Since the prep races are now all finished I'd thought I'd highlight some of the recent morning works for a few Derby contenders.
I am certainly no expert when it comes to analyzing morning workouts or training regimens, but I do know that I like to see a horse running sharp works leading up to race day, especially if that horse generally runs well off of a similar work pattern. We all know that Bob Baffert likes to work his horses fast in the mornings, so a slow work from one of his contenders might be something to take note of, especially if we don't see a quick move prior to May 1st. On the other hand, a horse that normally works slow that suddenly shows a great deal of interest in the morning could be a colt coming into the race in razor sharp form.
It's tough to judge a work just from the numbers without seeing how the horse is moving under the rider, but I certainly like the five furlong breeze from Awesome Act over the Belmont training surface. Awesome Act is a colt that could bounce back big after a tough Wood Memorial where he didn't get a whole heck of a lot to run at.
Dean's Kitten appears to be training well heading into the final two weeks before the Derby; his five furlong breeze over the Churchill training track yesterday was the fastest of ten. As I've written before, I really like this colt to grab a share of the deep exotics.
Derby favorites Eskendereya and Lookin At Lucky both put in five furlong breezes in the last several day. I would anticipate that Baffert is going to gear Lucky up for a quick move next time out.
If you'd like to search the recent works for a Derby contenders, or any other horse, DRF.com has a great Workouts Search page on their website.
A summary of recent works can be found below the jump...
Date |
Horse |
Track |
Surf. |
Dist. |
Time |
Type |
Rank |
17-Apr |
Sidney's Candy |
Churchill Downs |
Dirt |
5f |
Breezing |
2/18 |
|
17-Apr |
Dean's Kitten |
Churchill Downs Training |
Dirt |
5f |
:59.80 |
Breezing |
1/10 |
17-Apr |
Endorsement |
Keeneland |
Poly |
5f |
Breezing |
19/33 |
|
17-Apr |
Discreetly Mine |
Palm Meadows |
Dirt |
5f |
1:01.95 |
Handily |
3/13 |
17-Apr |
Eskendereya |
Palm Meadows |
Dirt |
5f |
Breezing |
4/13 |
|
17-Apr |
A Little Warm |
Palm Meadows |
Dirt |
5f |
1:02.10 |
Breezing |
6/13 |
17-Apr |
Mission Impazible |
Palm Meadows |
Dirt |
5f |
1:02.25 |
Breezing |
7/13 |
17-Apr |
Rule |
Palm Meadows |
Dirt |
5f |
1:02.65 |
Breezing |
8/13 |
16-Apr |
Ice Box |
Churchill Downs |
Dirt |
4f |
:48.40 |
Breezing |
6/43 |
15-Apr |
Jackson Bend |
Churchill Downs |
Dirt |
4f |
:47.40 |
Breezing |
3/30 |
15-Apr |
Lookin At Lucky |
Churchill Downs |
Dirt |
5f |
Breezing |
16/31 |
|
15-Apr |
Conveyance |
Churchill Downs |
Dirt |
5f |
1:00.60 |
Breezing |
8/31 |
14-Apr |
American Lion |
Keeneland |
Poly |
4f |
:46.80 |
Breezing |
1/15 |
13-Apr |
Awesome Act |
Belmont Training |
Dirt |
5f |
1:01.53 |
Breezing |
2/6 |