[Kasept]

MONDAY: Mor Spirit settles down some
By Mike Welsch

CHURCHILL DOWNS
WEATHER: SUNNY
TRACK: GOOD/FAST
TEMP.: 63

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The final pieces of the workout puzzle for Kentucky Derby 2016 were put in place Monday morning at Churchill Downs, with three top contenders – Mor Spirit, Creator, and Gun Runner – turning in their final breezes just five days out from the main event.

Despite heavy rain passing over the area Sunday, the main track was in top shape Monday morning, a testament to both the Churchill Downs maintenance team and the racing surface itself. The strip was officially deemed “good” when it opened at 5:45 a.m. before being upgraded to “fast” for the special Oaks/Derby training session, which began nearly three hours later.

Mor Spirit, as usual, was the first Derby horse to hit the track, arriving at 8:30 a.m. with blinkers on and jockey Gary Stevens up along with his regular workmate Jimbo Fallon, a 4-year-old maiden with just one start under his belt. The pair began the drill at the 4 1/2-furlong pole, not unusual for Bob Baffert workers, with Mor Spirit breaking off two to 2 1/2 lengths behind and eager to begin, although not nearly as headstrong as in his previous work six days earlier.

Although a bit more relaxed Monday, Mor Spirit still zipped right along over the freshly manicured track, posting splits of 23.29 seconds, 34.58, and 46.13 while completing the opening half-mile on even terms with his workmate at midstretch. The duo ran through the finish line, ending the move a sixteenth of a mile past the wire, with both having a little more left in the tank at that point than the previous week.

Mor Spirit covered five furlongs in 59.57 without much coaxing but was unable to get past his maiden mate. Although he galloped out willingly enough, he never could shake off his partner around the bend and went out six furlongs while about a head back in 1:13.18.

This was definitely a more appealing work than last week’s, when Mor Spirit was very aggressive early and had little left at the end of a similarly orchestrated five-furlong drill. Still, this was not the typical eye-catching type of move observed from many Baffert runners training up to the Derby here in previous years – and it leaves the feeling that a keen Mor Spirit may become more of a pace factor in the Derby than one might have originally expected.

Creator was pretty eager himself going to the pole, fighting his rider’s hold and briefly tossing his head a couple of times before finally settling in while well in reserve about an eighth of a mile into his breeze. The Arkansas Derby winner, Creator fanned four to five paths wide leaving the turn after a 24.79 opening quarter-mile and cruised to the wire on his own to complete four furlongs in 50.67 before easing up fairly quickly, by design, on the gallop-out. Working in his WinStar blinkers, Creator continues to make a very favorable impression as Derby Day draws near.

Gun Runner was also eager, but a little less so than his mate, coming away from the half-mile marker. He went the opening quarter-mile in 13.02 and 24.67, angled wide off the turn, and finished up without any coaxing, covering the distance in 50.43. As was the case in his previous work, Gun Runner was noticeably making noise as he approached and passed through the wire, although according to his regular rider, Florent Geroux, it’s a habit, and appears to have little effect on his performance.

Lani spent approximately 45 minutes on the track, making five trips around the one-mile oval, either walking, jogging, or galloping, while also having a bit of a tumultuous visit to the starting gate. He was set down from the quarter pole to the wire the fourth time around, going down the lane in 25.40 under considerable urging.

Outwork had another good morning and may be the most imposing physical specimen in the Derby field. The Chad Brown trainees Shagaf and My Man Sam went well again Monday, with the latter really on the muscle when he turned around near the finish line to begin his gallop. Suddenbreakingnews also made another favorable appearance, while Nyquist never turned a hair while jogging two miles alongside his stable pony. Mo Tom was the only Derby starter to train under the lights, standing at the finish line for an extended period shortly before 6 a.m. before galloping 2 1/4 miles, picking up the pace and striding out more fluidly, as usual, the second time around.

All three of trainer Steve Asmussen’s Oaks starters, Taxable (50.57), Royal Obsession (50.43), and Terra Promessa (51.02) turned in typically easy half-mile breezes just four days out from the race, while Carina Mia, not likely to crack the starting lineup, did likewise, cruising four furlongs over a fast track several hours later in 49.81.

California invader Mokat, the runner-up behind division leader Songbird in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Oaks, caught the eye for a second consecutive morning, turning in a very energetic gallop after the break.