Kentucky Derby Update Wednesday, April 28, 2021
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Kentucky Derby Update Wednesday, April 28, 2021 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TWO TUESDAY DERBY ARRIVALS GET Cox is counting down the hours until he saddles his first FIRST MORNING OF TRAINING AT horses in the Kentucky Derby. “I’m not too nervous yet, just getting excited,” Cox said. CHURCHILL DOWNS “This week is a lot of fun and I’m really excited to be a part of it in this role.” LOUISVILLE, KY (Wednesday, April 28, 2021) – Two of For Cox, the Derby was a dream growing up in South the three final Kentucky Derby entrants to arrive at Churchill Louisville. Now, it’s turned into a reality which he gets to Downs on Tuesday got their first feel for the main track celebrate with his family. His sons, Blake and Bryson, hold a beneath the Twin Spires on a humid, overcast Wednesday pivotal role around the barn assisting in training. Cox’s morning. youngest son, Brodie, will be at Churchill Downs for the Oaks Trainer Vicki Oliver had Hidden Stash out for a 1 ½- and Derby. mile gallop at 7:30 with Like the King galloping a bit more “It’s really special running in these big races and sharing than a mile with exercise rider Jose Hernandez aboard for these moments with my sons,” Cox said. trainer Wesley Ward. Along with his family, Cox often has a group of his friends Brooklyn Strong had a walk day for trainer Danny who spend time with him at the races. Led by former Velazquez. Campbellsville University Football legends Joe Don Looney and Billy Troutman, Cox’s group of friends have been known BOURBONIC, DYNAMIC ONE, KNOWN AGENDA, around the backside as the “Brad Cox Mafia.” Looney and SAINTHOOD – The Derby Quartet, a friendly foursome Troutman have been friends with Cox for more than 15 years. that hopes to play a winning tune Saturday in Kentucky Derby “We like to keep him relaxed and ready for game day,” 147, was busy getting in their practice Wednesday morning Looney said. under the watchful eye of bandleader Todd Pletcher, who Cox grew up just blocks from Churchill Downs on Euclid doubles as one of America’s leading horse trainers. Avenue in the south end of Louisville. If Essential Quality or Three of the colts formed a trio for the 7:30-7:45 special Mandaloun win Saturday, Cox would be the first Louisville- Kentucky Derby/Kentucky Oaks training session in order to born trainer to win the Kentucky Derby get in their licks, each going for a mile and a quarter gallop around the big Churchill Downs oval. Known Agenda played HELIUM, SOUP AND SANDWICH – D J Stable’s his tunes for rider Hector Ramos, Dynamic One Helium and Live Oak Plantation’s homebred Soup and harmonized with Carlos Perez Quevedo and Sainthood and Sandwich both galloped again Wednesday morning, according Amelia Green were right in rhythm. At 7:50 their other to trainer Mark Casse’s assistant David Carroll, who said member, Bourbonic with Ramos crooning, went solo for a their Tuesday schooling session in the paddock went well also, similar 10-furlong session. while indicating his boss will be on the backstretch Thursday After training, the Derby quartet had a paddock schooling morning. session. Pletcher was asked if an impending rain storm in Louisville HIDDEN STASH – BBN Racing’s Hidden Stash made might cause their sweet notes to be canceled Thursday his first appearance at Churchill Downs since winning an morning. allowance race last Nov. 28 galloping a mile and a half under “The only way we won’t train Thursday is if it’s unsafe trainer Vicki Oliver at 7:30 Wednesday morning. (lightning) outside,” he said. Fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes (GII) in his most recent So the show will go on. start, Hidden Stash had been training at his home base at Keeneland since that race and arrived at Churchill Downs BROOKLYN STRONG – Mark Schwartz’s Brooklyn Tuesday morning. Strong, who posted his final work Monday morning at Parx With her first Kentucky Derby entrant, the time at before vanning overnight to Churchill Downs, walked the Churchill Downs is almost like a vacation for Oliver. shedrow of barn 41 and is expected to make his first trip to the “I usually gallop seven or eight a morning at Keeneland,” track Thursday morning Trainer Danny Velazquez arrived in said Oliver, who is commuting back and forth to Lexington Louisville at 11 a.m. Wednesday to saddle his first Kentucky for the rest of the week. “The 7:30 training window is perfect Derby starter from his Philadelphia base. for us.” Following training, Hidden Stash had a paddock schooling ESSENTIAL QUALITY, MANDALOUN – Godolphin’s session at 10 o’clock with plenty of other runners and passed Essential Quality and Juddmonte Farm’s Mandaloun with flying colors. galloped 1 ½ miles at 5:15 a.m. for trainer Brad Cox. The duo were scheduled to school in Race 4 Wednesday. -more- Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks Daily Update and folks who want to be their friends, most of them from Wednesday, April 28, 2021 California. Page 2 of 6 “They’re quite a group,” he offered. “They’ll be good for business here in town. By Friday night I expect them to be up “I was going to do it on a race day, but with the rain in the around 150 people.” forecast, I didn’t want to do it then,” Oliver said. “He was good and we don’t have to do that again.” KEEPMEINMIND – Kentucky Jockey Club winner Keepmeinmind continues to make a favorable impression as HIGHLY MOTIVATED – Klaravich Stables’ Highly he once again galloped strongly over the Churchill track at 5:30 Motivated galloped 1 3/8 miles again Wednesday morning a.m. Wednesday. The Laoban colt, who races for the during the 7:30-7:45 allotted training time for Derby and Oaks partnership of Cypress Creek Equine, Arnold Bennewith horses and will school in the paddock prior to Wednesday’s and Spendthrift Farms LLC, is trying to overcome poor second race. Trainer Chad Brown said the son of Into starts in the Rebel Stakes (GII) and Blue Grass Stakes (GII) in Mischief has progressed each day since his final Derby the Kentucky Derby. workout this past Saturday, and definitely showed more today “He’s been working really good,” trainer Robertino in his gallop than Tuesday. Diodoro said. “In his first race this year at Oaklawn (Rebel), it “I like the way he’s going, I thought he was moving a little was a speed biased track. It wasn’t (jockey) David’s (Cohen) better today,” Brown said. “He had a strong work and now, fault, but he got hung four or five wide and when it looked like the second day back galloping out of the breeze, he’s loosening he was about to make a move, he just hung. In the Blue Grass, up again and looks super. I’m really happy with him.” we knew there wasn’t much speed so we tried to put him Brown, a four-time Eclipse Award winner for Outstanding closer to the front. We did, but he didn’t do it on his own. Trainer (2016-2019), has been on the precipice of a Derby win David had to force him to lay closer and when it came time to before, as Normandy Invasion took the lead off the far turn run, he was empty. He’s had excuses. before running fourth in 2013, and Good Magic was second “I think he’ll show up to be the real horse on Saturday. It’s to Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018. Highly Motivated has hard to say I’m confident with a 50-1 shot, but I do think he’ll some similarities, but some differences as well. show up. He’ll come running.” “He’s also making his third start off the layoff, like both those horses were,” Brown said. “But this horse is a little faster KING FURY – Fern Circle Stables and Three Chimneys positionally than Normandy Invasion. He broke then split the Farm’s King Fury repeated the usual routine established by field when he settled in and moved early. Highly Motivated, I trainer Kenny McPeek on Wednesday morning. During the can see getting a better spot than that, but both horses have a period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses, the quick acceleration.” winner of the Lexington (GIII) at Keeneland was sent for a maintenance gallop with exercise rider Lalo Jose Quiroz HOT ROD CHARLIE – TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby aboard. (GII) winner Hot Rod Charlie was back at it Wednesday “It was a mile-and-a-half, uncomplicated,” said McPeek. morning, smartly galloping a mile and a quarter under exercise rider Jonny Garcia during the special Derby/Oaks training LIKE THE KING – M Racing Group’s Like the King session at 7:30. The well-made son of the 2013 Preakness galloped a little more than a mile after 9 o’clock with exercise winner Oxbow had his usual substantial rooting crew looking rider Jose Hernandez aboard for trainer Wesley Ward. on, led by horse trainer/impresario Doug O’Neill. Wednesday morning’s exercise marked the first time Like The California-based conditioner has a crew of five right- the King had been on the track at Churchill Downs. He had hand men who oversee his latest Derby threat, including key arrived Tuesday morning from Ward’s main base at assistant Leandro Mora as well as equine therapist Tyler Keeneland. Cerin. Overseeing Like the King’s preparation at Churchill Downs Cerin, the 33-year-old son of Vladimir Cerin, a training is California trainer Blake Heap who has served as Ward’s mainstay on the Southern California circuit, has been man on the scene when the trainer doesn’t travel.