Essential Quality Heads Busy Kentucky Derby Work Tab

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 04/17/2021 - 09:16
Link: 
Essential Quality Heads Busy Kentucky Derby Work Tab
Image: 
Description: 

Photo: Coady Photography
Essential Quality (gray) has workmate Spa City in his sights April 17 at Churchill Downs

On an action-packed morning beneath the Twin Spires April 17 at Churchill Downs, Godolphin's undefeated champion colt Essential Quality  continued his march to the May 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with a swift five-furlong move in :59 3/5.

Fellow Derby contenders Mandaloun  (six furlongs, 1:11 2/5) and Soup and Sandwich  (five furlongs, :59 4/5) also worked toward the Run for the Roses.

Essential Quality, winner of the April 3 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) at Keeneland last out, worked at 5:15 a.m. ET with jockey Luis Saez aboard through splits of :12 4/5, :24 3/5 and :47 2/2. The gray Tapit   colt began his work one length behind two-time winning stablemate Spa City  and finished even at the wire. Spa City's final five-furlong time was :59 4/5, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols. Essential Quality galloped out to six furlongs in 1:13 1/5 and completed seven furlongs in 1:28 3/5.

"I'm not taking a deep breath yet but we're very pleased with where we are at today two weeks from the Derby," trainer Brad Cox said. "He really had to work for that win in the Blue Grass and we were very pleased how well he ended up bouncing out of it."

Following Essential Quality's move, Juddmonte Farm's Mandaloun worked with jockey Florent Geroux aboard in company with maiden winner Colonel Bowman . The duo began their six-furlong move from the five-eighths pole through splits of :12 2/5, :24 1/5, :35 3/5, and :58 4/5. Mandaloun continued to extend his stride in front of Colonel Bowman through a seven-furlong gallop out in 1:25 1/5 and completed one mile in 1:41 3/5. Colonel Bowman's final six-furlong time was 1:11 4/5.

Mandaloun looks to rebound from a sixth in the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots after winning the Feb. 13 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) at the Louisiana track.

Mandaloun - Work - Churchill Downs - 04-17-21
Photo: Coady Photography
Mandaloun works at Churchill Downs

"(Mandaloun) worked great," Cox said of the Into Mischief   colt. "We were all puzzled after the Louisiana Derby, but he's been doing great since that race maybe that was just a head-scratcher. He's a really good-looking son of Into Mischief and we know he's better than what we saw in his last start."

At 7:30 a.m., Live Oak Plantation's homebred Soup and Sandwich cruised five furlongs with jockey Tyler Gaffalione on board. The undefeated son of Into Mischief worked in company with four-time winner Epic Dreamer  through opening fractions of :12 1/5, :24 1/5, and :35 1/5. Soup and Sandwich began drawing clear of his workmate at the wire and galloped out strongly in front with a six-furlong time of 1:12 2/5, then completed seven furlongs in 1:25 1/5.

"This horse is just starting to figure things around the racetrack," trainer Mark Casse's assistant David Carroll said. "Tyler was in cruise control around there and that gallop out was great."

Saturday started the 7:30-7:45 a.m. training period for Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) contenders. During that time window, Phoenix Thoroughbred's March 27 Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) winner Crazy Beautiful  worked a five-furlong bullet move in :59 with opening fractions of :12 2/5, :24, :35 2/5, and :47. She completed her work with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:12 2/5.

Fellow Oaks contender Ava's Grace , the runner-up in the April 3 Fantasy Stakes (G3) behind Pauline's Pearl , worked a half-mile in :48 3/5 at 5:15 a.m. with jockey Adam Beschizza up. Owned by Cypress Creek Equine and trained by Robertino Diodoro, Ava's Grace has yet to finish off the board four starts with one win, one second, and two third-place finishes.

In Lexington, M Racing Group's Like the King  worked six furlongs in 1:12 4/5 at Keeneland for trainer Wesley Ward. The Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) winner is scheduled to arrive next week at Churchill Downs.

With Julio Garcia aboard, Like the King started three lengths behind 2020 Canadian champion female sprinter Artie's Princess  and drew even at the sixteenth pole. He was in front at the finish of the breeze and during the gallop out.


Video

At the conclusion of the work, trainer Wesley Ward and Gary Stevens, agent for Drayden Van Dyke, who will have the Derby mount, exchanged fist bumps with enthusiasm.

“That was a good work and the horse he worked with is a champion,” Ward said. “He’ll work again next Saturday or Sunday.”

Like the King - Work - Keeneland - 04-17-21
Photo: Keeneland/Coady Photography
Like the King works at Keeneland

On the West Coast at Santa Anita Park, Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Rock Your World  breezed five furlongs in :59 3/5, while Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby winner (G2) winner Hot Rod Charlie  covered six furlongs in 1:14 1/5 and Santa Anita Derby third Dream Shake went five furlongs in a bullet :59 1/5.

Rock Your World, a son of Candy Ride  , went in company with stablemate Tripoli , who was clocked in 1:00 1/5. Trainer John Sadler plans to have one more breeze at Santa Anita for Rock Your World, likely next Saturday, before shipping to Kentucky.

"I had him going a minute for five furlongs with Serapio Figueroa riding, in company with Tripoli," Sadler said. "It was a pretty effortless work, just smooth and relaxed. I was very happy."

Hot Rod Charlie earned the thumbs-up from trainer Doug O'Neill, who conditions the Oxbow   colt for Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and Bill Strauss. Flavien Prat was aboard and has the mount in the Kentucky Derby.

"He looked solid," O'Neill said.  "So far, so good."

Hot Rod Charlie working at Santa Anita Park 4-17-21
Photo: Zoe Metz
Hot Rod Charlie works at Santa Anita Park

Prat also worked Dream Shake, a son of Twirling Candy, for trainer Peter Eurton and Exline-Border Racing, SAF Racing, and Richard Hausman. Dream Shake's time was the fastest of 72 at the distance, the average time of which was 1:01 3/5.

"It was a pretty comfortable work," Eurton said. "He was well within himself. I'm very pleased."

Concert Tour to Bypass Derby

Gary and Mary West's homebred Concert Tour  will bypass the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) with an eye on the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert told Churchill Downs April 17.

"Concert out. Wait for Preakness," Baffert texted Churchill officials Saturday morning regarding the son of Street Sense  . Concert Tour finished third, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, as the favorite in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. 

The bay colt came into the Arkansas Derby on a three-race win streak, having broken his maiden Jan. 15 at Santa Anita Park en route to victories in the Feb. 6 San Vicente Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita and March 13 Rebel Stakes (G2) at Oaklawn.

Concert Tour had ranked ninth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 70 points. His departure puts Bernard Racing, Tagg Team Racing, and West Point Thoroughbreds' O Besos  into the 20-horse field for trainer Greg Foley. The son of Orb is an allowance winner who finished fourth in the Feb. 13 Risen Star Stakes Presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) and third in the March 20 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), both at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.