Rock Your World, Hot Rod Charlie Get Feel for Churchill

Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) contenders Rock Your World  and Hot Rod Charlie  took to the Churchill Downs track for the first time April 26 at 7:30 a.m. ET during the Derby and Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) training window. The two Southern California-based colts arrived at the Louisville, Ky., venue the afternoon prior, and many backstretch observers were keen to get their first looks at the two invaders.

There was more activity at Churchill Monday than April 25, a walk day or jog day for many Derby prospects following breezes in the preceding days. Known Agenda , Helium , and King Fury  were among those that galloped energetically, and Midnight Bourbon  completed an easy five-furlong workout in 1:02 2/5 in preparation for the May 1 Run For The Roses.

Trainer John Sadler and co-owner Stephanie Hronis were at Churchill Monday with Rock Your World, who jogged around the track Monday morning. Rock Your World will be the first Kentucky Derby starter for owners Hronis Racing and Talla Racing. The son of Candy Ride  , bred by Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally and his wife Debbie, is unbeaten in three starts. He won his first two on turf then led throughout in the April 3 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby (G1) to win by 4 1/4 lengths.

"It's pretty mind-blowing and the reality hits being here and showing up this morning and everyone's here and seeing him out on the track," Hronis said. "It means a lot to be able to be at Churchill and be a part of the history books and have a really special horse with Rock Your World. He's just done amazing. Once we won the Santa Anita Derby and knew that we were making our way here, our heads are still spinning from it. It's our first time in the Derby and to have a real contender, it's real exciting and the chance of a lifetime."

Rock Your World had his final workout—five furlongs in :59 1/5—April 24 at Santa Anita Park one day before traveling to Kentucky.

"Looks like he traveled well and we took him out for a little light jog around the track today just to get him acclimatized a little bit. So far we're looking good," Sadler said.

Sadler said he will wait for the post position draw before deciding on a race strategy for Rock Your World and jockey Joel Rosario. The draw is April 27 at 11 a.m. Barring a late defection, a full field of 20 is anticipated.

"He's got a high cruising speed and he can carry it a classic distance," Sadler said of the colt.

On turf horses taking kindly to Churchill's main track, Sadler said: "You have some history with a couple of the Derby winners running on grass—I'm thinking Barbaro and I'm thinking Animal Kingdom —but this horse, the thinking is he can run on any surface."

Rosario picked up the mount on Rock Your World in the Kentucky Derby when the Bob Baffert-trained Concert Tour  was pulled from Derby contention to await the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) after running third in the April 10 Arkansas Derby (G1). (Concert Tour breezed a half-mile in :47 4/5 during the Derby training window Monday at Churchill).

Umberto Rispoli had ridden Rock Your World to victory in the colt's last two starts.

"Joel has been my main rider for many years. We've won lots of training titles together, we've won a Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) together," Sadler said, referring to the 2018 victory at Churchill Downs by Hronis Racing's Accelerate  . "We've had great success with him. When he came open—we really didn't think he was coming open because it looked like the Baffert horse was formidable in the Arkansas Derby—but when he didn't run on, Joel became available and we wanted to be reunited with him for this race.

"No diss on Rispoli. He's a great rider. He won the stake for me yesterday at Santa Anita (the Singletary Stakes won by Sword Zorro ), he's terrific. This is just special circumstances that had happened. Rosario's already ridden the horse, he rode him the first time, and then there were some COVID things where he couldn't get back into Santa Anita to maybe ride him so he missed the rides. But he'll be back on Saturday."

Rock Your World will be the fifth Kentucky Derby starter for Sadler, whose best finish was a sixth in 1993 with Corby and whose most recent finish was 13th with Candy Boy  in 2014. Rosario, who rode Orb   to a Kentucky Derby victory in 2013, will compete for the 10th time in the race Saturday.

Two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Doug O'Neill, on hand to observe Hot Rod Charlie's preparations, said he was pleased with the light training he saw from the Oxbow   colt, who won the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots last month. After being escorted to the track by $5 million earner Lava Man , a 20-year-old retired racehorse that has long served as a pony for O'Neill's stable, Hot Rod Charlie jogged comfortably.

Asked to compare Hot Rod Charlie to his prior Derby winners, I'll Have Another   (2012) and Nyquist   (2016), O'Neill said the trio are unique for the most part.

"The one similarity with Hot Rod Charlie and Nyquist and I'll Have Another is you have to have a ton of class to get this far, right? And 'Charlie' is no different than those other two," the trainer said. "I think as far as racing ability they are all individually a little bit different. I think 'Hot Rod' has shown a little bit more I'll Have Another-ish—as far as being versatile. He can be on the lead or off the pace.

"He's a horse I still think has a lot of improvement in him. Coming off a big Louisiana Derby win, it's exciting to think he still has improvement in him."

BloodHorse Plus: Two-Time Derby Winner O'Neill Talks Hot Rod Charlie

O'Neill suggested the pace of the Derby will play a role in how the colt's hot-riding California jockey, Flavien Prat, chooses to place his trainee. Prat takes over from Rosario, who rode him in his first two starts of the year.

Hot Rod Charlie, a half brother to the 2019 champion male sprinter Mitole  , won the Louisiana Derby on the lead but has also run well from behind, such as when second to likely Derby favorite Essential Quality  in the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1) last fall at Keeneland.

Hot Rod Charlie is owned by Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, and Bill Strauss. Strauss and numerous partners of the colt's two other ownership interests watched him train Monday.

"It's all systems go," said Strauss. "The question is—get a good post, need racing luck. He'll show his best, I think. If his best is good enough, we don't know. He's ready. He's as ready as can be."

The lone Derby horse to work at Churchill Downs Monday was Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who breezed five furlongs under exercise rider Wilson Fabian. The Tiznow  colt posted splits of :24 2/5 and :49 3/5 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:16 1/5. His final breeze ahead of the Derby followed two bullet workouts that were also at Churchill and over the same distance, including a :59 4/5 breeze April 19.

"I'm very happy with how he went," trainer Steve Asmussen said. "We got exactly what we wanted and he continues to do very well."

Brooklyn Strong , who gained entry to the Derby over the weekend following defections from 3-year-olds ahead of him on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard, also breezed Monday, though at Parx Racing, where he covered five furlongs in 1:00.92. The move satisfied trainer Danny Velazquez, who confirmed the Wicked Strong   gelding would travel to Kentucky by van from Pennsylvania early Monday evening. The horse is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs early Tuesday following an approximate 12-hour van ride.

"Work was good, everything was good," the trainer said.

A New York-bred, Brooklyn Strong is 3-for-5 for owner Mark Schwartz with earnings of $225,000. His top achievement was a victory over a sloppy track in the Remsen Stakes (G2) in December at Aqueduct Racetrack. In his only start this year, he ran fifth in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino (G2), a loss that will leave him as a Derby longshot.

"Going into this race with no pressure," Velazquez said. "I feel like it’s gonna be a good experience and I’m gonna take it all in."