Desert Party

How are your favorite contenders training up to the first Saturday in May?  Check back daily with the Churchill Downs Notes Team for all the latest.

ADVICE / DUNKIRK / JOIN IN THE DANCE – Trainer Todd Pletcher sent his chief Derby threat Dunkirk through a five-panel drill in company at the training center at Palm Meadows in Florida on Saturday morning – and he was tickled with the outcome.

Clockers gave the Unbridled’s Song colt a final time of 1:01.05 for the drill, while his workmate – the 3-year-old stakes-placed Munnings – was given a time of 1:01.25.

“I was very, very pleased with the work,” Pletcher said. “I caught him (Dunkirk) in splits of :12 4/5, :24 4/5, :36 4/5 and 1:01, and I had him galloping out in 1:14 2/5. He started out about a length and a half or two lengths behind the other horse, then he finished up about a half-length ahead. It was a very good move for him.”

The five-time Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer said he couldn’t be happier with the way his $3.7 million yearling was coming up to Derby 135.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the way things have gone as he’s come up to this race,” Pletcher said. “Everything has fallen into place. Every one of his works has taken place when we wanted it to and they have all come off the way we hoped. He’s coming up to the race right and we’re feeling very good about him. We couldn’t be happier.”

Pletcher said Dunkirk would ship by air from Florida on Tuesday. Pletcher himself was coming to Louisville late Sunday.

Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) winner Advice galloped a mile and three-eighths at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Kevin Willey shortly after the 8:30 renovation break.

Pletcher’s right-hand man, Mike McCarthy, oversaw the exercise out of their Barn 34 headquarters.

Advice, a son of Chapel Royal, is scheduled to have his final blowout toward his possible Derby start on Monday. To this point, no rider has been assigned to the colt, who is owned by WinStar Farm.

Join in the Dance, expected to be a serious forward factor in Derby 135 if he gets to run, continued his training toward next Saturday’s race with a mile and three-eighths gallop under Willey.

Join in the Dance is currently No. 21 on the graded stakes list and would need one of the horses ahead of him to withdraw prior to the taking of entries on Wednesday if he is to get to dance.

CHOCOLATE CANDY – The big bay colt with the mellow disposition came trackside under exercise rider Lindsey Molina Saturday at 7 a.m., but Chocolate Candy wasn’t in any rush. He stepped into the clearing near the six-furlong chute and stopped to look around. He moved forward a few yards and halted to take it all in again. And then he did it once more before walking through the chute and going about his business.

“He’s such a big, easy goin’ fella,” said Galen May, the right-hand man on the scene for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. “Nothing bothers him. That’s why I like him so much.”

Chocolate Candy took a tour of the paddock, then galloped a solid mile and a half, doing it in his low-key style out in the middle of the track.

Hollendorfer, the king of Northern California racing, had a busy day at Golden Gate Fields where he was going to saddle – among others – Our Partner the San Francisco Mile. He was scheduled to travel to Louisville on Sunday.

DESERT PARTY / REGAL RANSOM – With exercise rider Bob Chapman up, the Godolphin duo of Regal Ransom and Desert Party put in their final works for Kentucky Derby 135.

Regal Ransom was first out shortly after the track opened at 6 a.m. Accompanied by a pony, Regal Ransom backtracked to the front side then galloped to the backstretch where he broke off at the five-eighths pole. Churchill Downs clockers caught Regal Ransom in fractions of :12.40, :23.80, :35, :47 and completing the five furlongs in :59.20 for the fastest clocking of 30 at the distance.

Regal Ransom galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.40 and pulled up seven-eighths in 1:27 over a track labeled “fast.”

Desert Party came out without a pony after the renovation break and worked in :59.60, second-fastest of the morning. Fractions for the work were :12.60, :24.60, :36.40 and :48.20 with a six-furlong out time of 1:12.40 and up seven-eighths in 1:25.80.

Chapman, who has been wearing a finger watch for 10 years when working horses, had Desert Party covering the final quarter mile in :22.91.

“They both worked nicely this morning,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. “They are really in good form here and that is a good sign. They will walk tomorrow, jog Monday and then gallop up to the race. They both may go to the gate and paddock one time next week.

“Regal Ransom goes out with a pony because he is always keen in the morning. Desert Party is a more laid back and relaxed and always easy to train.”

The works were the second for each at Churchill Downs. Regal Ransom worked five furlongs in :59.80 and Desert Party 1:00.20 last Saturday.

Desert Party and Regal Ransom will represent the sixth and seven Kentucky Derby starters for Godolphin. They had three starts in Dubai before shipping to Churchill Downs and only one of the stable’s previous starters had had more: Curule, who had four starts in Dubai in 2000 before running seventh here.

“They are fit and ready to go,” bin Suroor said in explaining why this year may be different than in previous Derby attempts. “There will be no excuses for our horses.”

Alan Garcia will have the Derby riding assignment on Regal Ransom and Ramon Dominguez is on Desert Party.
    
FLAT OUT – Oxbow Racing's Flat Out was taken to Lexington's Hagyard-Davis Equine Clinic on Friday afternoon and underwent a precautionary scan Saturday morning.

“He's fit and there is no problem,” trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey said. He said the owners just wanted the scan as a precaution to make sure the heel bruise he suffered in the Southwest Stakes on Feb. 16 is not redeveloping.

Flat Out is scheduled to return to Churchill Downs early Sunday morning in hopes of making it on the track before training hours are over.

He is currently 22nd on the graded earnings list and needs a couple of defections in order to make the field for Derby 135.

FLYING PRIVATE – Robert Baker and William Mack's Flying Private galloped under exercise rider Taylor Carty. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Flying Private would likely work Monday or Tuesday depending on weather. Robby Albarado has the Derby riding assignment on Flying Private.

FRIESAN FIRE – Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm’s Friesan Fire made his first appearance on the track at Churchill Downs, galloping a mile and a half under trainer Larry Jones after the renovation break.

“Everything is good here,” Jones said. “I like the way he handled his first day here.”

Friesan Fire enters the Kentucky Derby on a three-race win streak, having taken the LeComte (Grade III), Risen Star (Grade III) and Louisiana Derby (Grade II) at Fair Grounds this winter. Friesan Fire had been stabled at Keeneland for a month before shipping to Churchill Downs on Friday afternoon.

Gabriel Saez, who has been aboard for Friesan Fire’s past three victories, has the Derby riding assignment and is scheduled to work Friesan Fire on Monday morning after the renovation break.
Friesan Fire worked three times at Keeneland.

GENERAL QUARTERS – Toyota Blue Grass (Grade I) winner General Quarters galloped 1 ½ miles just after 7:30 a.m. Saturday, tugging at exercise rider Julie Sheets. Today’s routine will become ”routine” for the Sky Mesa colt, who had what is expected to be his final Derby 135 workout on Thursday.

Owner-trainer Tom McCarthy said General Quarters will gallop up to the Derby in all likelihood.

General Quarters was calm and composed walking to and from the track, led by hand by McCarthy, a retired Louisville teacher and principal who has become the Derby darling of 2009. On Friday night McCarthy was featured on ABC World News with Charles Gibson as the newscast’s “Person of the Week.”

“The phone has been ringing off the hook in all honesty,” McCarthy said of his recent fame. “Old friends, people I haven’t heard from in years, they’re all calling. It’s great, but it has not changed me. I just go on every day and keep doing what I do. Hope springs eternal. Everybody who trains horses hopes someday to be here. We’re going to enjoy it.”

General Quarters likely will become the most famous one-horse stable in America over the next seven days. But he won’t fly solo for long. McCarthy said he has a 3-year-old filly, Miss Sunshine, ready to come to the track this summer after the Derby hub-bub subsides.

HOLD ME BACK – WinStar Farm’s Hold Me Back went twice around under assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy before the renovation break.

Trainer Bill Mott said the winner of the Lane’s End (Grade II) would work “maybe Sunday; maybe Monday.”

Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Kent Desormeaux will have the riding assignment next Saturday.
Hold Me Back has a record of three wins and a runner-up finish in four starts on synthetic surfaces. In his lone dirt try, Hold Me Back ran fifth in the Grade II Remsen.

“He was a big, tall, light 2-year-old who needed time to fill out,” said Elliott Walden, vice president and racing manager for WinStar. “His Ragozin number in the Remsen was the same he ran at Keeneland (in an allowance win).

“It would be reasonable to question that (his ability on dirt). But I am more confident in him than one would have just by looking at the past performances.”

I WANT REVENGE – Wood Memorial (Grade I) winner I Want Revenge galloped two miles Saturday morning with regular exercise rider Joe Deegan aboard.

Bobby Troeger, assistant to trainer Jeff Mullins, supervised the exercise. He said that Mullins was en route from California and was expected to arrive in Louisville at 7 p.m. Saturday.

I Want Revenge, a Stephen Got Even colt, has been working on Tuesdays the past month, and is expected to have his final Derby breeze this Tuesday. He’s worked twice at Churchill Downs, a 1:01.60 breeze on April 21, and a :50 half-mile on April 14.

MINE THAT BIRD – Last year’s Canadian champion 2-year-old Mine That Bird logged two miles Saturday morning, jogging a quarter-mile before galloping 1 ¾ miles under exercise rider Charlie Figueroa.

“He looks like he’s getting over the ground a little better than yesterday and better than the day before,” trainer Chip Woolley said “That’s what we’re hoping to see – him getting better each day until next Saturday.”

The son of Birdstone will breeze five furlongs Monday (approximately 8:50 a.m.) with Calvin Borel in the irons. Woolley said that he never has had Borel aboard one of his horses in a race, but that the rider of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense makes a lot of sense.

“We just weighed our options of riders out there and kept coming back to him,” Woolley said. “I’ve always liked him and thought he’d fit this horse. He’s patient and that’s the trip we’re likely to get if we’re to do any good in the Derby.”

Woolley has spent much of his training career with Quarter Horses, but said the increased chances to run Thoroughbreds in slots-rich New Mexico was part of the reason his stable has branched out in breeds in recent years. Plus, he said, “The Quarter Horse game can be awfully tough. You do everything right; but one bad break, and you’re done. It’s different with Thoroughbred racing. Look at I Want Revenge in the Wood. He stumbled, but still had a chance to run to his ability. In Quarter Horse racing, he would have been done in at the start.”

MR. HOT STUFF – WinStar Farm’s Mr. Hot Stuff, third in a pair of graded stakes at Santa Anita in his most recent starts, will put in his final Kentucky Derby drill Sunday morning at the Los Angeles track.

“He’ll go five eighths with one of our exercise riders up,” said his trainer, Eoin Harty, via phone, from a working trip in Chicago. “We’ll work him tomorrow and he’ll fly out Monday. I’ll be flying to Louisville Sunday afternoon.”

Mr. Hot Stuff, a son of Tiznow, is still missing a jockey for Derby 135 after his regular rider, Corey Nakatani, chose to jump ship and ride Square Eddie.

“We don’t have a rider yet,” Harty said, “but we’ve got lots of time to get one. We will. You can be sure of that."

MUSKET MAN – The Yonaguska colt Musket Man had his final Kentucky Derby breeze Saturday morning, and the move was a little more exciting than trainer Derek Ryan would have liked.

“A horse crossed in front of him when he broke off,” Ryan said, “and that got him a little excited. Then, near the eighth pole, some guy going the wrong way of the track ducked over toward the rail. A little excitement, but no big deal. Nothing happened.”

With Derby jockey Eibar Coa aboard, Musket Man broke off at the 5 ½-furlong pole and breezed straight through the wire to the 15/16ths pole. He was credited with a move of five furlongs in 1:01.60, out the six furlongs in 1:14.80.

“It was a good work, just what we wanted,” Ryan said. “I didn’t want him to do too much a week before the race.”

This was the second time Musket Man had worked over the Churchill Downs strip. The Illinois Derby winner breezed six furlongs in 1:13 flat last Saturday.

“I was happy with him today, and I know Coa was more impressed this morning than he was last week,” Ryan said.

“I was happy with him this morning,” Coa said. “He was more aggressive than usual, I think because that horse crossed in front of us when we broke off. He’s usually a very quiet horse.”

Musket Man has now won stakes at a mile and a sixteenth and a mile and an eighth his past two starts. Ryan, who is participating in his first Derby, has no doubts the colt can get a mile and a quarter.

“I’ve been hearing about his distance limitations since October,” the trainer said. “So far he’s handled every track and every distance. He’s improved off his last start each time, and each race he gets a little better.”

Coa rode Musket Man for the first time in the Illinois Derby and has been impressed since.

“He’s an easy horse to ride,” Coa said. “He’ll sit behind horses and wait. He runs better with a target. He’ll have plenty of targets Saturday.”

Ryan purchased Musket Man for $15,000 as a yearling from the Keeneland September Sale in 2007 on behalf of owners Eric Fein and Vic Carlson.

PAPA CLEM – Arkansas Derby (Grade II) winner Papa Clem worked seven furlongs in 1:29.20 Saturday just after the renovation break in what could be his final major preparation for Derby 135. Trainer Gary Stute said that the Bo Hirsch home-bred could blow out a quarter-mile in the final day or two before the Derby “if he’s biting and kicking.”

“The main goal was just to get him tired,” Stute said of Saturday’s drill, which went in splits of :12.60, :24.80, :37.00, :49.60, 1:02.40 and 1:15.40. “He broke off kind of fast and got a little ‘late’.”

Exercise rider Mundo Gonzalez was aboard for the workout and had a few anxious moments at the gap as Papa Clem bucked before heading onto the track and also was stirred up on the front side.

“With him,” Stute said, “I always take him with a pony. He gets to feeling pretty good.”

Fitness should not be a question with Papa Clem, who has rattled off four consecutive route races (three in stakes company) since the opening of the Santa Anita winter-spring meeting. But while the first three of those races went in moderate paces with easy trips for Papa Clem, Stute said the Arkansas Derby (Grade II) provided the most education.

“He had trouble on the first turn and got dirt in his face,” Stute said of the Oaklawn experience. “Everything wasn’t just handed to him. He had to work for it.”

Papa Clem will walk the shedrow next two days and is expected to return to the track Tuesday morning. Rafael Bejarano will be in from California for the mount Saturday.

PIONEEROF THE NILE – Looking an absolute picture on a sunny and warm Kentucky morning, the dark son of Empire Maker went trackside under exercise rider George Alvarez immediately after the morning renovation break at 8:30. Assistant trainer Jim Barnes astride his pony led Pioneerof the Nile on a backtrack to the frontside, then let him do his thing – and do it he did.

Galloping well out in the middle of the track, the Zayat Stables’ homebred was strong, then stronger, going through his mile and a half exercise, finishing up just as well as he started in an impressive display or readiness for his upcoming 10-furlong task.

“He’s doing good,” said his trainer, Bob Baffert, the man who just had his ticket punched to racing’s Hall of Fame. “He likes it here. In fact, I think he might like this track more than he does Santa Anita (where he is a three-time graded stakes winner this year). He seems to lower his head and stride out even better here.

“But he’s in a tough race with some nice horses and we’ll need some luck. Twenty horses; anything can happen. We’ll need some luck.”

Pioneerof the Nile, a winner of five of his eight starts and $1,234,200, is scheduled to have his final Derby work Monday morning.

QUALITY ROAD – Florida Derby (Grade I) winner Quality Road jogged 1 ¾ miles at Belmont Park, just one day after a second quarter crack appeared. Quality Road’s latest malady appeared in his right front hoof, adding to the quarter rack he suffered in his right hind hoof after his signature win at Gulfstream Park on March 28.

“Jogging is obviously a lot easier on the horse in all ways, respiration-wise and on the legs, than galloping is,” trainer James Jerkens said of the reduced workload this morning. “It’s not quite as good of a conditioner … but it was all we could do to be on the safe side. He came back and the crack was dry and (there was) no blood seeping from it. We’re planning on patching him at 7 o’clock tomorrow morning and galloping him at about 9:20 after the second harrow break.”

According to the NYRA Press Office notes, noted hoof specialist Ian McKinlay reported, “There was no blood and he’s sound. He’s feeling good and I couldn’t be happier.”

McKinlay “laced” the half-inch quarter crack Friday and treated it with antiseptic and a “hoof toughener,” Jerkens said.

Jerkens addressed a national media teleconference Saturday morning and said the Kentucky Derby still remains in Quality Road’s crosshairs. “The way things are going, I’m pretty confident,” Jerkens said, then admitted, “I’m usually negative about everything by nature.”

If Quality Road gallops sound on Sunday, he’ll advance on to a serious workout Monday. “Tomorrow is the big day in finding out where we’re going,” Jerkens said, adding that the acrylic patch will be tested for pressure by the gallop.

Quality Road last worked five furlongs April 10 in 1:02.19 at Belmont, but Jerkens said more will need to be done to be Derby-ready.

“That was quite a while ago and we’ll definitely have to do something by Monday to be prepared,” he said. “A mile-and-a-quarter against the best horses in the country, you don’t want to be going in short of conditioning. That’s for sure.”

Jerkens said the quarter-crack problems may have more to do with pedigree and Quality Road’s build than anything. “For a horse his size,” Jerkens said, “(his feet) in comparison to the rest of him, are a little on the small side. His (hoof) walls are kind of thin.”

He said Quality Road’s three-quarter sister, Kobla Road, was a quarter-crack nightmare. “We had a horrible time with her. We were forever patching quarter-cracks up.” Her racing career had to be cut short and now is a broodmare.

While the quarter crack remains a serious concern, Jerkens said, “He hasn’t been weight-bearing sore on it.”

Quality Road will ship to Churchill Downs Tuesday if all goes well over the next two days.

SQUARE EDDIE – Square Eddie was out for a very easy jog once around the Churchill oval Saturday morning at 6:30. Exercise rider Tony Romero did the honors, moving easily alongside a big pony.

“Nice and easy today,” said assistant trainer Leandro Mora, who is holding down the fort until chief trainer Doug O’Neill makes the scene. “He’s going to work tomorrow morning after the break, so we want him fresh for that.”

Square Eddie announced his return to the racing wars with a swooping move to the front in the Coolmore Lexington Stakes on April 18 at Keeneland, only to fall back and finish third behind winner Advice. That start was the first in three months for the Smart Strike colt, who last year won the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity (Grade I) at Keeneland and then finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) at Santa Anita.

Square Eddie is scheduled to work Sunday morning. Mora wasn’t sure whether or not his new rider, Corey Nakatani, would be coming from California for the exercise.

Mora noted further that Square Eddie’s conditioning for his comeback has been supplemented by “swimming” on an equine treadmill.

“His work routine wouldn’t have been enough to get him ready for this race on his own,” he stated. “The swimming has been a big help. In fact, we’re going back over to Keeneland with him this afternoon and let him ‘swim’ for 45 minutes or so. We’ll try to keep that up during the week, but it may be that we won’t be able to take him out of here (because of security concerns) as we get closer to the race. But we’ll keep ‘swimming’ him as long as we can. He loves it.”

Mora, a veteran of the Southern California racing scene, remembered another case of a “swimming” Derby horse.

“I was at Hollywood Park back in 1983 when David Cross Jr., had Sunny’s Halo. He’s only had a few races prepping for the Derby and a lot of people didn’t think he could be ready. But I saw David ‘swim’ that horse for 40 straight days at the old pool and treadmill they had there and I knew he was going to be fit. And he was.”

Sunny’s Halo, with only two 3-year-old prep races coming into Kentucky Derby 109, was always prominent under Eddie Delahoussaye and drew clear to win by two lengths.

SUMMER BIRD – The lightly raced colt by Birdstone who had his final major Derby work on Friday here (6 furlongs in 1:15.80) just walked under the shedrow Saturday morning.

Trainer Tim Ice and jockey Chris Rosier were off to Lone Star Park in Texas, where the trainer has three horses entered, including Catmantoo in the Texas Mile Stakes and Affirmed Truth in the Richmond Hills Stakes.

Both trainer and rider are due back in Louisville on Sunday. Before Ice left at 6:30 he had a chance to take in the pre-dawn work of Godolphin’s Regal Ransom.

WEST SIDE BERNIE – West Side Bernie had his final Kentucky Derby breeze Saturday morning, drilling a half-mile over the fast main track in :48.20 with jockey Stewart Elliott aboard.

“I told ‘Stew’ to go in :48, so it was just what I wanted,” trainer Kelly Breen said of the move. “Better a fifth slower than a second too fast.

“The track has been kind of dull, so I think that was a very good work. And ‘Stew’ told me that he had a lot of horse left when he passed the wire. So I was happy he stayed well within himself today, instead of leaving his race on the track.

“He got something out of the work without knocking himself out. The time was as close to the plan as you can get, so I’m happy.”

Breen, who will be saddling his first Kentucky Derby starter, said that West Side Bernie will gallop up to the race now.

This was the first recorded breeze West Side Bernie has put in since he drilled a half in :48.80 at Palm Meadows on March 12. He went on to run second in the Wood Memorial (Grade I) on April 4.

“I want to have a sharp horse in the Derby,” Breen said. “That’s why he worked a half-mile.”

Elliott, who won the Derby aboard Smarty Jones in 2004, said he thought the work was perfect.

“He went just like we wanted him to,” the rider said. “A very good work.”

And was the rider happy to be back at Churchill Downs?

“Thrilled,” he said. “It’s great to have a horse in the Derby.”

Breen gave $50,000 for West Side Bernie at the Keeneland September yearling sale in 2007 on behalf of George and Lori Hall.

WIN WILLY – Win Willy, a son of 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos jogged a mile and galloped a mile Saturday morning with exercise rider Elias Lopez aboard.

Luis Moldonado, who is caring for the horse at Churchill Downs, said that trainer Mac Robertson is due in Monday or Tuesday to supervise final preparations for Win Willy, who won the Rebel Stakes and then ran fourth in the Arkansas Derby. Cliff Berry, who was aboard in those races, will again be the rider next Saturday.

Moldonado said that Robertson was in the process of moving his entire string of some 60 horses from Oaklawn Park to Canterbury Downs, his summer headquarters.

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ADVICE / DUNKIRK / JOIN IN THE DANCE – Two of the three Todd Pletcher Kentucky Derby hopefuls galloped Friday morning at Churchill Downs.

Tampa Bay Derby (Grade III) runner-up Join in the Dance galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Kevin Willey. With $90,000 in graded earnings, Join in the Dance would need one defection for the list of possible Kentucky Derby starters to gain a spot in the starting gate.

Willey was out in the next set on WinStar Farm’s Advice, galloping a mile and a half. Advice won the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) last Saturday.

Dunkirk, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, is stabled at Palm Meadows in Florida and scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, the same day as Pletcher. Edgar Prado has the mount on Dunkirk.

CHOCOLATE CANDY – El Camino Real Derby (Grade III) winner Chocolate Candy visited the paddock and galloped a mile and half under exercise rider Lindsey Molina shortly after the track opened for training at 6 a.m.

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer is scheduled back in Louisville on Saturday to saddle Rendezvous in the Derby Trial (Grade III). Chocolate Candy, owned by the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust, is scheduled to work Monday or Tuesday.  Mike Smith has the Derby riding assignment.

DESERT PARTY / REGAL RANSOM – The Godolphin duo of Desert Party and Regal Ransom galloped a mile and a quarter each before the renovation break with exercise rider Bob Chapman handling both activities.

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor said both colts would work Saturday morning with Regal Ransom going out at 6 a.m. and Desert Party after the break at 8:30. Chapman will handle both five-furlong works.

Ramon Dominguez will ride Desert Party in Kentucky Derby 135 and Regal Ransom will be piloted by Alan Garcia.

FLAT OUT – Oxbow Racing’s Flat Out had an easy day and just walked the shedrow in Barn 48.  Trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey still has not named a jockey and has not yet decided when Flat Out will work next.

Flat Out is 22nd on the graded earnings list and needs a couple of defections to make the field for Derby 135.

FLYING PRIVATE – Robert Baker and William Mack’s Flying Private galloped an unspecified distance according to trainer D. Wayne Lukas.  Lukas says how far he went “doesn’t matter.”  Exercise rider Taylor Carty was aboard.

Flying Private is scheduled to work unday or Monday according to Lukas. Robby Albarado has the Derby riding assignment.

FRIESAN FIRE – Louisiana Derby (Grade II) winner Friesan Fire arrived at Churchill Downs shortly after 3 p.m. (EDT) following a van ride from Lexington’s Keeneland Race Course.

Trained by Larry Jones for Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm, Friesan Fire is scheduled to be ridden in the Kentucky Derby 135 by Gabriel Saez.  Friesan Fire will be stabled in Barn 45.

GENERAL QUARTERS – Owner-trainer Tom McCarthy reported all was well with General Quarters on Friday morning, a day after the colt worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 under exercise rider Julie Sheets.

Julien Leparoux, who has ridden in the past two Kentucky Derbies, has the call on General Quarters.

HOLD ME BACK – WinStar Farm’s Hold Me Back galloped a mile and a half under assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy before the renovation break Friday morning.

“And Twinkie had a good gallop, too, if anyone is asking,” trainer Bill Mott said with a chuckle, referring to his pony.

Mott is looking at Sunday or Monday as the final work for Hold Me Back, who will attempt to make Kent Desormeaux the first jockey in 26 years to ride back-to-back Kentucky Derby winners. Eddie Delahoussaye last turned the trick in 1982-83 with Gato Del Sol and Sunny’s Halo.

I WANT REVENGE – Wood Memorial (Grade I) winner I Want Revenge started the day with a paddock schooling session and then galloped a mile and a half under Joe Deegan.

Owned by IEAH Stables, David Lanzman and Puglisi Racing, I Want Revenge is scheduled to have his third work at Churchill Downs on Tuesday with jockey Joe Talamo slated to be aboard as he has been for the first two.

Trainer Jeff Mullins is scheduled to return to Louisville from his Southern California base on Saturday.

MINE THAT BIRD – Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird jogged a half-mile and then galloped a mile and half before the renovation break under exercise rider Charlie Figueroa.

“He looked sharp this morning,” trainer Chip Woolley said. “He will work Monday morning, a little after the break, around 8:50.”

Calvin Borel will have a get-acquainted session that morning on Mine That Bird, who comes into the Kentucky Derby off a fourth-place finish in the March 29 Sunland Derby.

MUSKET MAN – Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man galloped a mile and five-eighths under Salvador Dominguez early Friday morning and was scheduled for his final pre-Derby work on Saturday.

“When (Eibar) Coa gets here in the morning, we’ll work,” trainer Derek Ryan said.

Coa was aboard for Musket Man’s victory in the Grade II Illinois Derby on April 4 in his most recent start.

PAPA CLEM – Bo Hirsch’s Papa Clem galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break under exercise rider Mundo Gonzalez. Gonzalez is scheduled to be aboard for Papa Clem’s work Saturday morning.

“Mundo gallops for me in California and I was thinking that if we do good here and go on to Pimlico, I’d like to have my regular guy who gets on him,” trainer Gary Stute said.

Stute got an extra starter to watch over on Thursday when Kitty in the Bag arrived from Southern California to run in next Thursday’s Kentucky Juvenile (Grade III), the first graded stakes race of the year for 2-year-olds. Stute’s father, veteran California trainer Mel Stute, trains Kitty in the Bag, who won her debut by 3-1/4 lengths going two furlongs at Santa Anita on April 1.

“Dad’s coming in Sunday,” Stute said.

Mel Stute has trained two Kentucky Derby starters: Bold ‘n Rulling, who ran sixth in 1980 and Snow Chief, who ran in 11th in 1986 and came back two weeks later to win the Preakness (Grade I).  Rafael Bejarano has the riding assignment on Papa Clem.

PIONEEROF THE NILE – Zayat Stables’ Pioneerof the Nile galloped a mile and a half after the renovation break with exercise rider George Alvarez up.

Trainer Bob Baffert has Monday penciled in as the next work day for Pioneerof the Nile, who will be ridden in the Derby by Garrett Gomez.

SQUARE EDDIE – J. Paul Reddam’s Square Eddie was on the track before 7 a.m. Friday for a mile and a half gallop under exercise rider Tony Romero.

Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O’Neill, was asked how the gallop looked to him.

“Pretty damn good,” Mora said with a smile.

Corey Nakatani is scheduled to ride Square Eddie, who is slated to have his final pre-Derby work Sunday with O’Neill expected to be on hand.

“We are working all three that morning,” Mora said, alluding to Claimboxdotcom, O’Neill and Sarno’s Informed, a candidate for next Friday’s Grade III Alysheba, and Reddam and Mark Schlesinger’s Modification, who is nominated to next Friday’s Grade II Louisville Distaff and the Grade I Humana Distaff scheduled for Derby Day.

SUMMER BIRD – K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman’s Summer Bird, working after the renovation break with jockey Chris Rosier up, worked six furlongs in 1:15.80 from the five-eighths pole to the seven-eighths.

Summer Bird stood quietly in the six-furlong gap waiting for the track to reopen. The chestnut son of Birdstone then went about his business with Churchill Downs clockers recording fractions of :12.80, :25.20, :37.20, :49.40, 1:02.60 and out seven furlongs in 1:29.60 over a track rated as “fast”.

“I am happy as I can be with it,” Rosier said. “He was relaxed and calm all the way through.”

Trainer Tim Ice, who will heading to Lone Star Park on Saturday with Rosier and coming back Sunday, liked the work.

“I got him in 1:15 and 3, but he doesn’t work much by himself,” Ice said. “He needs something in front of him.

“He is a deep closer and he picked it up nice and galloped out strong. He gets better the longer he goes.”

Ice said Summer Bird would walk Saturday, jog Sunday morning and gallop into the race “with a two-minute clip down the lane on Wednesday, which is the same thing he did before the Arkansas Derby.” Summer Bird ran third in the Arkansas Derby, coming from 15 lengths back to finish 1 ¼ lengths behind Papa Clem in only his third start.

“We expected good things out of him, but didn’t expect as much of a jump right off the bat,” said Ice, who has saddled horses at Churchill Downs before as an assistant. “It’s a whole new experience having one for yourself for the Derby. There is no other race like it.”

WEST SIDE BERNIE – George and Lori Hall’s West Side Bernie galloped a mile and five-eighths before the renovation break with trainer Kelly Breen up.

Breen plans to work West Side Bernie after the break Saturday morning and hoes to have jockey Stewart Elliott aboard for the work.

WIN WILLY – Jer-Mar Stable’s Win Willy walked the shedrow at Barn 45, a day after arriving from Oaklawn Park where he finished fourth in the Grade II Arkansas Derby in his most recent start.

Cliff Berry is scheduled to ride Win Willy in the Derby for trainer Mac Robertson.

Follow the progress of your favorite Kentucky Derby contender through the Churchill Downs Notes Team, bringing you daily updates on the horses preparing for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 2.

ADVICE / DUNKIRK / JOIN IN THE DANCE - WinStar Farm's Advice, winner of the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) last Saturday, had his first trip over the Churchill Downs track Thursday morning, galloping under exercise rider Kevin Willey.

Advice had arrived at Churchill Downs from Keeneland on Wednesday, along with Join in the Dance, owned by Jake Ballis, Rashard Lewis, et al. Join in the Dance, fifth in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I), galloped with Willey up.

Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's Dunkirk is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on April 28 along with trainer Todd Pletcher. Edgar Prado has the mount on Dunkirk.

CHOCOLATE CANDY - Triple stakes winner Chocolate Candy took one loop around the paddock and then jogged a mile on Thursday morning at Churchill Downs with exercise rider Lindsey Molina up.

Owned by the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust, Chocolate Candy enters Kentucky Derby 135 off a runner-up finish to Pioneerof the Nile in the Grade I Santa Anita Derby. Prior to that, the Jerry Hollendorfer trainee had won the El Camino Real Derby (Grade III) and the California Derby.

Hollendorfer is scheduled to return to Louisville on Saturday with the colt's final pre-Derby work slated for Monday or Tuesday. Mike Smith has the riding assignment.

DESERT PARTY / REGAL RANSOM - Trainer Saeed bin Suroor announced Thursday morning that Alan Garcia would ride Regal Ransom in Kentucky Derby 135 and Ramon Dominguez would have the mount on Desert Party for Godolphin.

"Alan is staying on the horse he rode in Dubai," bin Suroor said of the rider who won the UAE Derby (Grade II) by a half-length over Desert Party. "We have two very good riders."

Bin Suroor had not seen his two Derby hopefuls since they left Dubai for Churchill Downs, arriving here on April 9.

"I was surprised at how well they looked," bin Suroor said. "Sometimes horses don't travel well, but they look happy and in good condition. They look better to me than they did in Dubai."

Exercise rider Bob Chapman handled morning duties on both colts. First out was Desert Party, who galloped a mile and a quarter, and then Regal Ransom visited the starting gate and then galloped a mile and a quarter.

"Both of them will work Saturday and Bob will handle both works," bin Suroor said.

Godolphin is returning to the Derby for the first time since Essence of Dubai ran ninth in 2002. Previous Godolphin starters were Worldly Manner (seventh in 1999), China Visit and Curule (sixth and seventh, respectively in 2000) and Express Tour (eighth in 2001).

"We are hoping for good fortune this time," bin Suroor said. "I feel like we have better horses this time than we have had in the past. This is a tough race to win."

FLAT OUT - Oxbow Racing's Flat Out was "feeling good" Thursday morning according to trainer Charles "Scooter" Dickey.  He galloped 1 ¾ miles with exercise rider and assistant trainer Walter Aguilar in the irons.

Dickey says he hopes to name a rider for Flat Out within the "next few days".  He wants that rider to be aboard for Flat Out's final work which will be Sunday, Monday or Tuesday.

Flat Out is 22nd on the graded earnings list and will need a couple of defections in order to make the field for Derby 135.

FLYING PRIVATE - Robert Baker and William Mack's Flying Private jogged two miles with exercise rider Taylor Carty aboard.  Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said Flying Private will put in his final work on Monday or Tuesday.  Robby Albarado has the mount for Derby 135.

FRIESAN FIRE - Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm's Friesan Fire is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs from Keeneland on Friday afternoon.  Trained by Larry Jones and scheduled to be ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Gabriel Saez, Friesan Fire will be housed in Barn 45.

GENERAL QUARTERS - Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters turned in his final work for Kentucky Derby 135 by covering five furlongs in 1:01.80 under exercise rider Julie Sheets.

Working at 7 o'clock, General Quarters recorded fractions of :12.60, :24.20, :36.60, :48.80 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16.20 according to Churchill Downs clockers. The move was the 13th fastest of 30 at the distance.

"I was looking for between 1:01 and 1:02, so this was perfect," owner-trainer Tom McCarthy said. "I wanted a nice, steady work, and that is what I got. I did not want anything like his work before the Blue Grass (:58.20 on April 4). I am happy with the work."

Sheets, who has been General Quarters' regular morning partner since the colt arrived here last month, said, "He went nice and easy, very comfortable."

McCarthy said General Quarters would walk on Friday.

HOLD ME BACK - WinStar Farm's Hold Me Back "made two rounds" of the track with assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy up according to trainer Bill Mott.

Winner of the Lane's End (Grade II) and runner-up to General Quarters in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) in his most recent start, Hold Me Back had arrived at Churchill Downs on Wednesday from Keeneland.

Mott said that Hold Me Back would work Sunday or Monday. Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Kent Desormeaux has the mount.

I WANT REVENGE - Wood Memorial (Grade I) winner I Want Revenge galloped a mile and a half under Joe Deegan shortly after the racetrack opened for training.

Bobby Troeger, assistant to trainer Jeff Mullins, said I Want Revenge would visit the paddock on Friday as part of his morning activity.

Joe Talamo has the mount on I Want Revenge, who is owned by IEAH Stables, David Lanzman and Puglisi Racing. I Want Revenge is scheduled for his final pre-Derby work on Tuesday.

MINE THAT BIRD - Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine's Mine That Bird jogged a half-mile and then galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Charlie Figueroa before the renovation break.

"He looked sharp this morning, came back bucking and play and he doesn't do that at home," trainer Chip Woolley said.

Calvin Borel has the Derby riding assignment and is scheduled to work Mine That Bird on Monday.

MR. HOT STUFF - WinStar Farm's Mr. Hot Stuff, third in the Santa Anita Derby, is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Monday following a flight from southern California.  The son of Tiznow will work for trainer Eoin Harty on Sunday over the synthetic Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita.

Mr. Hot Stuff does not have a confirmed rider at this point, but Harty said there's no rush to make that assignment.

"We'll just wait and see what happens," he said.  "Unfortunately, or fortunately, something could happen to one of the other horses and a rider will come available.  There are plenty of riders out there, so we'll deal with that one when we come to it."

MUSKET MAN - Illinois Derby (Grade II) winner Musket Man galloped 2 ¼ miles under exercise rider Salvador Dominguez early Thursday morning.

"He two-minute licked the second time around," trainer Derek Ryan said of Musket Man, who is owned by Eric Fein and Vic Carlson. Eibar Coa, who was aboard for the Illinois Derby victory, has the Kentucky Derby riding assignment.

Musket Man is scheduled to have his final pre-Derby work on Saturday.

PAPA CLEM - Bo Hirsch's Papa Clem galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break with exercise rider Nate Quinonez up.

"He'll gallop a mile and a half in the morning and then work Saturday," trainer Gary Stute said.

Rafael Bejarano has the Kentucky Derby riding assignment.

PIONEEROF THE NILE - Zayat Stables' Pioneerof the Nile stood in the starting gate and jogged once around with exercise rider George Alvarez up.

Trained by three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, Pioneerof the Nile will be ridden by Garrett Gomez next Saturday. Winner of four consecutive starts, Pioneerof the Nile is scheduled for his final pre-Derby work on Monday or Tuesday.

SQUARE EDDIE - J. Paul Reddam's Square Eddie visited the paddock and then galloped a mile and a half under exercise rider Tony Romero.

Leandro Mora, assistant to trainer Doug O'Neill, said more paddock schooling would be on tap for Square Eddie, whose final pre-Derby work is slated for Saturday or Sunday.

Corey Nakatani has the riding assignment on Square Eddie for Kentucky Derby 135.

SUMMER BIRD - Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman's Summer Bird galloped a mile and a half under jockey Chris Rosier after the renovation break.

Third in the Grade II Arkansas Derby in only his third start, Summer Bird is scheduled to work six furlongs after the break Friday morning with Rosier up for trainer Tim Ice.

This will be the second Kentucky Derby starter for Kalarikkal Jayaraman. Racing under the Tiffany Farms banner in 1989, Irish Actor finished seventh behind Sunday Silence. LeRoy Jolley was the trainer of Irish Actor.

WEST SIDE BERNIE - With trainer Kelly Breen up, George and Lori Hall's West Side Bernie galloped a mile and five-eighths before the renovation break.

West Side Bernie is scheduled to work Saturday morning.

Stewart Elliott, winner of the 2004 Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, has the Derby mount on West Side Bernie.   

WIN WILLY - Jer-Mar Stable's Win Willy arrived at Churchill Downs shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday and settled in at Barn 45, Stall 21.

Trained by Mac Robertson, Win Willy is slated to be ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Cliff Berry.

Godolphin’s pair of contenders for the $2 million-guaranteed Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) – Desert Party and Regal Ransom – turned in sharp works Saturday in their first serious training at Churchill Downs, while Illinois Derby (GII) winner Musket Man worked a strong six furlongs under Derby jockey Eibar Coa.

UAE Derby (GII) winner Regal Ransom turned in one of the best works of the day as he zipped five furlongs over a “fast” track in :59.80 under exercise rider Bob Chapman.  The son of Distorted Humor worked shortly after the track opened for training on the perfect spring morning and carved out fractions of :12/60, :24.20, :35.80 and :48 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.

    Desert Party, winner of last fall’s Sanford (GII) at Saratoga and the UAE 2000 Guineas and runner-up to Regal Ransom in the UAE Derby at Nad Al Sheba, worked just after the mid-session break for track maintenance and breezed five furlongs in 1:00.20.  Chapman was aboard as the son of Street Cry covered the distance in fractions of :12.20, :24.40, :37 and :48.80 and galloped out strongly with six furlongs in 1:13.20.

    “Both of them seemed to grab the track really good,” said Rick Mettee, assistant to Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor.  “This is the first these two have worked over a dirt track since last fall.  Of course they ran over the dirt at Nad Al Sheba, but that’s one reason why Saeed wanted to get them in here earlier.  They’ve been training at the (synthetic) Tapeta track over at Al Quoz and then before they got there they trained over the conventional Polytrack at Keeneland.”\

    Desert Party had some unexpected company on the track as he encountered Nowhere to Hide, the Nick Zito-trained fourth-place finisher in the Risen Star (GIII), Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) and Illinois Derby (GIII), at the head of the stretch and quickly blew past that colt as he split Zito’s colt on the rail and a galloper to the outside.

    “He had some competition there turning for home and that kind of spurred him on a little bit,” said Mettee.  “He grabbed the track fine and galloped out good and we’re really happy with that. He probably isn’t as a good a work horse as the other.  The track might not have been quite as fast as it was early.  That’s what my rider said.”

    Mettee said there has still been no formal decision as to whether both colts will run in the 135th Kentucky Derby on May 2, but said today’s efforts by Regal Ransom and Desert Party could accelerate that decision.

    “I think we wanted to kind of get past this hurdle and see how both of them were doing,” he said.  “Both of them worked good before we left – both of them worked sharp halves.  So this was the next step.  Saeed and Shiekh Mohammed will go over that, and it probably won’t be that long before they make a decision.”

    Mettee said Regal Ransom and Desert Party would have one more work in the days leading up to the Derby.

    “We’re kind of ahead of the game now, so we could go anywhere from Saturday to Tuesday of next week,” he said.  “Depending the weather and the track, we’d just wait and see.”

    Desert Party has a career record of 4-1-0 in six races and has earned $688,467.  Regal Ransom’s record stands at 2-2-0 in five races with earnings of $1,297,200.

    Meanwhile, Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man, the winner of the Illinois Derby (GIII) and Tampa Bay Derby, breezed six furlongs in the company of a stablemate for trainer Derek Ryan.  Coa guided the son of Yonaguska through the distance in 1:13 just after the break for track maintenance.

    Musket Man pulled away from his workmate, the 3-year-old colt Bull Toccet, at the top of the stretch and was about four lengths clear at the finish.  Bull Toccet covered the distance in 1:13.80.

    The work started at the 5 ½ furlong pole and finished up at the 7 ½ pole, and clockers caught Musket Man through his final quarter mile in :24.40.

    “I was pretty happy the way he worked,” said Coa.  “He just sat next to that horse all the way to the eighth pole and when I asked him he really finished up good.  That was what we were looking for today, and he did it the way we wanted to.”

    It was the first work over the track for Musket Man since his arrival at the track on April 5, the day after his victory in the Illinois Derby at Hawthorne Park.  

    “It went very well – it couldn’t have been a better work,” said trainer Derek Ryan.   “I always work him in company.  Every work he’s ever had has been in company, because he’s a little bit laid-back on his own and we needed to get a good work in him.”

    Musket Man has won five of six career starts with earnings of $572,600.

BAFFERT RETURNS TO THE CHURCHILL FOR DERBY – Three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert was back at Barn 33 on Saturday to oversee the training of Zayat Stable’s Pioneerof the Nile in the two weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby.

    The son of Empire Maker galloped Saturday morning following the break for track maintenance with Baffert looking on.  Baffert last participated in the Kentucky Derby when he saddled three horses in 2006.

    “It’s good to be back,” said Baffert. “You miss having a good horse for it.  But if you don’t have the right horse, you don’t miss it.  It’s not the same – it doesn’t get the juices flowing.  This time, coming here with a horse like this, I feel like I have a good chance to win it, so it’s exciting when you know you have a good horse.”

    Pioneerof the Nile has won four consecutive stakes races, including the Santa Anita Derby in his most recent outing on April 4.  Baffert’s colt has yet to run on traditional dirt – all of his previous races have been on turf or synthetic courses – but Baffert is encouraged that horses that he had beaten in California – such as Wood Memorial (GI) winner I Want Revenge and Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Papa Clem – traveled East and performed well on dirt courses.

    “It’s good that horses that left town to get away from him did well,” he said.  “This horse is improving and I think he should move up on the dirt, but you never know.”

    Baffert said Pioneerof the Nile would work Tuesday or Wednesday.

SUNDAY WORKS – Trainer Gary Stute said Bo Hirsch’s homebred Papa Clem, winner of the Arkansas Derby (GII), would work seven furlongs at Churchill Downs on Sunday.  

    Stute, who was traveling to Louisville on Saturday, said the colt would work close to the break for track maintenance.  

    Also scheduled to work on Sunday is Starlight Partners’ Take the Points, the runner-up in the Sham (GIII) who could enter the Kentucky Derby picture if there are defections from the list of possible starters over the next few days.  Take the Points is trained by Todd Pletcher.

 

After spending the winter on synthetic surfaces in California, Zayat Stables Pioneerof the Nile and the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust’s Chocolate Candy got a feel for the traditional dirt track at Churchill Downs on Friday as they began their first full day at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

    The Bob Baffert-trained Pioneerof the Nile, whose win in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) marked his fourth straight stakes victory, and Chocolate Candy, the Jerry Hollendorfer-trained runner-up in the Santa Anita Derby, both jogged over a “fast” surface after the mid-session break for track maintenance on Friday.  

    The two horses arrived at Churchill Downs early Thursday afternoon.  Chocolate Candy is scheduled to work on Tuesday, April 28 at Churchill Downs with new jockey Mike Smith in the saddle.  Smith, who won the 2005 Kentucky Derby aboard Giacomo, piloted the homebred Candy Ride colt in his last work before his departure from California.  Hollendorfer will accompany Smith to Kentucky for the work.

    Trainer Bob Baffert is scheduled to arrive in Louisville Friday evening and will be at Barn 33 on Saturday to supervise the training of Pioneerof the Nile and Kentucky Oaks (GI) hopeful Gabby’s Golden Gal.

Four Kentucky Derby contenders are scheduled to work at Churchill Downs over the weekend:

• Godolphin’s pair of Kentucky Derby hopefuls will work on Saturday.  UAE Derby winner Regal Ransom is scheduled to work as soon as the track opens at 6 a.m. (all times EDT), while UAE 2000 Guineas winner Desert Party will work just after the maintenance break around 8:30 a.m.
• Illinois Derby (GII) and Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) winner Musket Man will work just after the break with jockey Eibar Coa up.
•  Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Papa Clem will work seven furlongs on Sunday, according to trainer Gary Stute.

Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks, has arrived on the scene with Kentucky Derby hopeful Flying Private and Oaks candidate Be Fair.  Lukas said Flying Private would work “Monday or Tuesday,” and was leaning toward the latter.  Be Fair is set for a Sunday breeze.

    Wood Memorial (GI) winner I Want Revenge is scheduled for a Tuesday work.  

    Three other Kentucky Derby contenders are on the grounds at Churchill Downs.  Toyota Blue Grass (GI) winner General Quarters, Wood Memorial (GI) runner-up West Side Bernie and Smarty Jones winner Flat Out all galloped on Friday.

LEPAROUX TO RIDE TOYOTA BLUE GRASS WINNER GENERAL QUARTERS IN KENTUCKY DERBY 135 -- Four-time Churchill Downs’ riding champion Julien Leparoux has been named to ride owner-trainer Tom McCarthy’s Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) on May 2 at Churchill Downs.
    McCarthy said Wednesday that the 25-year-old native of Senlis, France would ride his gray son of Sky Mesa in the Derby.  McCarthy named Leparoux to the mount after he became frustrated by a lack of a commitment or communication from jockey Eibar Coa, who rode the colt in the Toyota Blue Grass.  Coa is also the regular jockey aboard Kentucky Derby contender Musket Man, the winner of the Illinois Derby (GII).
    “Julien is a nice, sit-still rider and he’s fairly aggressive,” said McCarthy.  “I think he’d fit this horse very nicely.”
    The 72-year-old McCarthy, a retired educator and former principal at three Louisville high schools, has a long relationship with Steve Bass, Leparoux’s agent and a former student of McCarthy’s at Louisville’s Seneca High School.   Leparoux’s success at Churchill Downs was also a selling point for McCarthy.
    “That’s a big thing,” McCarthy said.  “He’s been riding here and he knows the track.  After I get through talking with him we’ll have a plan we’ll use in the Derby.”
    Leparoux’s riding titles at Churchill Downs include a sensational record-smashing 2008 Fall Meet.  He recorded 63 wins during that session, which broke a record of 55 set in 1984 by Hall of Famer Pat Day, the track’s all-time leading jockey.  During that meet Leparoux also collected seven wins in a single day, which tied a record set by Day.
    General Quarters returned to the track on Wednesday for the first time since his Blue Grass victory.   He galloped 1 ½ miles under exercise rider Julie Sheets.
    McCarthy said General Quarters would probably have just one work between the Toyota Blue Grass and the Kentucky Derby.  His plan is not yet firm, but McCarthy said that he anticipates a work about eight days out from Derby 135.

GOLDOPHIN DUO SET FOR SATURDAY WORKS – Godolphin’s Kentucky Derby duo of UAE Derby (GII) winner Regal Ransom and runner-up Desert Party galloped over a “fast” track at Churchill Downs on Wednesday under the gaze of Rick Mettee, the assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor.
    “They trained great, both of them,” said Mettee. “They galloped really well. They had jogged for a few days since clearing quarantine and they both seemed to grab the track real nice.”
    The horses cleared quarantine at Churchill Downs on Saturday and are now stabled at Barn 41. 
    Mettee said that Godolphin and bin Suroor had not made a “definitive decision” on whether both horses would run in the May 2 Derby.
    “Both are going to work this weekend and that might help sort things out,” Mettee said.  “No definitive decision has been made, but right now we’re planning on running both.”
    Regarding Godolphin’s rider situation, Mettee said Alan Garcia, who rode Regal Ransom in the UAE Derby, was committed to ride for the stable in the Kentucky Derby.  If both horses are entered in the Derby, the decision would be made then as to which horse Garcia would ride.

WEST SIDE BERNIE JOGS – Wood Memorial (GI) runner-up West Side Bernie jogged on Wednesday at Churchill Downs in his first trip to the track since his pre-dawn arrival at the home of the Kentucky Derby on Monday.
    Trainer Kelly Breen was happy with the way the 3-year-old son of Bernstein looked on the track, but was unsure of the colt’s training schedule for the just over two weeks that remain before the “Run for the Roses.”
    “He had a little bit of a bout with colic when he shipped in here,” said Breen.  “He went to the track today, which is as good a schedule as we thought we’d be on.  I’m not sure if I’m going to breeze him on Sunday or just open gallop him.  I’m going to see how he feels.  I think he’s gotten over it (the colic) and put it past him, but I’m on the cautious side right now.”
    West Side Bernie would be Breen’s first Kentucky Derby starter.  Stewart Elliott, who won the 2004 Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, was in the saddle aboard West Side Bernie in the Wood Memorial and is scheduled to ride the colt in the Derby.

MUSKET MAN SET FOR SATURDAY WORK – Trainer Derek Ryan said Illinois Derby (GII) and Tampa Bay Derby (GIII) winner Musket Man would work on Saturday, April 18, “weather permitting.” 
Ryan said Musket Man would work just after the renovation break and jockey Eibar Coa would be at Churchill Downs for the move.

DERBY CONTENDERS ON THE GROUNDS – With Tuesday’s arrival of Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Papa Clem, there are seven Kentucky Derby hopefuls on the grounds.  Also here are Wood Memorial (GI) winner and possible favorite I Want Revenge; General Quarters; Musket Man; West Side Bernie; and the Godolphin duo of Desert Party and Regal Ransom.  The 1-2 finishers in the Santa Anita Derby – Pioneerof the Nile and Chocolate Candy – are scheduled to arrive on Thursday, April 16.

KENTUCKY OAKS FAVORITE RACHEL ALEXANRA TO BREEZE ON THURSDAY – L & M Racing’s Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Fantasy (GII) and Fair Grounds Oaks (GII), is set to work on Thursday, April 16 at Churchill Downs.
    Trainer Hal Wiggins said the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro would breeze around 8:30 a.m. (EDT), just after the break for track maintenance.

The two horses that represent the Kentucky Derby (Grade I) hopes of Dubai-based Godolphin are settling into new surroundings at Churchill Downs after a late afternoon arrival on Thursday at the historic home of the “Run for the Roses.”  Earlier in the day, likely Kentucky Oaks (GI) favorite Rachel Alexandra returned to her home track following an overnight van ride from Oaklawn Park, where she romped in the Fantasy Stakes (GII) on Sunday.

    Desert Party, winner of the UAE 2000 Guineas and last year’s Sanford (GII) at Saratoga, and Regal Ransom, who upset his stablemate in the $2 million UAE Derby (GII) on March 28 at Nad Al Sheba, arrived by van at the quarantine facility in Barn 45 at Churchill Downs shortly after 5 p.m. (EDT).  

    The 3-year-old colts trained by Saaed bin Suroor must remain in the U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantine for 24-48 hours.  Both horses will join the regular horse population at Churchill Downs after clearing quarantine and are scheduled to stable in Barn 41.

    Should one or both horses make the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands, they will be the first Derby starters to wear Godolphin’s signature blue silks since 2002.
Essence of Dubai finished ninth in that Derby.  The best finish by a Godolphin hopeful was the sixth place finish by China Visit in 2000.

    Desert Party has a career record of 4-1-0 in six races with earnings of $688,467.  The victory in the UAE Derby lifted Regal Ransom’s record to 2-2-0 in five starts with earnings in $1,297,200.

    L & M Racing’s Rachel Alexandra spent Thursday settling back into comfortable surroundings at trainer Hal Wiggins’ barn, where she spent most of her 2-year-old season.  The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro has won four consecutive races, a streak that started last fall with victory in the Golden Rod at Churchill Downs.

    Rachel Alexandra has won six of nine races and $621,440.

Trackside at Churchill Downs will open early at 9 am (all times Eastern) on Saturday, March 28, to import the six lucrative stakes races that compromise the 14th annual Dubai World Cup program from Nad Al Sheba Race Course in the United Arab Emirates.

            The $21 million extravaganza is anchored by the world’s richest race, the $6 million Dubai World Cup (Group I), which has lured North American horses such as Donn Handicap (GI) champ Albertus Maximus, Goodwood Handicap (GI) winner Well Armed, Meadowlands Cup (GII) hero Arson Squad and Pennsylvania Derby (GII) champ Anak Nakal. The Americans will face a stellar international cast that includes Japan’s Casino Drive, winner of last year’s Peter Pan (GII), and 2007 UAE Triple Crown winner Asiatic Boy, the runner-up to Curlin in last year’s World Cup.

            The Dubai World Cup, scheduled as the seventh race at 1:30 p.m., culminates the action-packed program.  The first import will be the $1 million Godolphin Mile (GII), which is carded as the second race at 9:40 a.m., and is followed by the $2 million UAE Derby (GII) at 10:15 a.m.; the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (GI) at 10:55 a.m.; the $5 million Dubai Duty Free (GI) at 11:55 a.m.; the $5 million Dubai Sheema Classic (GI) at 12:40 p.m.; and Dubai World Cup. Win, Place, Exacta, Trifecta, Superfecta and Pick 3 wagering will be offered.

            The 1 1/8-mile UAE Derby is an important steppingstone to Kentucky Derby 135 for Godolphin’s UAE 2,000 Guineas champ Desert Party, who’ll be ridden by Frankie Dettori. The prominent global outfit will also start Regal Ransom and Jose Adan.

            Other familiar Northern American stars scheduled to run on the program are Archipenko (Duty Free), Black Seventeen (Golden Shaheen), Diabolical (Golden Shaheen), Doctor Dino (Sheema Classic), Gayego (Godolphin Mile), Hyperbaric (Duty Free), Indian Blessing (Golden Shaheen), Kip Deville (Duty Free), Marsh Side (Sheema Classic), Quijano (Sheema Classic), Red Rocks (Sheema Classic), Tiz Now Tiz Then (Godolphin Mile) and Two Step Salsa (Godolphin Mile).

            The roster of winners for the 1 ¼-mile Dubai World Cup includes Cigar (1996), Singspiel (1997), Silver Charm (1998), Dubai Millennium (2000), Captain Steve (2001), Street Cry (2002), Pleasantly Perfect (2004), Roses in May (2005), Invasor (2007) and Curlin (2008).

            Trackside at Churchill Downs will offer free general admission from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. After 11:30 a.m., general admission is $3, but only $1 for Twin Spires Club members and seniors.  Also, a $4.75 breakfast special – featuring eggs, sausage or bacon, biscuits and gravy, hash browns and coffee or juice – will be on sale in the ITW food court on the second floor of the clubhouse.

Later in the afternoon, Churchill Downs also will simulcast the Florida Derby Day program from Gulfstream Park with the important Grade I race scheduled as Race 10 at 5:44 p.m.

            Churchill Downs, the world’s most legendary racetrack, has conducted Thoroughbred racing and presented America’s greatest race, the Kentucky Derby, continuously since 1875. Located in Louisville, the flagship racetrack of Churchill Downs Incorporated (NASDAQ Global Select Market: CHDN) also operates Trackside at Churchill Downs, which offers year-round simulcast wagering at the historic track. Churchill Downs will conduct the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 2, 2009. The track’s 2009 Spring Meet will take place from April 25 through July 5. Churchill Downs is scheduled to host the Breeders’ Cup World Championships for a record seventh time on Nov. 5 and 6, 2010. Information about Churchill Downs can be found on the Internet at www.churchilldowns.com.

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