Kentucky Derby Contenders Tid Bits
fbwinners
Senior Member
Please use this thread for any good nuggets of info for the Kentucky Derby contenders!
Dana Barnes on Dortmund
Hes just a great big baby, Barnes said fondly of Dortmund. While casual observers compare the 17-hand, nearly 1,300-pound chestnut to another tall redhead trained by Baffert, 2001 Horse of the Year and Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given, Barnes knows better from her unique experience in the saddle.
He doesnt hit the ground hard, like Point Given did, Barnes said. Hes much lighter and more agile on his feet.
In collaboration with Baffert, Barnes has come up with a methodology of keeping Dortmundwho at times has been a bit fractiouscalm and happy. She carries carrots in her pocket as she rides the son of Big Brown out for exercise at Santa Anita Park, and he will stop at the same place, the last barn before reaching the racing office, every day and ask for a carrot.
Bob wanted me to take the carrots to settle him down, she related, adding that Dortmund has responded well to the treat therapy. After giving the colt a carrot, then I go to the gap and he could stand there all day. The other day there was a loose horse, and he just stood there and watched.
With his size and intensity, Dortmund is not an easy ride, according to regular jockey Martin Garcia, who told Barnes he doesnt know how she gallops the colt. But her instinctive horsemanship skills and quiet manner have given her the edge on many a strong colt over the years.
Dana Barnes on Dortmund
Hes just a great big baby, Barnes said fondly of Dortmund. While casual observers compare the 17-hand, nearly 1,300-pound chestnut to another tall redhead trained by Baffert, 2001 Horse of the Year and Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Point Given, Barnes knows better from her unique experience in the saddle.
He doesnt hit the ground hard, like Point Given did, Barnes said. Hes much lighter and more agile on his feet.
In collaboration with Baffert, Barnes has come up with a methodology of keeping Dortmundwho at times has been a bit fractiouscalm and happy. She carries carrots in her pocket as she rides the son of Big Brown out for exercise at Santa Anita Park, and he will stop at the same place, the last barn before reaching the racing office, every day and ask for a carrot.
Bob wanted me to take the carrots to settle him down, she related, adding that Dortmund has responded well to the treat therapy. After giving the colt a carrot, then I go to the gap and he could stand there all day. The other day there was a loose horse, and he just stood there and watched.
With his size and intensity, Dortmund is not an easy ride, according to regular jockey Martin Garcia, who told Barnes he doesnt know how she gallops the colt. But her instinctive horsemanship skills and quiet manner have given her the edge on many a strong colt over the years.
Comments
Jim Barnes has been in charge of American Pharoah since day one, and was in Hot Springs for the Rebel and is returning on Wednesday with the Arkansas Derby favorite. Bob doesn't travel much anymore since his heart problems but I would be surprised if he didn't show up Saturday(you would think Zayat would offer to give him a lift in his jet, wouldn't you?)
Jim, is Dana husband of 30 years. They basically run the BB day to day operations.
Itsaknockout breezed four in 49.06 (8/15) at PBD.
Keen Ice breezed five in 1.00:20 ( 4/31) at CD.
Materiality breezed four in :48.45 (4/15) at PBD.
Stanford breezed four in :48.45 (4/15) at PBD.
Can you say CANTER last 1/8th of a mile!
I get a kick out of these people who post on Bloodhorse, DRF, and Paulick, who say that Pharoah hasn't raced against anybody, or that his time in the Rebel was slow, or that he will face 19 others in the Ky Derby, and so on.
Fact is, Pharoah will only be racing against 4 or 5 others in the Ky Derby. The other 15 or 16 won't even be able to catch up in the first 1/4.
JG, you know me pretty well and my motto is I don't bet odds I bet horses! Say you bet a horse at 15/1 that you think should be 5/1, he runs up the track. The other horse in the race that was 3/1 AIRS the field and then you take your ticket to the trash can. I just don't understand betting a horse because he's an overlay and isn't near the as good as the lower price horse. I loved Battle Midway on Saturday and in my report I stated the FAV was bogus and we didn't get 15-1 on the ML, but a nice 9-1 when he crossed the finish line. I suggest to play against AP at your own risk, if this colt wasn't ever hampered with an injury he would be so far ahead of the field it would be funny. He was working so good before the BC Juvy race, people we amazed at how he could work like that as a 2yo!! The biggest obstacle will be the PP draw! IMO opinion the best PREP race this year was when Firing Line passed up Dortmund in the Bob Lewis to take a length lead in the stretch over the SA Freeway and Dortmund pinned his ears back and nailed him at the wire. You can train that type of effort, that's within!! Dortmund is battled tested and doesn't need the lead as most think! I can see Firing Line setting the pace coming off that 6 week layoff, he will be raring to go that day.
In reference to American Pharoh, no other horse is passing the one mile marker as fast or as easy as he is.
He's been hand rode in all the preps. Even Carpe Diem s easy win, J.V. hit him twice in the stretch.
So was Dortmund. The only horse that I can see that can run with him will be the horse from Dubai.....
Dubai Sky off the trail. Two weeks ago!!!
Two of the leading candidates for this year's Kentucky Derby, FROSTED and UPSTART, had a very good morning at Palm Meadows on Thursday.
Frosted was the first of the pair on the track immediately after the renovation break, working five furlongs in 1:01.38 with regular exercise rider Rob Massey aboard. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and his brother Neal made a last minute call at 6:30 a.m. to push the work up one day with rain in the forecast the next two mornings in south Florida.
Looking a picture of health, Frosted eased away from the pole, just shading 13 seconds for his opening quarter before settling into a nice comfortable stride, posting splits of 25.14 and 37.14 before coming home his final quarter in :24.24 while going as easy as can be, Massey never moving a muscle in the saddle. Frosted galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.66.
"We normally go a half-mile the first work back after a race but he's fit, he wasn't blowing at all after the Wood, so we decided to work five furlongs," said McLaughlin who was in New York on Thursday., "He's doing great. My brother said afterwards that he was happy, the rider was happy and the horse was happy. All systems are go."
McLaughlin said Frosted would have one more five furlong work, scheduled for next Friday, at Palm Meadows, before the Derby.
"At the moment that's the plan," said McLaughlin. "There's an outside chance I could move him to Churchill Downs and have his last work there, but that's very unlikely right now."
Upstart jogged past Frosted, whom he defeated in both the Holy Bull and Fountain of Youth, while his rival was in the midst of his work. Upstart, who missed a scheduled work of his own on Saturday due to a sinus infection, jogged once around the nine furlong oval accompanied by trainer Rick Violette's stable pony, before reversing direction and galloping a very energetic mile and three eighths under regular rider Vicky King, getting stronger the further he went.
"He looked like his old self this morning," said Violette. "I couldn't be happier with the way he went. We took blood work on him yesterday and all the reports came back excellent. His appetite is good, his temperature is normal, everything is moving in the right direction for him right now."
Violette said he might give Upstart one more day of galloping before his next work, although he said the way he went this morning, he could move that work up to Friday, if need be, due to the weather.
I'm out this year, but will be making my annual Belmont trek once again with JG in tow. My daughter is making her 1st Holy Communion that Saturday morning. But I will be back in Louisville next year!!
Condo Commando works toward Kentucky Oaks
CONDO COMMANDO, among the favorites for the $1 million Kentucky Oaks on May 1, worked four furlongs in 48.67 seconds Thursday morning over Aqueduct's main track. It was her first breeze since her 2 1-2-length victory in the Gazelle Stakes on April 4.
Under Gustavo Rodriguez, the assistant trainer to his brother Rudy, Condo Commando went in fractions of 12.57 seconds, a quarter in 24.92 and she got her final quarter in 23.75 seconds. Condo Commando galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.76 and pulled up six furlongs in 1:17.09.
Condo Commando did throw her head to the right and came into the stretch a few paths off the rail.
"We put a ring bit on her, maybe she didn't like that, we got to back to the regular bit," Gustavo Rodriguez said. "She breezed nice, she did everything on her own."
Rodriguez said Condo Commando's workout was moved up by a day due to the threat of rain on Friday. He said Condo Commando will likely van to Kentucky on Saturday and get in at least one work at Churchill Downs before the Oaks.
Any reservations trainer Rick Violette may have had regarding how his Kentucky Derby hopeful Upstart would be effected by the sinus infection he contracted over the weekend were erased in less than a minute, 59.47 seconds to be exact, the time it took the Florida Derby runner-up to work a half-mile and gallop out five furlongs Friday morning at Palm Meadows.
With regular exercise rider Vicki King aboard, Upstart broke off at the half-mile pole at a relaxed pace, completing his opening furlong in :12.03 then gradually picked up the pace without a hint of any urging from his rider, covering the final quarter in 23.66. Violette, via walkie-talkie, told King to "let him gallop out" once passing the wire and Upstart responded by shading :13 seconds for another eighth-mile into the turn, while at no time giving any indication he was travelling that fast.
"Wow," was Violette's initial reaction to the work back at the barn. "He scoped clean, he's cooling out great. We'll see how he comes out of it, but I kind of breezed a day early so I have an extra day to bounce out of this if it's taken any toll and I don't know that it has. He did this so easily, wouldn't pull up down the backstretch, and that was with order through the walkie-talkie to ease him up(after five furlongs). I'm not sure we could have done things any better. He's just a good horse and we try not to get in his way. He always fools you when you watch him work. This morning too. He looks like he's going in :50 and he goes in :47."
Violette, in reference to missing several days of training and a scheduled work last weekend due to the sinus infection said, "this morning he showed us we shouldn't be cancelling any travel plans."
Violette will allow Upstart to open gallop at a two minute lick during the week with one more scheduled work, likely to come either Saturday or Sunday, prior to shipping to Churchill Downs next Tuesday
Kenny,
Maybe I just missed this info, but when did the infection start? Was it in effect during his Florida Derby race? Or did this pop up several days later?
He spiked a fever on the 11th the day of his 1st work since the Fla Derby, Rick stated it was a sinus infection and he didn't think he would miss any amount of time. I guess he was correct as he galloped a few days and worked a hole in the wind today. This is a warrior of a horse.
The horse took 3 tries to break the Maiden against really ordinary looking fields and than got trounced in the Tampa Bay Derby with no excuses. Granted he than came back to run second in the Blue Grass, but it was a fairly well beaten second. DM was under urging and Carpe Diem was not being asked and DM was still not really making up any ground, and the only other noteworthy horse in the race was Ocho Ocho Oxho who just got done being drilled by Dortmund by 15 lengths.
I wish everybody good luck, but there just seems to be several other horses in the race with better credentials ....
I don't see him being in the realms of AP, CD, or Dort as a win contender. But he will be a part of my tris and super! He's still learning and will win a nice race down the road.
Although I also very much agree with you on what you said on the other thread that was talking about the head to head match ups that were listed by the Wynn sports book. I agree that DM is a solid bet to finish ahead of Stanford.
I see Standord flashing some early pace but then being cooked fairly early on and just throwing in the towel and fading BADLY and horses that fade in the derby usually really fade bad. DM on the other hand has the running style where he should keep grinding and clunk up and pass the fading cheap speed like Stanford fairly easily ...