DERBY NEWS (4/26): Filly in, Rule out; Lucky, Noble's work best..
 

Minutes away from 5 anticipated final works: NOBLE'S PROMISE, LOOKIN AT LUCKY, AMERICAN LION, LINE OF DAVID and INTERACTIF all scheduled to work...

Expect many gallops as well despite the track being very muddy...

Early this morning, RACHEL ALEXANDRA went an easy half mile in :50.0, her final spin preparing for her second start of the year in the La Troienne.

MORE AFTER THE DRILLS...

FULL WEEKEND RECAP ON 'ATR' TONIGHT AS DERBY WEEK COVERAGE KICKS OFF...

No Endorsement again? Ruh-roh.

Endorsement galloped this morning.

This muddy track not as fast as the rain-soaked editions the last couple of mornings, and LOOKIN AT LUCKY shades Noble's Promise for Work of the Day going 5f in 1:00.4 under a snug hold. Splits of :12.0, :24.1, :36.0, :48.1, 1:00.4. Out 6F 1:15.1, but Baffert wasn't looking for a gallop out. Baffert will again be very pleased...

NOBLE'S PROMISE (:48.4) worked with Fist of Rage (:49.0) with an :24.3 opening and out 5F 1:02.2 with a spirited gallop out. Derby is the wrong race for him, but he certainly looks in very good form moving towards Saturday as least...

AMERICAN LION turned in a what felt like a slightly disappointing drill getting 5f in 1:02.3. With the WinStar team of Harty, Cauthen and Casner watching from the Media Center balcony, the Illinois Derby winner cut out fractions of :12.3, :25.2, :37.3, 1:02.3 and a 6f gallopout of 1:16.2 while being ridden a bit.

LINE OF DAVID labored over the heavy surface in his 6f effort, which went in 1:15.0. He was urged early and often and felt the whip from the quarter pole. Splits were :11.4, :23.3, :35.3, :48.1 and 1:01.1.

INTERACTIF went a half in :47.3 starting a length behind a workmate and finishing a length in front at the wire. He opened the quarter in :23.4 and galloped out in 1:01.4. It didn't look like the 'wow' work Todd Pletcher said the Wertheimer and Frere homebred would need to go postward Saturday.

Weather Predictor:
Friday 4/30: Mostly cloudy and windy with gusts between 20-40 mph.
Saturday 5/1: Cloudy with very severe thunderstorms possible, winds 20-30 mph.

Devil May Care owner John Greathouse confirms the filly for the Kentucky Derby. John Velazquez will ride. Devil May Care will be cross-entered in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) as well.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thorou...s/129965071272

How did AL look Steve?

Thanks

Cross-entering in both the Derby and Oaks is poor form considering there are horses on the grounds for both races that want in the Derby/Oaks but will be out because of the lack of an AE list.

Meh.. Kind of ordinary. Hard to believe it could be viewed too gleefully by the WinStar team. I was kind of hoping for something that said 'ready'.

The one proviso is that the track was pretty funky out there. You could noticeably hear the slogging/thudding sound horses have getting over a dead, heavy surface. But the reality is that Lucky and Noble's were fine getting over it, so you just have to draw your own conclusions... The videos should be out soon I'd imagine.

Maybe he didn't like the track....Of course the long range forecast looks iffy. Ice Box gallop?

DERBY NEWS (4/26): Rule OUT; Filly will DERBY ONLY, not cross enter..
 

RULE officially out per Jill Byrne.. DEVIL MAY CARE wqill enter Derby only..

ICE BOX was chipper and alternately galloped, jogged, hobby-horsed around once at the end of the Derby/Oaks session.. And yeah, I was trying to give American Lion the benefit of the doubt on the track too, but watch it later and see what you think...

Him or Lion for me so good to hear he is well.

So Jackson Bend is in?

Yes

Do we think that Interactif will be coming out soon?

May know shortly.. Briefing going on now.

Steve, how did Endorsement look in his gallop?

Was on the backstretch... I didn't get to see it. Clockers I spoke with didn't like the way he went.

Speaking of clocking... Mike Welsch, Gary Young and Joe Petruccione among the stopwatch patrol you will hear from on 'At the Races' this week...

Tell Joe I'm feeling sore and stiff after a tough workout at the gym lastnight.

Has Joe Petruccione shared his observations of who he likes at this point?

Jackson Bend in?
 

With Rule out and DMC in, Jackson Bend should be in.

So is everyone now under the impression of slop on Sat?


If so who should we be looking at?

I'm going to have to block off work in the afternoon all week.

WLKY is reporting that Interactif is out.

Back to the green.

A guy at the local MacDonawds said it's going to snow on Saturday and I believe 'um!

...there oughtta be a frickin law!

Backtalk
 

So if Interactif doesn't go than Backtalk is in and I presume he will go. I just read that Tom was happy with his work at Keeneland and they consider the last race a toss due to the crazy work they had before it.

Does anyone have an opinion?

Anybody else sketchy to make it that hasn't declared out yet?

Holy McFrigging shiat I heard that too.

i don't know why all the doom and gloom. 30% chance showers on friday and 40% scattered t-storms saturday. http://www.weather.com/outlook/healt...USKY1096?role=
the track may be fast.

Could be a fine sprinter...hopeless getting 1 1/4 miles.

Vultures waiting for other shoe to drop on Endorsement and Interactif...

After that, Dublin seems to be nursing things along, and Sadler was justifiably unhappy with Line of David's effort, but pinned it on the track. Whether the Arkansas Derby winner's work was enough to have Sadler pass with him is another story. The Thrashes would be about Sadler's only client left out of the weekend festivities if Line of David were to demure.

what is the deal with Dublin? I hear elsewhere he looks terrible. Maybe I missed an earlier point in a thread on this one???

I agree...not far enough for him. He should be dead-fit for the Epsom after this prep though.

I know its very subjective and there are alot of more knowledgable horsemen than myself, but in my opinion the horse with the "look" so far is Awesome Act. I think he has looked very, very good in the mornings.

I heard something about Dublin doing his best impression of a pinball machine, but I watched the April 25th work on DRF and didn't see it. Maybe I just need to have my vision checked. Did he really bolt twice and bounce off the outside rail?

He supposedly did that in a gallop on Saturday. In his workout early Sunday morning he appeared to be trying to get out going around the turn but then leveled off nicely in the stretch and finished up well. He was under little to no encouragement late.

NT