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U S S Tinosa Works At Bay Meadows; Kinane Loses Appeal
April 26, 2002
By John Asher and Gary Yunt
Kentucky Derby Headlines
BLUE BURNER - Florida Derby (GI) runner-up Blue Burner, owned by the
Kinsman Stable of New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, got a feel
for the Churchill Downs track as he galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise
rider Judy Nicks.
The son of French Deputy is trained by Hall of Fame conditioner
Bill Mott, who is the all-time leading trainer at Churchill Downs. Mott
has 499 career wins and a record 61 stakes victories under the track's
historic Twin Spires - but he has yet to win the Kentucky Derby. He is
hoping that Blue Burner, who finished fifth in the Wood Memorial (GI)
last time out, can change that.
"He's a horse that still has a little bit of improvement in
him," Mott said. "We haven't seen the best of him at this point. So
we're being optimistic that maybe it will come out on Derby Day."
Mott said it appears to him, as it does to many others, that
this year's Derby is a wide-open race.
"Truth of matter is, I guess, that in many years it's a
wide-open race," he said. "It's obviously a different situation than
any of these horses are ever going to see in their entire life. You're
going to have a 20-horse field, there's going to be a lot of traffic out
there, and it's at a distance that many of these horses will never try
again."
When asked about working for Steinbrenner, Mott said Blue
Burner's owner and breeder has a passion for Thoroughbred racing.
"He loves horse racing," said Mott. "He loves all sports, but I
think he's got a real attraction to horse racing. Horses get him
excited. You see a lot of big people who have excitement in their
lives, but people really love their horses. He's got a breeding
operation where he raises and breeds his own and obviously he bred this
horse, so he's very excited about it.
"He's a guy that wants to win," said Mott. "Of course, so do I.
We have something in common."
Blue Burner has a record of 3-1-1 in six races.
CAME HOME - Five-time graded stakes winner Came Home was on the track
shortly after it opened for training at 5:45 a.m. Friday to gallop 1 3/8
miles under exercise rider Sal Gonzalez, Sr.
"It was his first day back galloping and I didn't want him to do
too much, so he went out early with less traffic out there," trainer
Paco Gonzalez said. "He may go out a little later tomorrow."
Came Home had worked Tuesday and then returned to the track to
jog Thursday. The Gone West colt is scheduled to have his final work for
the 128th Kentucky Derby on Monday.
Two-time Derby winner Chris McCarron has the mount.
EASY GRADES - Santa Anita Derby runner-up Easy Grades galloped two miles
after the renovation break and schooled in the starting gate with
exercise rider Cindy Lerille up.
Trainer Ted H. West has moved Easy Grades' final work up a day
to Sunday.
"He didn't work too fast the other day, so I am going to bump it
up a day to Sunday," West said. "He'll go either three-quarters or
seven-eighths."
Easy Grades had worked seven furlongs in 1:29.40 with Derby
rider Jorge Chavez up on Monday. Chavez is expected to be aboard for
Sunday's work.
ESSENCE OF DUBAI - Godolphin Racing's Essence Of Dubai walked the
shedrow a day after working seven furlongs in 1:28.40.
Exercise rider Lee Roebuck, deputizing for assistant trainer Tom
Albertrani who was in New York, said the Pulpit colt came out of the
work in good order and would return to the track Saturday.
David Flores has the call on Essence Of Dubai, who is scheduled
to have his final work Tuesday.
HARLAN'S HOLIDAY - Starlight Stable's Harlan's Holiday was on the track
at 6 a.m. to jog once around and "then hacked around once the wrong
way," according to trainer Ken McPeek. "He had a very light day."
Friday marked Harlan's Holiday's first day back at the track
after working five furlongs in :59.40 on Wednesday. The likely
morning-line Derby favorite is scheduled for a half-mile work Tuesday
with Derby rider Edgar Prado up.
IT'SALLINTHECHASE - Darwin Olson's It'sallinthechase visited the paddock
for the second day in a row and then galloped a mile and a half under
exercise rider Joe Higgins before the break.
The Wilson Brown-trainee is scheduled to work five furlongs
Sunday morning after the break with Derby rider Eddie Martin Jr. up.
With 14 career starts and five in 2002, It'sallinthechase has
the most starts of any Kentucky Derby hopeful not only for his career
but as a 3-year-old.
"After the MEC Mile at Remington (Nov. 24), I was going to give
him some time at my farm, which is seven miles from Remington Park,"
said Brown, who has never saddled a horse at Churchill Downs. "But after
a week there, he was rarin' to go. I saw they had some stakes at the
Fair Grounds and Joe (Higgins) and Rusty (groom Rusty Higgins) were
there, so I decided to send him down there.''
Brown said that It'sallinthechase may have one schooling session
at the gate next week.
JOHANNESBURG/CASTLE GANDOLFO - Jockey Michael Kinane, the regular rider
for Johannesburg, who was suspended seven days for careless riding in
England, lost his appeal Friday afternoon. The decision will force
trainer Aidan O'Brien to find a replacement to ride the 2-year-old
champion.
Jockey Jerry Bailey is still slated to ride the other O'Brien
trained colt, Castle Gandolfo.
Lusty Latin - Joey and Wendy Platts' Lusty Latin galloped a mile and a
half after the renovation break with exercise rider Amy Mullins up.
The third-place finisher in the Santa Anita Derby is scheduled
to work a half-mile Monday. Trainer Jeff Mullins is due back in
Louisville from his Hollywood Park base Sunday night.
Glenn Corbett has the Derby mount.
MEDAGLIA D'ORO - Edmund Gann's winner of the San Felipe (GII) and
runner-up in the Wood Memorial (GI) galloped
1 3/8-miles under exercise rider Jose Cuevas.
Ocean Sound - With exercise rider Adam Kitchingman up, Ocean Sound
visited the paddock and then galloped a little more than a mile and a
half before the renovation break.
Trainer Jim Cassidy is scheduled back in Louisville Sunday with
a final breeze of three-eighths or a half-mile scheduled for midweek.
Alex Solis has the call in the Derby.
PERFECT DRIFT - Stonecrest Farm's Spiral Stakes winner Perfect Drift
returned to the track at the Trackside Training Center to gallop a mile
and a half under exercise rider Joe Deegan.
"He had another nice, easy day. He seems happy and relaxed,"
trainer Murray Johnson said.
Perfect Drift is scheduled to have his final work Tuesday and
his one Churchill Down paddock schooling session is on for Saturday.
"I think we will come over between 10 and 11 and try to school
around the fourth or fifth race," said Johnson, whose previous Derby
starter, Green Alligator, finished fourth in 1991.
Eddie Delahoussaye has the call Derby Day.
PRIVATE EMBLEM/WINDWARD PASSAGE - Arkansas Derby 1-3 finishers Private
Emblem and Windward Passage galloped a mile and a half before the
renovation break. Exercise rider Lisa Orn was on Private Emblem and
assistant trainer Scott Blasi was on Windward Passage.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said the duo is scheduled to work Monday.
Donnie Meche will ride Private Emblem for the Derby. No rider
has been named for Windward Passage.
Proud Citizen - The D. Wayne Lukas-trained winner of the Coolmore
Lexington (GII) galloped under exercise rider Dimitri Dimitropoulos.
REQUEST FOR PAROLE - Trainer Steve Margolis reported that Jeri and Sam
Knighton's Request For Parole came out of his six-furlong work of
Thursday in good order and would return to the track to either jog or
gallop Saturday morning.
"He ate up and his legs are good this morning," Margolis said.
"He'll go back to the track tomorrow and then gallop up to the race. I
may two-minute lick him next week one day."
Robby Albarado has the Derby mount.
SAARLAND - Cynthia Phipps' regally bred Saarland galloped a mile before
the renovation break under exercise rider Adolph Krajewski.
Saarland had arrived from New York at noon Thursday and today's
activity marked his first visit to the Churchill Downs track.
Assistant trainer Robert Medina said trainer Shug McGaughey was
scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Sunday and that Saarland would
likely work Monday or Tuesday.
John Velazquez has the call Derby Day.
STRAIGHT GIN/CRIMSON HERO - The list of prospective Kentucky Derby
starters was reduced by one when trainer Nick Zito said that Tracy
Farmer's Crimson Hero would be pointed toward the May 18 Preakness (GI),
the second jewel of the Visa Triple Crown.
Crimson Hero finished second in last week's Coolmore Lexington
(GII) at Keeneland.
Zito still hopes to run Marylou Whitney's Straight Gin in the
Kentucky Derby if the fourth-place finisher in the Toyota Blue Grass
Stakes can get in. The son of Zito's 1994 Kentucky Derby winner Go For
Gin got away to a poor start in that race after a very flat fifth-place
finish in the Lane's End Spiral (GII) at Turfway Park.
"I don't know what went on up there at Turfway," said Zito.
"Here was a horse that was just progressing and the horses he beat were
so good, I don't know what happened."
Both horses galloped 1 3/8 miles Friday under exercise rider
Jamie Sanders.
SUNDAY BREAK - Koji Maeda's Japanese-bred son of Forty Niner galloped 1
¼ miles under exercise rider Marcelino Olguin.
U S S TINOSA - Fifth-place Santa Anita Derby (GI) finisher U S S Tinosa
worked six furlongs in 1:14.60 and galloped out seven-eighths of a mile
in 1:27 under jockey Russell Baze at Bay Meadows.
The Jerry Hollendorfer trainee is scheduled to ship to
Louisville on Saturday and if he is able to get into the Derby field,
Kent Desormeaux will be aboard. The work was his third at Bay Meadows
since the Santa Anita Derby.
WAR EMBLEM - The Thoroughbred Corporation's War Emblem stood in the
starting gate and then jogged a mile under exercise rider Mick Jenner
after the renovation break.
"He's been to the gate twice now, so we are getting all the
preliminaries out of the way," trainer Bob Baffert said. "He's ready to
go."
War Emblem has worked twice here since winning the April 6
Illinois Derby, and is scheduled for his final work on Tuesday.
Victor Espinoza has the call for the Derby.
WILD HORSES - Peachtree Stable's Wild Horses galloped a mile and a half
before the renovation break under exercise rider Cindy Hutter.
Trainer Todd Pletcher, who has had two of his starters hit the
board in the past two Derbys, was on hand Friday morning after arriving
from his Belmont Park base the day before.
Pletcher said Wild Horses would probably work five furlongs on
Sunday, with Hutter handling the breeze.
No rider has been confirmed yet for Wild Horses.
In Oaks News....
BELLA BELLUCCI - Michael Tabor's daughter of French Deputy galloped 1 ¼
miles under exercise rider Marcelino Olguin.
BELTERRA/TAKE THE CAKE - Trainer Carl Nafzger's pair of Kentucky Oaks
contenders returned to the track on Friday after they had walked under
the shedrow on Thursday.
Robert Manfuso's Belterra, winner of the Golden Rod (GII)
galloped 1 ¼-miles under exercise rider Tracey Wilkes.
Elizabeth Valando's Take The Cake galloped 1 ¼-miles under
exercise rider Janet Ferguson.
HABIBTI - The Thoroughbred Corporation's Habibti jogged Friday morning
with exercise rider Mick Jenner up.
Victor Espinoza will ride in the Oaks.
IMPERIAL GESTURE/TEMPERA - Godolphin Racing's two Kentucky Oaks hopefuls
limited their Friday morning activity to walking the shedrow.
Frankie Dettori has the call on Imperial Gesture and David
Flores on Tempera for the 128th Oaks.
MS BROOKSKI/CHAMROUSSE - Arthur Hancock III and James Stone's Chamrousse
breezed four furlongs over a "fast" track in :48.20 under exercise rider
Samantha Whitehall.
Trainer Niall O'Callaghan was happy with the move by the
homebred daughter of Peaks and Valleys, but remains undecided about her
prospects for the Kentucky Oaks.
"She went very well," said O'Callaghan. "She has always been a
filly that we thought very highly of. I'm still probably leaning toward
running her in the Black-Eyed Susan (at Pimlico on May 17) instead of
the Oaks, but she's doing very well."
Gary Tanaka's Davona Dale (GII) winner Ms Brookski jogged a mile
under assistant trainer Jennifer Brown. The daughter of Montbrook had
worked on Wednesday and walked under the shedrow on Thursday.
TAKE CHARGE LADY - Select Stable's probable Kentucky Oaks favorite Take
Charge Lady put in her final work for the May 3 race by working five
furlongs in :59.60 under regular rider Tony D'Amico after the renovation
break.
"I got her in :35 2/5 for the three-eighths and a minute and a
fifth," said trainer Kenny McPeek, who watched the work from the
backside clockers' stand. "I wanted a nice, stiff breeze out of her. She
has only worked twice between races. She seems to respond well to that.
"This is her last breeze. She works a week out. I think she goes
into the race fresher, with a lot more energy. She needed a nice, sharp
breeze, because it will have been a month between races (from the April
6 Ashland)."
McPeek, who also trains possible Kentucky Derby morning-line
favorite Harlan's Holiday, was asked which race he had the most
confidence in.
"Probably her race," McPeek said. "It's tough. I think there are
some nice fillies in there, but if you look at their past performances,
she may tower above them numbers-wise, whereas he has got some horses
that have run faster Beyer numbers as opposed to the ones he has run.
"If she runs between a 106 and 109, she is going to be very
tough to beat."
YOU - Edmund Gann's You, winner of the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) and Las
Virgenes (GI), walked under the shedrow for the second consecutive day
following a six-furlong work on Wednesday. She is scheduled to return
to the track on Saturday.
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