Awesome Act to train @ Churchill

DiscreetCat

from DRF:

Awesome Act will be taking his show on the road earlier than expected.
Initially slated to remain in New York until five days before the Kentucky Derby, Awesome Act is now scheduled to leave Belmont Park on Thursday evening and will arrive at Churchill Downs on Friday morning. Awesome Act, who won the Gotham here on March 6 before finishing third to Eskendereya in the Wood Memorial on April 3, will have his major work for the Derby next week and then likely a blowout the week of the race. Awesome Act was scheduled to breeze Tuesday at Belmont.

"It's a slightly different surface at Churchill," Wayne Tanner, the assistant to trainer Jeremy Noseda, said Monday on the change of plans. "We felt it was in his best interest to have a couple of works on that track before he runs on it. We'll get him settled in.''
Awesome Act will ship to Kentucky with his workmate Peace Town, a Maryland-bred stakes winner who most recently won a second-level allowance race at Aqueduct.

Julien Leparoux is expected to ride Awesome Act in the Derby.

rayphil

cat im still on the awesome act band wagon....I also hear some of that in your post also...I just hope we get a good price on him on derby day.......what do you think decent odds should be....

DiscreetCat

Very difficult to say, because I really don't know what to expect from the horse, and it's hard enough to win the race even when you're in top form. For all the uncertainty that goes along with it, I would want at least 15/1 or so. Higher would be better, obviously.

Of course, in this race, that's a very real possibility. I do feel he's a must-use for tri's and supers, if nothing else.

rayphil

yes 15-1 would be great....well you know there will be a better pace then what he got in the wood....i knew he was empty because the jock's feet was in the dash the whole race.....i just hope he can settle somewhere in mid pack...

DiscreetCat

I was pretty much shocked when he failed to kick on strongly in the lane. I thought he was moving beautifully up to that point (which kind of flies in the face of any theory that the shoe incident had any real effect). I just don't know. Clearly you're right about the pace scenario being vastly different, which figures to help his cause tremendously. He's still gonna have to come up with a top-notch effort, though. Do i think he can? Sure. Am i confident that he will? I'm not sure confident is the right word. I think it's better than 50/50, but it can easily go either way.

One point i should mention, Noseda did say before the Wood that he was concerned about a bounce. At the time, i took it as him simply being cautious and/or realistic when addressing the press, which has always been his MO. And that was even before the missed workout. I saw no reason not to back the horse (even afterwards), but just a little info for you there. It'll be interesting to follow Noseda's coments as the race approaches, especially with the horse training at the race site. I'll also be very interested in whatever the clockers are saying about him, be it MIke Welsch or whomever.

Mikenyce

If this horse trains well over the churchill strip he's my derby horse. Im also gonna watch and see how Stately Victor trains over Churchill thought that Blue Grass race was very impressive. Seems like AAct had some problems in his last, even stumbled a bit on the break. I think he is at the top of the 2nd tier horses heading into the derby. Its gonna be tough to beat those top 3. Maybe not Considering Pletcher hasnt won a derby in GOD knows how many starts and Sidneys Candy is yet to run on dirt.

rayphil

mike what about dublin??????lol

DiscreetCat

from DRF:

ELMONT, N.Y. - Two days before he is to ship to Louisville for a run at the May 1 Kentucky Derby, Gotham Stakes winner Awesome Act worked five furlongs in 1:01.53 Tuesday morning over the Belmont Park training track.

It was Awesome Act's first work since he finished third behind Eskendereya and Jackson Bend in the Grade 1 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on April 3. It is the first of three scheduled works he is to have before Derby, said trainer Jeremy Noseda.

Awesome Act, with assistant trainer Wayne Tanner up, worked in company with the Maryland-bred stakes winner Peace Town. Starting two lengths behind his workmate, Awesome Act followed Peace Town through an eighth in 13.36 seconds and a quarter-mile in 26.15 seconds. After getting three furlongs in 37.73 seconds, Tanner guided Awesome Act outside of Peace Town for the stretch drive. Awesome Act received a tap on the left shoulder from Tanner in the stretch and went by Peace Town inside the final furlong. He finished about two lengths in front at the wire. Awesome Act got his final quarter in 23.80 seconds.

As was the case in the work prior to the Wood Memorial, Awesome Act was passed by Peace Town while the two galloped out. Awesome Act galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.63.

Awesome Act nicked himself on the left hind pastern, but it looked to a superficial cut. Prior to the Wood, Noseda acknowledged Awesome Act had an infection in the left hind pastern after the Gotham.

Tanner said he tapped Awesome Act in the stretch "just so he concentrates."

"You just got to squeeze him up a little bit without letting his head out, otherwise once he goes past his lead horse in his breeze he'll go to sleep," said Tanner.

Tanner said Noseda wanted Awesome Act to get something out of Tuesday's work because he'll likely have three or four easy days between Wednesday and Saturday. Awesome Act is scheduled to leave Belmont by van Thursday night and arrive at Churchill Downs on Friday morning. His first day on the track in Kentucky will likely be Saturday.

Tanner said Awesome Act would have his major Derby work late next week, with an easier blowout the Wednesday or Thursday before the race.