Now that most of the contenders are stabled at Churchill Downs, I will start posting the workout notes daily. Check back for the latest news.
Monday Work Tab:
Churchill
Closing Argument 5f 1:01.60
Coin Silver 5f 1:01.00
Sort It Out 4f :47.20
Santa Anita
Buzzards Bay 6f 1:11.40
Scheduled to work at Churchill Tuesday (5/3):
Afleet Alex
CONSOLIDATOR - A published report indicates that Bob and Beverly Lewis' Grade I winner Consolidator suffered a fractured sesamoid in his right front ankle and will miss Saturday's 131st Kentucky Derby. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was quoted on bloodhorse.com saying, "He was out for a routine gallop yesterday and took a couple of stumbles coming off the track. He appeared to be all right, but seemed uncomfortable in the afternoon. When I arrived this morning, I decided to have an X-ray taken, and it showed he had fractured his sesamoid. It's really a shame, but at least (the Lewises) have another one (Going Wild) and we'll go with him."
The defection of Consolidator drops the number of likely Kentucky Derby entrants to 20, exactly the race's field-size limit. Late Triple Crown supplement Greeley's Galaxy, who by rule can only draw into the Derby field if there are fewer than 20 nominees entered, appears for now to have secured a spot in the Derby starting gate.
Jockey Rafael Bejarano, who won six races the first two days of the 2005 Churchill Downs Spring Meeting, was to have ridden Consolidator. Trainer Nick Zito quickly named Bejarano to pilot Arkansas Derby third-place finisher Andromeda's Hero upon learning the news. Lukas was unavailable for comment as of noon Monday. Churchill Downs will provide an update as soon as it is available.
AFLEET ALEX - Trainer Tim Ritchey has planned a half-mile breeze Tuesday morning for Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Afleet Alex, who is owned by Cash is King Stable.
"It will be an easy maintenance kind of work; slow the first part and pick it up a little bit down the lane," Ritchey said. "He will jog at least a mile and a half, and I will probably take him to the (mile) chute like I did before (prior to an April 26 work), then jog him all the way around and then go a half-mile."
Derby rider Jeremy Rose is scheduled to be up for the work.
Afleet Alex made one trip to the track early Monday morning, leaving the barn at 6:25 and returning a shade before 7 a.m. with exercise rider Salomon Diego up.
"He jogged about a mile and a half and then went to the paddock and walked around in there for maybe 10 minutes," Ritchey said. "He went back on the track and galloped an easy mile and a half with the pony."
This is Ritchey's first Derby experience and the time away from his string of 38 horses at Delaware Park has been a bit different for the 53-year-old conditioner.
"I have always been hands-on and always have every horse that I train in the shedrow where I can look at them every day," Ritchey said. "It's tough. At Oaklawn Park, we had all the horses in training there. Since I have been here (since April 20), we have only two horses. You can only do so much.
"I am on the phone a lot. It is different than what I have ever done before. At Pimlico, I can go back and forth, so I can be at Delaware Park and Pimlico the same day. I may be at Pimlico in the morning, but I will go back to Delaware Park and check everything out in the afternoon. I can be there for the races and go back to Pimlico in the evening. It is no problem, it's only an hour away. Belmont will be the same as here.
"My owners have all been very good about it. They understand what we are trying to do. It has not been a problem. We had two wins, a second and a third from four starters yesterday, so obviously, the crew back there is doing everything all right."
