Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum Brands

A jockey colony headed by 2009 Eclipse Award winner Julien Leparoux and three-time Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) winner Calvin Borel and a roster of trainers led by Steve Asmussen, America’s Eclipse Award top trainer of 2008 and 2009, should ensure that the human star power is equal to the equine variety when Churchill Downs opens its 121st Fall Meet on Sunday, Oct. 31.

The 21-day meet runs through Sunday, Nov. 28 and includes a record seventh visit by the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to Churchill Downs on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6.  It is the first stop by the year-end Thoroughbred racing championships since it adopted a two-day format and expanded its offerings to 14 races.  It also will be the first of back-to-back visits to the home of the Kentucky Derby by the Breeders’ Cup, which will return to Churchill Downs in 2011.

Leparoux, a 27-year-old native of Senlis, France, will bid for his seventh Churchill Downs riding crown.  An injury kept him on the sidelines for most of the 2010 Spring Meet, but Leparoux will shoot for his fourth consecutive fall title in the meet that opens Sunday.  He has won three of the last four Fall Meet titles outright and shared the other with Borel.

The popular Borel took advantage of Leparoux’s absence in the spring to score 52 victories – including his third Kentucky Derby victory aboard WinStar Farm homebred Super Saver – to earn his first spring riding crown.  Borel, who has won or shared three Fall Meet titles, earned his 1,000th Churchill Downs victory during the 2010 spring session and ranks second to all-time leader Pat Day in career wins beneath the Twin Spires.

Veteran riding stars Robby Albarado, Shaun Bridgmohan, Corey Lanerie, Miguel Mena, Jamie Theriot and Jon Court also return to the talent-laden jockey colony, as does rising star Freddie Lenclud, the leading apprentice jockey of the 2010 Spring Meet.

New faces among riders at Churchill Downs include Michael Baze, a runaway winner of leading jockey honors at this year’s Arlington Park meet, and Rosemary Homeister Jr., who moves north from her fall base at Florida’s Calder Race Course.  The 23-year-old Baze, a native of Renton, Wash., is a cousin to all-time racing win leader Russell Baze and Southern California-based Tyler Baze.  The 38-year-old Homeister, whose mother and father both spent time in the saddle as jockeys, rode in the 2003 Kentucky Derby aboard Supah Blitz and finished 13th to the victorious Funny Cide.

Asmussen, who guided Curlin (2007, 2008) and Rachel Alexandra (2009) to the last three Eclipse Awards that honored America’s Horse of the Year, leads U.S. trainers in victories in 2010.  He won the Spring Meet training crown – his third consecutive training title at Churchill Downs and his eighth overall.  The native of South Dakota and is rapidly climbing the all-time victory list at Churchill Downs and currently ranks fifth with 378 wins heading into Sunday’s Fall Meet opener.

The roll call of trainers stabled at Churchill Downs and its Trackside Louisville training center again includes Hall of Fame conditioners Bill Mott, D. Wayne Lukas, Nick Zito and Carl Nafzger.  Mott is the track’s all-time win leader with 633 victories.  Louisville native Dale Romans, who has earned 507 wins at Churchill Downs to rank second in career victories at his hometown track, is back after finishing second to Asmussen in the spring race by a margin of 24-19.

A new face in the training ranks who could have an immediate impact include Eric Guillot, whose stable includes Acorn (GI) winner and Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (GI) contender Champagne d’Oro.

L & M Partners LLC’s Rachel Alexandra delivered a tour de force under Calvin Borel in crushing six rivals to win the 135th running of the $554,500 Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) by a record 20 ¼ lengths on Friday before a crowd of 104,867 at Churchill Downs.

    Trained by Hal Wiggins for the partnership of breeder Dolphus Morrison and Michael Lauffer, Rachel Alexandra stalked early pacesetter Gabby’s Golden Gal until Borel began to inch up midway on the final turn of the mile and one-eighth race.  

Turning for home, Rachel Alexandra had put Gabby’s Golden Gal away and Borel began looking over his right shoulder for competition. There was none as the daughter of Medaglia d’Oro continued to widen under a hand ride from Borel to complete the distance over a “fast” track in 1:48.87, which just missed the stakes record of 1:48.64 established by Bird Town in 2003.

The margin of victory is believed to be an Oaks record.  Available records date to 1916 and the largest previous victory margin was 10 lengths, a feat last achieved by Oaktown Stable’s Lite Light in 1991.

“It was just unbelievable,” said Wiggins, a training veteran of 40 years who scored his first victory in the Kentucky Oaks and notched his first win in a Grade I stakes race.  “When he (Borel) asked her, she just naturally took off. And just finished tremendous. It looked like she came out of the race really, really good. That’s the main thing.”

As the 3-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra returned mutuels of $2.60, $2.20 and $2.10. Stone Legacy, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, rallied for second to return $11 and $5. Flying Spur finished another 4 ¼ lengths back in third under Garrett Gomez and paid $2.80 to show.

The victory extended Rachel Alexandra’s win streak to five, a streak that began with Borel aboard for the Golden Rod (Grade II) at Churchill Downs last November.   The filly has never lost with Borel in the saddle.

Bred by Morrison, Rachel Alexandra is a daughter of the Roar mare Lotta Kim, who was owned by Morrison and trained by Wiggins. Rachel Alexandra has won seven of 10 career starts for earnings of $958,354, including $336,914 for the Oaks triumph.

The field was reduced to seven when West Point Thoroughbreds, Lakland Farm and R. Dee Hubbard’s Justwhistledixie was withdrawn from the Oaks less than two hours before the race because of an abscess in her left front foot.

The victory was worth $336,914 and increased Rachel Alexandra’s earnings to $958,354.

The victory in the Oaks was the first for Borel, who won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) in 2007 aboard Street Sense.  He will ride Mine That Bird in Saturday’s renewal of the “Run for the Roses.”

Despite the threat of rain early in the day, the 135th Kentucky Oaks attracted the fourth largest crowd in the history of the race that was first run in 1875.  The event has attracted more than 100,000 fans in 10 of the past 11 years, topped by the crowd of 111,243 that attended the race in 2005.
    
            KENTUCKY OAKS 135 QUOTES

CALVIN BOREL (rider of winner Rachel Alexandra) -- Do you think you should have run in the Derby?  “To tell you the truth I’m happy they didn’t run her, I think they did the right thing by running her today, but I do think she would have won it.
“She’s probably the greatest horse I’ve ever been on in my life.  There are other things down the road for her and she’ll prove it, I promise it.”
This filly she breaks out of the gate and she’s like ‘bring it on, let’s go!’
 
HAL WIGGINS (trainer of winner Rachel Alexandra) -- “If you watched the race you saw it. It was just unbelievable. I was a little worried about (Bob) Baffert’s filly (Gabby’s Golden Gal) on the lead like that, but (jockey) Calvin (Borel) said, ‘I had everything under control.’ When he asked her, she just naturally took off. And just finished tremendous. It looked like she came out of the race really, really good. That’s the main thing.”
On the show-stopping performance:
“Her last four races have been like that. Of course, this is the most important, a Grade I win for a filly. The owner still owns the dam, so that’s very important. And I’ve trained for the man for 30 years. It’s good feeling to me for him to be able to experience this.”
 
DOLPHUS MORRISON (co-owner of winner Rachel Alexandra) -- Any regrets that you’re not running in the Derby tomorrow?  “No sir, the Triple Crown races are to showcase the future stallions of our industry and fillies should run with fillies and stallions with stallions.”  
 D. WAYNE LUKAS (trainer of Stone Legacy, second; Be Fair, fourth; and Tweeter, seventh) -- “I thought Be Fair would be the stronger of the entry but I was really pleased. The way the pace developed it really setup for Stone Legacy. We are tickled. Mary Lou Whitney has won this race in the past and now to get another second is great. Second is what everyone was lining up for today. There is no disgrace to get beat by the winner. The pace scenario didn’t really matter because once Rachel Alexandra she took off, the front-runner was of no consequence.”

KENT DESORMEAUX (jockey, Stone Legacy, 2nd) – “No excuses. That’s one we don’t have to beat tomorrow. I’m glad she isn’t in the Derby.”

GARRETT GOMEZ (rider of third-place finisher Flying Spur) – “She struggled the whole time trying to keep up. In the middle of turn, I got into her pretty good. I wasn’t going anywhere, so I kind of let her regroup and she found some more and was able to get third. The filly who won it is something else.”

BILL MOTT (trainer of third-place finisher Flying Spur) – “It meant a lot to be third in this race. Third was great for our filly who looked like she would drop out of it, but then made a run. That’s some super filly who won.”

RAFAEL BEJARANO (rider of fourth-place finisher Be Fair) -- “I thought we could be second or third, but she just was not good enough today. The winner, she was just too good.”

COREY NAKATANI (rider of fifth-place finisher Nan) – “We’d have been all right if I’d have had a rocket. What can you say? She ran away and hid. Congratulations.”

WALLY DOLLASE (father of trainer Craig Dollase of fifth-place finisher Nan) – “Awesome. Simply an awesome victory for that filly. My filly is still running. The other one is gone.”

VICTOR ESPINOZA (rider of sixth-place finisher Gabby’s Golden Gal) – “What can I say? She just ran away. Calvin (Borel on Rachel Alexandra) didn’t say anything when he went by me. He couldn’t.”

MIGUEL MENA (jockey, Tweeter, 7th) – “She didn’t break too good. She was a little rank the first part. She got tired. No excuses.”

CHOCOLATE CANDY – The Sid and Jenny Craig Trust’s Chocolate Candy visited the paddock and then galloped a mile and a half over a muddy Churchill Downs track Monday morning with exercise rider Lindsey Molina up.
Galen May, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, said Chocolate Candy would work Tuesday morning, most likely after the break.
“We are going to work all of them tomorrow,” May said referring to Rendezvous, who is being pointed to Saturday’s Grade III Derby Trial, Sugar Mint (IRE), a candidate for the Humana Distaff (Grade I) or Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (Grade II).

DESERT PARTY/REGAL RANSOM – The Godolphin duo of Regal Ransom and Desert Party jogged Monday morning with exercise rider Bob Chapman handling the duties on both.
    Regal Ransom was the first colt out shortly after the track opened at 6 o’clock and Desert Party follows about an hour later.
    Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, is due to be back in Louisville on Wednesday. Henry Spiller is overseeing morning training in Mettee’s absence.

FLAT OUT – Oxbow Racing’s Flat Out galloped a mile and three-quarters under exercise rider Walter Aguilar early Monday morning.
     Trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey remains hopeful Flat Out can get into the Derby field despite having only $32,500 in graded stakes earnings. If Flat Out does not make the Derby field, Dickey said “there are three or four options out there, but we haven’t made a decision.”

FLYING PRIVATE – Grand Slam Farm LLC’s Flying Private galloped Monday morning under exercise rider Taylor Carty for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
    Lukas said the son of 2000 Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus would likely work Tuesday morning, “weather permitting.”
    Robby Albarado is scheduled to ride Flying Private in Kentucky Derby 135.
    
GENERAL QUARTERS – Owner-trainer Tom McCarthy sent Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters out for a mile and a half gallop under exercise rider Julie Sheets.
“He had a slow gallop over a muddy racetrack,” McCarthy said. “I didn’t see too many going fast out there this morning.”
Julien Leparoux has the Kentucky Derby riding assignment on General Quarters.

GIANT OAK – The Virginia H. Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak, runner-up in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs and the recent Illinois Derby (GII), is out of consideration for Kentucky Derby 135.
    Trainer Chris Block told Churchill Downs officials on Monday that the homebred son of Giant’s Causeway would get some time off before focusing on a summer campaign that could include a return to the grass.  Block’s colt won his racing debut over that surface.
    Giant Oak was considered by many to be a major contender for the “Run for the Roses” after his strong effort in last fall’s Kentucky Jockey Club, but he had a star-crossed winter at Fair Grounds that included a fifth-place finish in the Risen Star (GII) and a fourth-place run in the Louisiana Derby (GII).  He returned home to his Chicago base to run second to Musket Man in the Illinois Derby (GII), but Block said he continued to be concerned by the colt’s mental outlook.  So Giant Oak will get some time off for freshening
    “Physically he’s ready, mentally he’s not,” said Block by telephone.  “He just hasn’t gone forward mentally enough.  What I’d be scared to death of is the experience of the Derby is tough on some of those 3-year-olds who aren’t mentally prepared.  I’m afraid we’d take major steps backwards.  We’d love to be there, but in the best interests of him, I think we’ll wait it out and look for something else.”
    Block said a Kentucky Derby bid was tempting, but the ultimate decision to skip the race was not a difficult one.
    “It was pretty easy after we considered everything,” he said.  “We waited to see how he came out of the Illinois Derby, and he came out of it good.  He’s been good mentally since the race, but we kind of looked back over our experience of the last three or four races and I thought the only really solid performance was the race last fall there at Churchill.  Things didn’t go well in New Orleans where we could get a real good read, and I’m not sure we learned a ton more in the Illinois Derby that would make us think that we’re worthy of running with those top 10 in the Kentucky Derby.”
    Giant Oak has a career record of 2-2-0 in seven races with earnings of $218,396.    

I WANT REVENGE – IEAH Stables, David Lanzman and Puglisi Racing’s I Want Revenge had a leisurely stroll through the barn area while some maintenance work was being done on the track Monday morning.
“Just doing a little trail riding,” said Bobby Troeger, assistant to trainer Jeff Mullins.
After “trail riding” was complete, I Want Revenge jogged in the mile chute and then galloped a mile under former jockey Joe Deegan.
I Want Revenge is scheduled to work Tuesday morning after the renovation break with jockey Joe Talamo coming in for the work.

MUSKET MAN – Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man jogged early Monday morning with exercise rider Salvador Dominguez up.
    Trainer Derek Ryan, who never has started a horse at Churchill Downs, said Musket Man “probably would work Saturday, weather permitting.”
    Eibar Coa has the Derby riding assignment on Musket Man.

PAPA CLEM – Arkansas Derby (Grade II) winner Papa Clem walked the shedrow at Barn 10A on Monday morning, a day after working five furlongs in 1:04.60 on Sunday.

PIONEEROF THE NILE – Zayat Stables’ Pioneerof the Nile galloped a little more than a mile and a half with exercise rider George Alvarez up after the renovation break.
    “He goes well over everything, but today was his first time on slop,” trainer Bob Baffert said. “He’s got a big, long stride. He seems to be more focused here than at Santa Anita.”
    Baffert, who has won the Kentucky Derby three times, plans to work Pioneerof the Nile on Tuesday morning.
    “I might wait until Wednesday, but the track was OK today and I don’t see a problem,” Baffert said. “He’s pretty ready. Then he would come back next Monday or Tuesday.”
    Baffert’s most recent Kentucky Derby win was in 2002 with War Emblem. He enjoyed his first Kentucky Derby success in 1997 with Silver Charm and won again the following year with Real Quiet.
    “Coming in that gate and seeing the Twin Spires with a contender, it’s like ‘Here we are!’ There are a lot of great memories,” Baffert said. “I am going to have fun. You’ve got to appreciate it, because you never know when you will be back.”
    Baffert said the key question with any Kentucky Derby horse is whether they can handle the mile and a quarter distance.
    “The distance is what separates a lot of them and that is one thing I love about this horse is the distance will not be a problem,” Baffert said. “People ask me to compare horses but he is maybe like Real Quiet, I knew he’d get the mile and a quarter.”

WEST SIDE BERNIE – George and Lori Hall’s West Side Bernie galloped a mile and three-quarters with trainer Kelly Breen up.
    West Side Bernie, second to I Want Revenge in the Wood Memorial (Grade I) in his most recent start, is slated to be ridden in the Kentucky Derby by Stewart Elliott, who piloted Smarty Jones to victory in the 2004 Derby.
    As for a work schedule, Breen said, “I don’t think he will breeze until next week.”

KENTUCKY DERBY 135 ARRIVAL SCHEDULE – Two prospective Kentucky Derby starters are scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday according to Director of Stalls Mike Hargrave.
    Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird is due in tomorrow night after vanning from Sunland Park. Trained by Bennie Woolley Jr., Mine That Bird will be stabled in Barn 42, Stall 22.
    J. Paul Reddam’s Square Eddie, third in last Saturday’s Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) at Keeneland, is scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon and will be housed in Barn 17.
    Anticipated to arrive on Wednesday is Drs. K.K. and Vilasini Jayaraman’s Summer Bird, trained by Tim Ice. Summer Bird will be going to Barn 42, Stall 11.
    Coming Thursday are WinStar Farm’s Mr. Hot Stuff and Jer-Mar Stable’s Win Willy.
    Trained by Eoin Harty, Mr. Hot Stuff will be going into Barn 41 and Win Willy, trained by Mac Robertson, will be housed in Barn 45.
    Another WinStar runner, Hold Me Back, is at Keeneland and will move into Bill Mott’s Barn 19 when he ships to Churchill Downs.
    Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm’s Friesan Fire, trained by Larry Jones, is expected to arrive Friday afternoon and will be stabled in Barn 45.
    Not expected to arrive until April 28 are Mrs. John Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor’s Dunkirk, who will go into Barn 34 with trainer Todd Pletcher’s string, and Edward P. Evans’ Quality Road, trained by James Jerkens. No barn assignment has been made for Quality Road.

Trainer Hal Wiggins was looking for an easy work on Thursday for L & M Racing’s Rachel Alexandra, the likely favorite for the $500,000 Kentucky Oaks (Grade I) at Churchill Downs on May.  But ‘easy’ is a relative term when it comes to describing the training activity of the star of Wiggins’ stable.

    Rachel Alexandra zipped five furlongs in :59.40 over a “fast” track with jockey Calvin Borel in the irons.  The move, which came just after the break for track maintenance, tied as the fastest of 21 at the distance.

    Churchill Downs clockers caught Rachel Alexandra in fractions of :12.60, :24.40,  :36 and :47.60.  She galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.60 and seven-eighths in 1:24.20.
    Despite the rapid time, Borel said the winner of the Fantasy (GII) and Fair Grounds Oaks (GI) completed her task with ease and without urging.

    “I’ve never asked her – it’s scary,” said Borel.  “I’ve been on her all the time and I’ve never asked her.  She’s just unbelievable, and she just gets better and better and better and better. I don’t know how good she can be.”

    “As usual, she went a little bit faster than I really wanted, but she does it so easy,” Wiggins said.  “The main thing we want to do now is just keep her fresh and keep her ready.”

    Wiggins said Rachel Alexandra would have “a little easy breeze” on Monday, April 27 and that would complete her serious preparation for the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Oaks, America’s premier race for 3-year-old fillies.  He said that work would likely be a four-furlong move.

    Rachel Alexandra is on a four-race winning streak, all in stakes races, and her recent romp in the Fantasy at Oaklawn Park improved her record to six wins in nine races with earnings of $621,440.

    Borel, who won the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (GI) with Street Sense in 2007, has been aboard Rachel Alexandra for that string of wins that started last fall in the Golden Rod (GII) at Churchill Downs.  He said she was good then, but is a much better filly now.

“I’d say she’s about 40 percent better, just because of the way she’s blossomed,” Borel said.  “Now she’s got so much power, it’s just unbelievable.  I don’t know how good she is, to tell you the truth.  She’s an awesome filly.”

Other Kentucky Oaks candidates on the grounds at Churchill Downs include Arnold Zetcher, LLC’s Gabby’s Golden Gal, who scored a 13-length victory for Baffert in the Sunland Park Oaks, and J. Paul Reddam’s Nan, fourth to champion Stardom Bound in the Santa Anita Oaks (GI) for trainer Craig Dollase.

PIONEEROF THE NILE, CHOCOLATE CANDY ARRIVE THIS AFTERNOON FOR DERBY 135 –  The 1-2 finishers in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) – Zayat Stables’ Pioneerof the Nile and the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust’s Chocolate Candy – are scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs early Thursday afternoon.

       The flight carrying the horses from Southern California is scheduled to touch down in Louisville at 11:50 a.m. (all times EDT).  Vans carrying the two horses should arrive at Churchill Downs sometime around 12:30 p.m.

    Pioneerof the Nile is trained by three-time Kentucky Derby winner Bob Baffert, while Chocolate Candy is trained by Northern California training legend Jerry Hollendorfer.

    Barn 33, the regular home for Baffert’s horses at Churchill Downs, will be the destination for Pioneerof of the Nile, while Chocolate Candy and three Hollendorfer-trained stablemates will be stabled in Barn 42.

WORK TAB (Track: FAST) – New Orleans Handicap (GII) and 2008 Derby Trial winner Macho Again breezed four furlongs in :51.20. … Secret Gypsy, winner of the Distaff (GII) at Aqueduct breezed four furlongs in :48.40, the second fastest of 33 moves at the distance.  The Ronny Werner trainee is scheduled to run next in the Humana Distaff (GI) on Kentucky Derby Day. … Three-time Louisville Handicap (GIII) winner Silverfoot breezed a half-mile in :50 … Arlington-Washington Lassie (GIII) winner C.S. Silk breezed five furlongs in :59.80.