then van to Churchill Downs.

FLYING CONNECTION – Brad King, Randy Andrews, G. Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis’ Flying Connection visited the starting gate and then galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Oscar Rojero.

Trainer Todd Fincher said Florent Geroux would have the Oaks mount on Flying Connection, who is scheduled to work Thursday. Winner of the Sunland Park Oaks (Listed) in her most recent start, Flying Connection worked five furlongs in 1:01 here last Monday.

GAMBLING GIRL/JULIA SHINING – Repole Stable’s Gambling Girl galloped 1 3/8 miles Monday morning under Carlos Quededo for trainer Todd Pletcher.

Pletcher said that Irad Ortiz Jr. would have the mount in the Oaks.

Stonestreet Stables’ Julia Shining, who is No. 16 on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks and would need two defections come entry time next Monday to secure a spot in the starting gate, galloped 1 3/8 miles under Humberto Zamora.

MIMI KAKUSHI – Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Mimi Kakushi, who arrived at Churchill Downs on Saturday, had her first day on track Monday as she trotted a mile and jogged a mile under Xavier Ziani.

Mimi Kakushi walked under tack in Quarentine Barn 2 Sunday.

Trainer Salem bin Ghadayer said the winner of the UAE Oaks (GIII) would work Saturday and that Mickael Barzalona would have the mount in the Kentucky Oaks.

PRETTY MISCHIEVOUS – Godolphin’s Pretty Mischievous, trained by Brendan Walsh, was out very early Monday morning, for a gallop with exercise rider Albino Martinez. While Walsh was out of town, assistant Charlie Lynch supervised her trip to the track.

“She’ll likely have a workout later in the week, when Brendan gets back,” Lynch said. “She’s doing well. He’ll decide when she goes, but it’ll probably be Friday or Saturday. A lot depends on the weather.”

The daughter of Into Mischief, out of the Tapit mare Pretty City Dancer, won the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (GII) at the Fair Grounds on Feb. 18, then finished second to Southlawn in the Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) on March 25, both with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard. Jockey Tyler Gaffalione has the mount in the Oaks.

SOUTHLAWN – Fair Grounds Oaks (GII) winner Southlawn galloped about 1 ½ miles at 7:30 a.m. for trainer Norm Casse. Casse’s exercise rider Joel Garcia was in the saddle for Southlawn’s Monday training session. Southlawn is scheduled to work Thursday, according to Casse.

WONDER WHEEL – D.J. Stable LLC’s Wonder Wheel, the 2-year-old champion filly of 2023, is off the bubble and now a Kentucky Oaks contender, after trainer Chad Brown decided to give Shidabhuti additional time off, and pulled her from consideration Sunday.

 “She’ll go out to the track Tuesday morning, with our second set, which will be around 5:45,” said David Carroll, assistant to trainer Mark Casse. “While we were hoping to get in, we were glad that it wasn’t because of an injury to the other horse. Chad just decided to give his filly more time, so you feel better about getting this opportunity to run.

 “We’re excited. She’s doing really well. She’ll have one more breeze, quite possibly this Thursday. She breezed last Thursday,” Carroll said. “We’re looking at the weather, but it looks like it’s unsettled weather this week. Around here, you never know.”

 Her regular exercise rider, Kim Carroll, is expected to be aboard Wonder Wheel on Tuesday.

The daughter of Into Mischief, out of the Tiz Wonderful mare Wonder Gal, broke her maiden at Churchill Downs last June, then won the Debutante Stakes on the Fourth of July. After finishing her 2-year-old season as the champion of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (GI), she finished second in the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs in February, but then was sixth in the Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland.

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); and Wet Paint (Flavien Prat, Brad Cox); Wonder Wheel (Mark Casse).

Also-Eligible: Taxed (Randy Morse); Julia Shining (Todd Pletcher); Hoosier Philly (Tom Amoss).

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