Chocolate Candy

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ADVICE / DUNKIRK / JOIN IN THE DANCE / TAKE THE POINTS – A trio of Todd Pletcher-trained Kentucky Derby “possibles” went through their final serious drills for the Saturday spectacular on Monday morning, putting a “put me in coach” spin on activities Pletcher’s Barn 38.

Pletcher took up a post in the grandstand and oversaw the activities, which began shortly after the renovation break ended at 8:30 a.m. (all times EDT) when Hall of Fame jockey-turned-jockey-agent-and-sometimes-exercise-rider Angel Cordero Jr. guided the Sky Mesa colt Join in the Dance through a five-furlong workout timed in 1:00.20.

Join in the Dance, stakes-placed and No. 21 on the Kentucky Derby “eligible” list based on graded stakes earnings starting out the day, has a good turn of foot and could be a solid forward factor in the full field if he gets to run.

“He’s an enthusiastic work horse, so it was good to see him settle and work well today,” Pletcher said afterward. “He should be ready now.”

Next from the Pletcher barn – just after 9 a.m. – came two other Derby candidates, the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (Grade II) winner Advice and the gray Even the Score colt Take the Points.

Advice went off first with exercise rider Kevin Willey up and covered four furlongs in :47.20, then galloped out an extra furlong in 1:00. He is already solidly “in” the Derby lineup based on graded earnings, should his connections – the WinStar Farm crew of Bill Casner and Kenny Troutt – decide they’d like a third horse in Derby 135. The Kentucky farm already has Hold Me Back and Mr. Hot Stuff scheduled to run in the 10-furlong classic, so the thought of wheeling Advice back in two weeks off his Lexington tally has been debated.

“I got him (Advice) finishing up that work in :23 and 1,” Pletcher said. “It was a good move for him.”

Shortly after Advice took care of business, exercise rider Horacio De la Paz had Take the Points ready to ramble five-eighths and he was joined – once again – by the unstarted potential star (he’s by Storm Cat out of champion Serena’s Song) Schramsberg, with Cordero on board. The pair had worked in company last week and they went at it again with the unraced chestnut youngster starting out a length or two in front as they went by the five-furlong marker.

The gray colt – who sits at No. 22 on the Derby “eligible” list --  took dead aim on his “rival” around the turn and by the time he’d gone by the wire in 1:00.20, he was well clear and drawing out on the less-experienced colt, who was given a final time of 1:01.60.

“I was happy to see the work by Take the Points,” Pletcher said. “He picked up his workmate and went right on by. He looked good doing it.”

The trainer said decisions on who might – and might not – be entered in the Derby on Wednesday morning would be made Tuesday. Possible jockey assignments will be fixed then, too.

“We’ll see how they come out of these works tomorrow morning,” the trainer said. “We’re happy with the overall activity today and it sets us up for lots of possibilities.”

The final Pletcher Derby candidate – and one of the possible favorites for the race – Dunkirk, spent his Monday morning shipping to West Palm Beach Airport for a flight to Louisville. He was expected to join the Pletcher barn Monday afternoon.

CHOCOLATE CANDY – Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer made a beeline from Barn 42 to the clocker’s stand on the Churchill Downs backside Monday morning just before 8:30 a.m. and the end of the track’s renovation break. He got there in time to watch Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith backtrack his colt Chocolate Candy from the six-furlong gap to the eighth pole, then turn and ease on in to a five-furlong workout.

As the work began to unfold on the backstretch near the five-eighths pole, a two-horse collision near the finish line occurred and sent track sirens wailing. It also sent Hollendorfer – and everyone else at the track – into moments of high anxiety. Fortunately for the Chocolate Candy connections the unhappy incident did not disrupt their business and the tall, bay son of Candy Ride clipped off a drill of :59.20, galloping out an extra furlong in 1:12.80. (Clockers caught the early splits in :12, :23.60, :35.60 and :47.)

“We both saw the horses down,” Smith said afterward. “Luckily, it happened over by the outer rail. He (Chocolate Candy) just looked that way for a second, but he turned back and kept on going. We both were able to focus and complete what we had to do.”

A slightly shaken Hollendorfer was happy to have the work and the incident behind him.

“We were lucky we got to finish the work,” he said heading back to the barn. “So many things can happen. It is worrisome.

“I had told Mike ‘Just like Santa Anita’ (a reference to a :59.20 work turned in by the pair at the California track on April 12). He hit it right on. Now I think my horse has a chance to run well here. He can handle this track and now we know he can run well here. Handling the track is key and he’s show us he can.”

Smith had little doubt about that subject.

“Sure, he’ll handle this track,” the rider said. “He’ll handle anything. He’s a nice colt. His work today felt just like the one at Santa Anita. He’s ready to go.”

Chocolate Candy is a winner of four of nine starts and $532,500. He was bred by the late Sid Craig and his wife Jenny and currently races for the family’s Trust.

DESERT PARTY / REGAL RANSOM – Trainer Saeed bin Suroor watched his Kentucky Derby prospects jog a mile shortly after the track opened for training at 6 a.m.

The Godolphin duo turned in the two fastest five-furlong works Saturday morning: Regal Ransom in :59.20 and Desert Party in :59.60. Sunday morning they walked the shedrow at Barn 41.

“They came out of their work in good form. No problem,” bin Suroor said. “They are perfectly, sound, happy, fresh. No problems at all.”

The veteran trainer said the colts would gallop Tuesday morning. Both colts started their racing careers in the United States last year, spent the winter in Dubai and competed in the international race meet at Nad al Sheba race track. Regal Ransom, who had finished second to Desert Party in the first two races at Nad al Sheba, pulled off a bit of an upset in the UAE Derby on March 28, beating his stablemate by a half-length.

“Both of these horses are much better than they were in Dubai,” bin Suroor said. “They each had three runs in Dubai. They handled the travel very well.”

Alan Garcia will ride Regal Ransom and Ramon Dominguez has the assignment on Desert Party in the Derby.

FLYING PRIVATE – Robert Baker and William Mack's Flying Private worked four furlongs in :47.40 after the renovation break Monday. Robby Albarado, who has the mount for Derby 135, was aboard for the move that featured fractions of  :23.80 for the quarter and :35.80 for three-eighths.

“He went well,” Albarado said. “It was just a maintenance work with company. Wayne (trainer D. Wayne Lukas) wanted to get a good finish and that's what we got.”

FRIESAN FIRE – Larry Jones had said he did not expect Friesan Fire to work as fast in his final Derby drill as Hard Spun did two years ago.

He was right. Friesan Fire worked bullet five furlongs in :57.80 with jockey Gabriel Saez up. Hard Spun had worked in :57.60 under Jockey Mario Pino on the Monday of Derby Week.

“A fifth of a second off,” Jones said, adding with a laugh, “that’s good, people would have said I worked him too fast.”

Working immediately after the renovation break over a “fast” track, Friesan Fire reeled off fractions of :11.20, :22.20, :33.60, :45.20 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.

“I was very happy with it,” Jones said. “Gabe said he thought he went in about a minute. If I could have written the perfect script, I would have had him gallop out in 1:12, but he has been watching those tents every day (on the backside) and I wanted to put the blinkers on to keep him more focused.”

Jones, whose horses have run second in the past two editions of the Kentucky Derby, was asked if he felt the Derby gods might smile on him this year.

“I feel blessed to have run in the past two Kentucky Derbys and have horses run well,” Jones said referring to Hard Spun and Eight Belles. “If the gods want to smile on me, I’m gonna grin from ear to ear.”

Jones said Friesan Fire would walk Tuesday, jog Wednesday and then gallop up to Derby 135.

“Wednesday is going to be an easy day,” Jones said. “He may go to the paddock and the gate and walk around and see some folks. We’re fine (after this work); he wasn’t blowing at all when he came back.”

Friesan Fire is owned by Vinery Stables and Fox Hill Farm, the same partnership that owns Kodiak Kowboy who worked five furlongs in :59.80 immediately after Friesan Fire as a prep for a run in Saturday’s Grade II Churchill Downs. Saez was aboard Kodiak Kowboy and also worked Just Jenda, owned by Jones’ wife Cindy, a half-mile in :48 in preparation for the Eight Belles on Saturday.

GENERAL QUARTERS – Owner/trainer Tom McCarthy looked on as his Toyota Blue Grass (Grade I) winner turned in a second straight spirited gallop mid-track under exercise rider Julie Sheets. McCarthy said he won’t change plans with his one-horse stable and continue to just gallop General Quarters up to Derby 135.

“He’s a strong galloper, maybe too strong sometimes,” McCarthy said moments after this morning’s 1 1/2-mile exercise.

General Quarters does not have the prettiest conformation or stride, especially in the right-front foot, which is why he sold for just $20,000 as a yearling. But, as McCarthy noted, “It does not affect him when he gallops or runs, there’s no doubt about that. You have to do something corrective when they are a baby, or just live with it. He’s always had it and always will.”

One area where McCarthy won’t have to worry about his horse is familiarity with Churchill Downs. McCarthy said because General Quarters has raced, trained and stabled here in the past, “He knows his way around. There’s no need to school him in between races in the paddock or do too much with him at this point.”

HOLD ME BACK – Typically, horses spend a day away from the track the morning after a timed workout. Not WinStar Farm’s Hold Me Back, who needed more action than a stroll around trainer Bill Mott’s shedrow.

Sunday morning, the Toyota Blue Grass (Grade I) runner-up worked five furlongs in 1:01.60 under Hall of Fame jockey and three-time Kentucky Derby-winner Kent Desormeaux. At 6:55 a.m. Monday, Mott led the colt and assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy to the track, where they galloped a mile.

“He doesn’t like to walk,” Mott said. “He’d rather train. He’s full of energy and gets anxious. He wants to get out and do a little something.”

I WANT REVENGE – One day before he’s scheduled for his final tune-up for the Kentucky Derby, I Want Revenge jogged a mile and galloped a mile under exercise rider Joe Deegan at Churchill Downs on Monday morning.

“I think he’s just peaking now,” trainer Jeff Mullins said. “He looks just as good as he did in New York, maybe a little better. For as much traveling as he’s done for a young horse, he hasn’t missed a beat. I don’t think he’s ever come out of his feed tub one time.”

Mullins will send the Kentucky-bred colt to the track Tuesday morning right after the renovation break, although he said he hadn’t decided whether the workout will be four or five furlongs.

While getting his morning bath following his exercise Monday morning, I Want Revenge looked like the picture of health, except for a few minor abrasions on his left knee.

“He got cast in his stall the night before his first work here,” said Mullins, whose colt has worked the two previous Tuesdays at Churchill Downs. “You can see the scapes on his head and everywhere else.”

I Want Revenge will be ridden by 19-year-old Joe Talamo, who guided him from last to first with a heads-up ride in the eventful Wood Memorial (Grade I) at Aqueduct in his final prep.

“He definitely moved up a couple notches in my book, that’s for sure. I knew he was a good rider, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t realize he was that young,” Mullins said. “I thought he was 20-something years old. To show that kind of confidence and patience, it’s pretty strong for a guy that age.”

Although the son of Stephen Got Even settled nicely in the back of the pack after a very slow start, Mullins isn’t so sure that his Wood Memorial winner necessarily showed a new dimension with his deep-closing effort at Aqueduct.

“That happened by accident. Sometimes you might not be able to make him do that,” he said. “He’s a strong-minded horse. If he breaks without any trouble, I don’t think you’re going to be able to wrangle him back.”

MINE THAT BIRD – Expected to be Canada’s first champion 2-year-old in the Kentucky Derby starting gate since Talkin Man in 1995, Mine That Bird drilled five furlongs in 1:02 flat Monday morning under jockey Calvin Borel. Churchill Downs clockers had the son of Birdstone galloping out an additional furlong in :13.20.

Mine That Bird was ponied to the five-eighths pole easily and broke off slowly for Borel, asked to run through the lane at trainer Chip Woolley’s instructions. Fractions were :13, :25.40, :37.40, :49.80 and 1:02 for the official clocking.

“Things went super,” Woolley said afterward. “I’m really happy with my horse. It’s pretty much exactly what I wanted – he started slower and finished up super-strong. He came back to the barn really playing. That’s as good as you are ever going to see him feeling. He’s not an animated horse.”

Mine That Bird will walk the shedrow Tuesday and “lope” up to the race the rest of the week. Woolley said his colt may school in the starting gate Wednesday, but will not be schooling in the paddock during racing days this week.

Monday’s exercise was delayed approximately 40 minutes because of an on-track accident that temporarily forced the track’s closure. Woolley said Mine That Bird was just about to be bandaged and ready to go out when the closure announcement was made.

“Luckily we weren’t all the way ready at the time,” he said. “It’s unfortunate for the horses and horsemen involved any time something like this happens. We just had to be patient.”

It was a big morning for Borel, who also worked Kentucky Oaks favorite Rachel Alexandra just moments before being hustled to the Woolley barn via golf cart to partner with his Derby 135 mount.

MR. HOT STUFF – WinStar Farm’s Mr. Hot Stuff was airborne from California on Monday, a day after drilling five furlongs in 1:00.40 at Santa Anita.

The stretch-running full brother to Travers Stakes (Grade I) winner Colonel John is trained by Eoin Harty, who shipped successfully to Kentucky on Sunday after overseeing the work.

Harty confirmed that the Eastern-based rider John Velazquez has taken the call on Mr. Hot Stuff for Derby 135.  Velazquez had been scheduled to ride Florida Derby (GI) winner Quality Road in the Kentucky Derby, but became available after that colt’s foot concerns took him out of Derby consideration on Monday morning.

NOTE: The plane carrying Mr. Hot Stuff from California was scheduled to arrive in Louisville at approximately 5 p.m., and the colt is expected to arrive on the grounds around 6 p.m.

MUSKET MAN – Illinois Derby (Grade II) winner Musket Man had another easy day Monday, and trainer Derek Ryan said the colt’s work is done until Saturday.

“He galloped an easy mile and a half today,” Ryan said, “and then he went to the gate to school at 7 a.m. That’s really it for him. He’ll just gallop up to the race now.”

Musket Man, a colt by Yonaguska–Fortesque, by Fortunate Prospect, had his last serious breeze for the Derby on Saturday, going five furlongs in 1:01.60 with jockey Eibar Coa aboard.

He is coming off back-to-back victories in the Tampa Bay Derby (Grade III) and the Illinois Derby and has only lost once in six career starts, a third-place finish in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (Grade III) at Tampa Bay in February.

Ryan bought the colt as a yearling in 2007 at Keeneland because he had trained Musket Man’s half-sister, a filly named Casablanca Babe.

“I gave $20,000 for her as a 2-year-old,” Ryan said. “She ended up getting claimed for $50,000, but she was a remarkable mare. She won on everything – dirt, mud, turf, synthetics – anything.

“So when I saw this colt in the book, I went to the sale to buy him. He’s turned out to be a runner like his sister.”

Casablanca Babe won 12 of her 46 career starts and earned more than $200,000.

PAPA CLEM – One of the potential Derby 135 pace players walked the shedrow Monday morning for the second straight day as scheduled. Papa Clem will return to the track Tuesday morning and will blow out on Thursday with a “quarter-mile breeze, maybe let him go out three-eighths,” trainer Gary Stute said.

“He came out of Saturday’s work perfect; his legs were ice cold,” Stute said. “When I work him alone like that, it takes nothing out of him. He’s really one who needs to see another horse to get serious. He’s never been one to impress you training, so we’ll find out Saturday for sure how he’s handling the track, honestly.”
With the defection of Quality Road Monday morning, the Derby’s pace scenario softened somewhat, which could benefit horses with solid early foot like Papa Clem.

“He can be up there or sit off the pace like we found out in Arkansas,” Stute said. “He pretty much runs his :47-and-change for the half. If it’s slow, that will put him up there. If it’s fast, he’ll be a few lengths off it. I wouldn’t mind a post somewhere in that 6-7-8 range.”

Stute will be making his Kentucky Derby debut, but he carries on a family legacy. His father, Mel, ran Snow Chief in the 1986 Derby. After an 11th-place finish in Louisville, Snow Chief rebounded to win the Preakness. The younger Stute will have family support this week.

“My mom and dad are coming in this week, and dad has Kitty in the Bag running Thursday in the 2-year-old stakes ($100,000 Kentucky Juvenile),” Stute said. “It figures to be an exciting week for all of us.”

PIONEEROF THE NILE – Regular exercise rider Joe Steiner guided Pioneerof  the Nile through a five-furlong work in 1:01 moments after the track reopened at 8:30 a.m. following the renovation break.

Trainer Bob Baffert watched the work from the front side of the track and, as is his custom, was in touch with the rider via radio. Pioneerof the Nile, owned by Zayat Stables, cruised through fractions of  :11.80. :23.80, :36 and :48.60. He was allowed to gallop out a long way and was timed in 1:13.40 for the six furlongs.

“He went really nice,” Baffert said. “There was a lot of wind. He left the half-mile pole, went five-eighths and he galloped out pretty strong all the way around there. He was moving really well and looked comfortable over the track.”

Pioneerof the Nile has won all four of his starts on synthetic surfaces in California since being moved to Baffert’s care late last year. The son of 2004 Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker has trained well on dirt, but the Derby will be his debut on dirt.

“He’s got a long stride as it is, but he really moves better over the dirt, I think,” Baffert said. “His stride is just tremendous.”

Baffert was pleased with the way the colt performed in his final breeze before the Derby.

“He did it pretty effortlessly,” Baffert said. “I think he wanted to go a little faster; I wouldn’t let him. I was really happy with the work. I’m really excited about the work.”

Steiner gave the Santa Anita Derby winner high marks, too.

“It was a comfortable, smooth move,” Steiner said. “He just kind of coasted around there and we let him gallop out on his own. He felt perfect.”

Steiner, who has been a jockey for nearly 25 years, said he likes the way the colt is approaching the race.

“Mentally, he’s focused, he’s confident, he’s calm,” Steiner said. “The way you want a horse to act, he’s shown everything. He’s like a dream to gallop. He’s very kind.  I think the key at this point is being focused and confident. He’s handling all the media and all that stuff around him. It doesn’t faze him. And physically, he’s right on. With the combination of the two, now it’s up to luck.”

Steiner said Pioneerof the Nile feels the same way to him on the dirt track at Churchill Downs and the synthetic surfaces in California. The Derby will be Pioneerof the Nile’s first race on dirt.  “You couldn’t ask a horse to be doing any better than this.” Steiner said.

QUALITY ROAD – Trainer Jimmy Jerkens canceled his Kentucky Derby plans for Quality Road on Monday morning, reporting that the quarter crack in the right front hoof of his Florida Derby winner was still too sensitive to go forward with a scheduled workout at Belmont Park.

“It’s devastating,” said Jerkens, who had planned a six-furlong workout over the Belmont training track. “I don’t know if you can get another horse in the Derby with his credentials.”

The quarter crack had been patched by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay on Sunday morning before Quality Road was sent to the track for a 1¾-mile gallop. However, his Kentucky Derby future became tenuous when a tinge of blood was detected in the hoof upon his return to the barn.

“He’s really sensitive on the quarter. It’s not terribly bad, but it’s not right,”  Jerkens said. “Even if we could work him tomorrow, it’s hard to fathom that he can get sound enough to work and come out of it good.”

Quality Road had previously developed a quarter crack in his right rear leg at Gulfstream Park, but it was successfully patched and has not hindered his training.

Jerkens said that future plans for the son of Elusive Quality, who has won three of four starts, are on hold until he and McKinlay can successfully treat the half-inch crack in wall of the right front foot.

“We’ve got to get it right. I don’t know how long it will take,” he said. “We’ll re-patch it, but we can’t do that until all the soreness is out of it. This crack is a lot different than the other one (in the right rear). It’s a lot more sensitive.”

NYRA notes writer Jenny Kellner contributed to this report.

SQUARE EDDIE – The chestnut charger Square Eddie limited his fancy footwork to a walk around the shedrow at Barn 17 Monday morning following his four-furlong drill in :50.20 on Sunday.

“Quiet day; all’s good,” exercise rider Tony Romero said.

Trainer Doug O’Neill was an early visitor to the barn to check on his charge and he had noted that the horse was scheduled to go back to the track Tuesday for a light jog.

Romero confirmed that the Smart Strike colt would once again ship to Keeneland Monday afternoon to continue his “swimming” routine, using the pool and treadmill at a Lexington facility. The Square Eddie connections have attributed a fair share of their runner’s fitness and recovery from a small fracture suffered in California in February to his additional regular exercise in various pools.

SUMMER BIRD – Summer Bird, a son of 2004 Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Birdstone was out right after the track reopened at 8:30 Monday morning. He galloped a mile and a half around the Churchill Downs strip with jockey Chris Rosier aboard, and then went to school in the paddock. He was in the paddock when an accident occurred near the finish line, and he stayed there for 30 minutes until the track was clear.

“He had already finished his gallop and was in the paddock when the track was closed,” trainer Tim Ice said. “He was out of harm's way, and I told Chris just to stay there until everything was clear.  He’s doing great, and he’ll just gallop up to the race. He’ll school in the gate on Thursday.”

Summer Bird had his final breeze – six furlongs in 1:15.80 – at Churchill Downs on Friday.  The colt was bred by his owners, the husband-wife team of Drs K.K. and V. Devi Jayaraman. They had a Derby starter in 1989, when Irish Actor ran seventh behind Sunday Silence.

“We got to the Derby after being in the business six or seven years, and we thought how easy it was,” Dr. K.K. Jayaraman said with a smile.  “It only took us 20 years to get back here.”

The Jayaramans raced Summer Bird’s dam, the Summer Squall mare Hong Kong Squall. Although she failed to win in nine career starts, Hong Kong Squall has produced five starters and five winners in five years.

“She hasn’t missed a season,” Dr. Jayaraman said. “She has a 2-year-old by Jump Start who hasn’t run yet, a yearling by Johar, and she’s due to foal on May 11 from a cover to Friends Lake.

“When she does foal, she’ll be bred back to Birdstone. She’s been wonderful to us.”

WEST SIDE BERNIE – With trainer Kelly Breen aboard, West Side Bernie galloped a mile and three-eighths around the Churchill Downs oval Monday morning.

“He felt great out there,” Breen said. “The work (a half-mile in :48.20 on Saturday) set him up right for the race.”

This is Breen’s first Derby experience, but his rider Saturday will be Stewart Elliott, who won the Run for the Roses aboard Smarty Jones in 2004.

“Stew and I had dinner the other night,” Breen said, “and we started talking about what post we would want if we had this pick or that pick. I had some ideas, but Stew came up with some interesting stuff.  I think I’ve run the race a thousand times in my head to figure out what the best post will be. The draw will be interesting.”

West Side Bernie ran well to be third in the Holy Bull Stakes (Grade III) at Gulfstream Park in January, but then threw in a clunker when sixth in the Lanes End (Grade II) at Turfway Park in March.

“He just didn’t fire in that race, for whatever reason,” Breen said. “We knew we wanted to run in the Derby, and we wanted another race for him, so we settled on the Wood Memorial.”

In that Grade I event at Aqueduct on April 4, West Side Bernie made a big run around the turn and finished second, a length and a half behind I Want Revenge.

“Now everybody is giving me statistics,” Breen said. “Like the fact that both Monarchos and Funny Cide finished second in the Wood before they won the Derby.

“All I know is that you need the best horse, or the luckiest horse, to win the Derby. I hope that’s us.”

WIN WILLY – Win Willy, a son of Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos, came out on the track after the break Monday morning for his final serious work and was timed in 1:02.40 for five furlongs over the fast main track.

With exercise rider Eli Lopez aboard, Win Willy cruised through splits of :13.20, :25.60 and :37.80, and galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.60.

“He looked good, went along nice and smooth,” trainer Mac Robertson said. “It looked like he finished strong, which is what I wanted to see.”

Robertson said he deliberately used his regular exercise rider, who weighs 140 pounds, rather than jockey Cliff Berry because that particular plan had worked before with Win Willy.

“Coming into the Rebel (Grade II on March 14 at Oaklawn Park), Eli breezed him three times, in what looked like slow times,” Robertson said. “He went three-quarters in 1:15 4/5, then a half in :50, and a half in :51 2/5.  But that set him up perfectly for the race, and he won big (by 2 1/4, going away).  Then, coming into the Arkansas Derby, I had the jockey up in the breezes. It was just different for the horse. With Cliff up, he breezed a half in :48 2/5, and then a bullet half in :48 flat just before the race. And then, of course, he ran fourth in the race.  So I just thought I’d go back to what worked for us earlier in the year, and had Eli breeze him at Oaklawn last week (a half in :51.20) and then again today.  We’ve done all we can do, and now he’s gonna belong in there, or he isn’t.”

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CHOCOLATE CANDY – The Sid and Jenny Craig Trust’s Chocolate Candy tuned up for his engagement in Kentucky Derby 135 by working a mile over a track rated as “fast” in 1:42 with jockey Mike Smith up.

Churchill Downs clockers caught the Candy Ride colt in fractions of  :12.60, :24.80, :37.20, :49.80, 1:02.20, seven-eighths in 1:28.60 and galloping out the mile and one-eighth in 1:57.

Both Smith and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer expressed satisfaction with the work.

“I liked it, it was a nice maintenance work,” Smith said. “He did everything I asked of him. He didn’t turn a hair. If he had gone a mile in 1:42 and was gasping and not coming back as well as I liked, I’d be a little worried. I am as happy as I can be. He handled the turns, which is an important part of it.”

Hollendorfer, who also had two other workers here Tuesday morning, said, “It was a nice work. I wanted to see how he handled the turns and he handled them well. The track was a little off, but I was very happy with the work.”

Hollendorfer was headed back to California after the works but planned to return Saturday.

“He will work again either Monday or Tuesday,” Hollendorfer said. He’ll have a blowout of a half-mile or five-eighths.”

Rene Douglas worked Hollendorfer’s other two horses: Rendezvous (five furlongs in 1:00.60, which was second fastest of 19 at the distance, in preparation for Saturday’s Derby Trial) and Sugar Mint (IRE) (a best of 36 half-mile in :47.60 for the Louisville Distaff or Humana Distaff).

DESERT PARTY / REGAL RANSOM – With regular exercise rider Bob Chapman up, Regal Ransom and then Desert Party galloped a mile and a quarter before the morning renovation break.

FLAT OUT – Oxbow Racing’s Flat Out breezed five furlongs in 1:03.20 under exercise rider Walter Aguilar before the renovation break.

The Florida-bred son of Flatter covered the distance in fractions of :13, :25.40 and :37.60.  He galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.30 and seven-eights in 1:28.80.

“I was satisfied with the work, just what I wanted,” trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey said.

But, Scooter, don’t all trainers say that?

“Yes, but this one really turned out the way I wanted,” Dickey said.

Flat Out would need a couple of defections of probable starters in the next week to gain a spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.

“I see the list is down to 22,” Dickey said. “We’ll see how he comes out of this work and then work him back. Whoever we decide on being the rider, we’ll have him work him.”

Flat Out has two career wins to his credit, including a victory in the Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park.

FLYING PRIVATE – Robert C. Baker and William L. Mack’s Flying Private had a get-acquainted session with jockey Robby Albarado on Tuesday morning, working five furlongs in company in 1:01.20 after the renovation break.

Churchill Downs clockers recorded fractions of the work in :12, :24, :36.20 and out six furlongs in 1:16.

Flying Private worked in company with stablemate Lord and T.

“It was a very good work and I liked the way he handled the turns,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “He came off the turn very well and finished strong. Robby did a good job with the test drive.”

Albarado also was happy with the work.

“I had watched him run numerous times,” Albarado said. “This was my first time on him and I thought it went well. Wayne just wanted a nice maintenance work and he had some company. He gets a little lax when he works by himself. Overall, I think we accomplished what we wanted this morning.”

GENERAL QUARTERS – Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (Grade I) winner General Quarters galloped a mile and a half before the renovation break with exercise rider Julie Sheets up.

Owner-trainer Tom McCarthy is looking at Thursday or Friday as the final pre-Derby work for General Quarters.

“It depends on the weather and how he gallops tomorrow,” McCarthy said. “If it warms up and the track dries out well, I’d probably go Thursday and that would give him an extra day before the Derby.”

Julien Leparoux has the Derby riding assignment.

I WANT REVENGE – David Lanzman, IEAH Stables and Puglisi Racing’s I Want Revenge, winner of the Wood Memorial (GI), turned in his second work since his arrival at Churchill Downs as he breezed five furlongs in company with stablemate Gato Go Win after the break for track maintenance.

The son of Stephen Got Even covered the distance in 1:01.60 under Joe Talamo, the 19-year-old Louisiana native who is scheduled for his first Kentucky Derby ride aboard trainer Jeff Mullins’ colt in the big race on Saturday, May 2.

I Want Revenge broke off about two lengths behind his workmate and was clocked in fractions of :12.40, :25, and :37.20.  The Kentucky Derby contender had narrowed Gato Go Win’s advantage to a length after three-eighths of a mile and was a neck in front of his stablemate when the pair passed the finish line.  I Want Revenge galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.20.

“I thought it was a great work,” Talamo said.  “I think it was exactly what we wanted. We had another horse in front of him to give him something to look at the last part.  We sat right off of him and finished the last part, just like we wanted and galloped out good and strong.  I give him an A-plus.”

I Want Revenge worked over a muddy track in his first serious training move at Churchill Downs.  Talamo was also aboard for that move and said the track was not much different on Tuesday, although it was officially listed as fast.

“I didn’t think it was too fast today – it was still kind of ‘mushy’ on top,” he said.  “Last week it rained a lot the day before and it wasn’t sloppy, but it was a little bit cuppy.  And today it was the same thing – like about three or four inches on top were kind of ‘mushy.’ So it was kind of the same track, but I felt like he got over it great.  I put him right behind that other horse and he got a lot of dirt in his face, and he took it like nothing.”

Mullins said I Want Revenge would have one more piece of serious training over the Churchill Downs strip before the Derby.

“He’ll have an easy half (mile) next Tuesday,” he said.  “We just want to keep him on the ground.  We won’t ask him for much.  We’ll just let him open his lungs up and stretch his legs.  We won’t ask him to do a whole lot.”

MINE THAT BIRD – Double Eagle Ranch and Bueno Suerte Equine’s Mine That Bird was scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs on Tuesday night after completing a two-day van trip from Sunland Park near El Paso.

Trained by Bennie Woolley Jr., Mine That Bird will be housed in Barn 42, Stall 22 and be ridden in Derby 135 by Calvin Borel, who won the roses in 2007 aboard Street Sense.

MUSKET MAN – Eric Fein and Vic Carlson’s Musket Man was one of the first horses on the track Tuesday morning, galloping 1 ¾ miles under exercise rider Salvador Dominguez.

Trainer Derek Ryan said that Musket Man would probably have his final work on Saturday and may visit the starting gate prior to the Derby.

Eibar Coa has the mount.

PAPA CLEM – Bo Hirsch’s Papa Clem walked the shedrow at Barn 10A for a second consecutive day after a five-furlong work on Sunday.

“He will go back to the track in the morning,” trainer Gary Stute said. “He will probably work again Saturday and I’ll probably have Larry Sterling handle the work. He worked him for me in Arkansas.”

Rafael Bejarano will ride Papa Clem in the Kentucky Derby.

PIONEEEROF THE NILE – Zayat Stables LLC’s Pioneerof the Nile brought a smile to the face of three-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert with a sharp five-furlong work over a “fast” track just after the break for track maintenance.

Joe Steiner was in the saddle as the son of 2003 Kentucky Derby runner-up and Belmont Stakes (GI) winner Empire Maker covered the distance in 1:00.80.  The time was the fourth-fastest of 19 at the distance over a surface that seemed to be playing slower as the morning wore on.

Pioneerof the Nile, who made the recent Santa Anita Derby (GI) his fourth consecutive stakes victory, covered the distance in fractional times of :12.20, :24.20, and :36.40.   He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.40.

Baffert said the work was actually longer than the five furlongs credited to the colt by Churchill Downs clockers.

“He looked good – he skipped right over it,” said Baffert.  “I ended up working him seven-eighths and let him gallop out strong.  I got him in :26-and three, and he galloped out all the way down the backside.  So it was a good little work and it was not really hard on him.”

Baffert is pleased with the way Pioneerof the Nile is getting over the sandy loam surface at Churchill Downs.  He has raced exclusively on turf and synthetic surfaces in his eight career starts.

“It was nice and relaxed – I didn’t want to do too much,” Baffert said. “It looked like he skipped over it, because I know the track, with the rain, was a little bit deep.  I had some other horses work and some horses struggled over it.  But he has taken to it great, so far.  I like what I see.”

Baffert said Pioneerof the Nile would work one more time before the May 2 Derby, most likely on Monday or Tuesday of next week.  Eclipse Award-winning jockey Garrett Gomez will ride the colt in the “Run for the Roses.”

Pioneerof the Nile has a record of 5-0-1 in eight races and has earned $1,234,200.

SQUARE EDDIE – J. Paul Reddam’s Square Eddie arrived at Churchill Downs around mid-afternoon on Tuesday following a van ride from Lexington’s Keeneland, where he had been stabled since running third in last Saturday’s Grade III Coolmore Lexington Stakes.

Trainer Doug O’Neill, who was back at his Southern California base, said he would come to Louisville on Sunday.

O’Neill said that no riding assignment has been finalized for Square Eddie.

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

Stewart Elliott has the riding assignment on West Side Bernie.

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.

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.

Two more contenders for the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (Grade I) joined the scene at Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon when the 1-2 finishers in the Santa Anita Derby (GI) – Pioneerof the Nile and Chocolate Candy – arrived at Churchill Downs

    Zayat Stables, LLC’s Pioneerof the Nile and the Sid and Jenny Craig Trust’s Chocolate Candy arrived in Louisville following a flight from Southern California.  The two horses made the short journey form Louisville International Airport to Churchill Downs in separate vans and arrived at the home of the Kentucky Derby at approximately 12:30 p.m. (EDT).

    Pioneerof the Nile, who is bidding to give trainer Bob Baffert his fourth Kentucky Derby victory, is stabled in Barn 33.  Chocolate Candy, who is stabled in Barn 42, is trained by Northern California legend Jerry Hollendorfer, who is looking for his first victory in the “Run for the Roses.”

    The Santa Anita Derby victory for Pioneerof the Nile was his fourth straight stakes win and the son of 2003 Kentucky Derby runner-up Empire Maker brings a career record of 5-0-1 in eight races and earnings of $1,234,200 to Churchill Downs.

    Chocolate Candy, a homebred son of Candy Ride and winner of the El Camino Real Derby (GIII), has a record of 4-2-1 in nine races and earnings of $532,500.

    Neither Baffert nor Hollendorfer accompanied their horses to Churchill Downs.  Baffert is scheduled to arrive in Louisville on Friday and will be at the barn on Saturday.

    Meanwhile, trainer Charles “Scooter” Dickey said he still has Kentucky Derby hopes for Oxbow Racing’s Flat Out, winner of the $50,000 Smarty Jones at Oaklawn Park and sixth behind Papa Clem in last week’s Arkansas Derby.  The Florida-bred son of Flatter has a record of two wins in five races and total earnings of $87,700.

    Flat Out, who is stabled in Barn 48 for the Churchill Downs-based Dickey, galloped at Churchill Downs Thursday in his first trip to the track since the Arkansas Derby and his return to the Louisville track.

The colt missed valuable training time over the winter in Arkansas following a troubled fourth place finish behind Old Fashioned in the Southwest Stakes (GIII).  He suffered a bruised heel in that race and missed a scheduled start in the Rebel.  Flat Out raced in the Arkansas Derby off a break of almost two months.  Normally a stretch runner, Flat Out was second to pacesetter Old Fashioned with a half-mile to run in the Arkansas Derby and faded in the stretch to be beaten by 8 ¼ lengths.

    “He’s an awful good horse and he had a lot of bad luck when he got hurt in that other race,” Dickey said. “He’s just now coming back to himself.  He was just too fresh in the Arkansas Derby – he didn’t want to lay up that close.”  

    A lot of things would have to happen for Flat Out to make it in to a maximum field of 20 for the Derby.  The colt has graded stakes earnings of $32,500, which ranked 33rd on Churchill Downs’ latest list of graded stakes earnings by possible Derby starters.  The Kentucky Derby field is limited to 20 horses with preference based on total earnings in graded stakes races.

    “He’s doing fine now and we got that race in him down there,” Dickey said.  “We’re looking for better things.”

    Thursday’s arrival of the two West-Coast based Kentucky Derby contenders and the addition of Flat Out raised the roster of possible starters brings the number of Derby 135 horses on the grounds to 10.  Also in that group are Wood Memorial (GI) winner I Want Revenge; Toyota Blue Grass (GI) winner General Quarters; Arkansas Derby (GII) winner Papa Clem; Illinois Derby (GII) winner Musket Man; Wood Memorial (GI) runner-up West Side Bernie; and the Dubai-based duo of Regal Ransom and Desert Party, the 1-2 finishers in the $2 million UAE Derby (GII).

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.