ATR TUES. 4/24: Motion, Johnny V, Welsch, McGee, Hamelbeck, Plonk, Allday
 

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Live at Churchill Downs for Day 2 of Derby coverage including visits with Hall of Fame honorees Johnny V. and Eric Hamelbeck (Adena Springs' Ghostzapper)...

Hour 1: Marty McGee

Hour 2: Eric Hamelbeck, Johnny Velasquez, Dr. Allday

Hour 3: Jeremy Plonk, Mike Welsch, Graham Motion

For those who missed it...What are your takes on the horses you watched train today?

Any interesting gossip?

Johnny D for Hall of Fame 2013!

Some twitter chatter said BODEMEISTER was 'terrible' but I don't get it at all. Started 4.5-5 back of Fantasy show filly JEMIMA'S PEARL, got to her between eighth and sixteenth poles and finished evenly or a head up. Galloped out very nicely well into turn when Baffert radio'd Garcia to shut him down as he didn't want him doing too much. The horse ran the best race of the prep season 11 days ago, so I don't know why anyone was looking for the "Barbaro" drill. As I explained yesterday, he's not much to look at and the West Coast people all have said that he won't impress anyone the way he drags himself around in the morning. Guess it's going to be the focal point of discussion..

I'm predisposed to liking MAMMA KIMBO and she looked solid/unspectacular in her solo drill, but Baffert said she came back from it tired and he thinks the Fantasy took a little out of her. Like her barnmates who went before her, she also went all the way around from 4.5 marker to the backstretch. She may be best pointing for the filly sprint slate this summer..

DULLAHAN had a very good gallop and wanted the rider to let him do something the second time down the stretch. Some mutterings that he lost some weight out of the Blue Grass but he's shown increasing energy each of these three mornings I've seen him gallop. He has the thoroughly distinct high knee action of a turfer but that hasn't hurt a number of grass runners at this track in this particular race going back to Barbaro..

PROSPECTIVE galloped and Welsch thought he showed more energy today than yesterday and Sunday. I didn't really watch him today..

It's actually more quiet than in any of the years since coming for 2 weeks. But it should pick up now..

How did Liaisons gallop look?

I didn't see enough to render any opinion. I saw him come up the stretch (the wrong way), but then spotted Dullahan coming down and trained on him.

You will burn in hell.

steve, any more on dullahan. i'm interested in how he's taking to churchill. he seemingly has talent-but is that surface going to be an issue?

I know..

For now, just what I mentioned above and Sun/Mon. But I'll add that surface concerns with him are being overplayed. Desormeaux told me after weighing out after the Juvenile that Dullahan got over it fine and would be a -- his -- Derby horse. I think the two early career sprint runs on the CD dirt had far more to do with his route interest than any footing issue and believe he has the same big shot I gave Paddy O'Prado.

Perhaps one of our resident turf historians can tell us if any horse in history has recorded his first three career wins in Grade Is.

The existence of Carolina Barbecue = doing the Lord's work. I'd say you're good, Steve.

What a great trivia question..

First horse I thought of was Hollywood Story who broke her maiden in the Starlet and only ever won Graded Stakes:

G1 HOL Starlet
G2 Bayakoa
G3 Hawthorne BC
G1 Vanity

But I'd guess the Dullahan opportunity to start with 3 G1 wins is unprecedented.

I assume we're only counting 1973 and later? If not, can we count races like the Hopeful as historically a G1 (grumble grumble about the downgrade) and go from there?

River Special, Sweet Catomine not quite.

Stardom Bound's first 5 wins were all Grade 1.

Yep. Just looked it up. Stardom Bound ran 2nd in a MSW and a Grade III to start her career, and then rattled off 5 GI wins.

Nice! You win a 'LA Confidential' BluRay DVD with the special 'Hush Hush' Magazine insert!

"Jack's... back!"