Upstart Earns Bullet in Palm Meadows Breeze

Six days after missing a scheduled move because of a fever, Lambholm South Holy Bull Stakes (gr. II) winner Upstart breezed four furlongs in a bullet :47 2/5 on Friday, April 17 at Palm Meadows training center.

Ralph Evans' Upstart is preparing for a start in the May 2 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) at Churchill Downs. Friday's workout was the first official move for the son of Flatter   since he finished second to Materiality in the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) March 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Friday's move on a fast track was the quickest of six  half-mile works at Palm Meadows. Exercise rider Vicki King said her mount didn't show any ill effects from missed time.

"It doesn't seem to have [made a difference]," she said. "I guess we'll find out. He seems fine after that. He had three days off, and on his first day back, he galloped quiet, which was perfect. You don't want to overdo it first day back. Since then, he's been great.

"He felt the same," she added. "He's push-button, too, really push-button. He'll just do what you ask him. If you want him to go faster, he will. If you want him to go slower, he'll do anything you ask of him. He galloped out really good, might have been a little bit too good! I think we're happy with him."

Trained by Rick Violette Jr., Upstart also finished second in the Besilu Stables Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 21 at Gulfstream in his other 2015 start. Violette was similarly in no shortage of superlatives when reviewing his trainee's performance.

"All in all, wow," Violette said. "He did things so easily. He wouldn't pull up on the backside. He galloped out three-quarters in 14 [seconds], and that was under orders for the rider on the walkie-talkie to ease him up. I'm not sure if we could have done things any differently or any better. He's just a good horse, and we try not to get in his way."

After cooling out, Upstart also received a positive report from the veterinarian. He was scoped and found to have no remaining mucus in his system. 

"He just scoped clean," Violette said. "He's cooling out great. We'll see how he comes out of it." 

Violette elected to move Upstart's rescheduled breeze up a day when observing rain in the forecast for Saturday. He said that decision will allow his trainee to have an extra day to recover if necessary.

"We breezed a day early, so now I have an extra day to let him bounce out of this if it's taken any toll on him, which I don't know if it did," he said. 

Violette noted that the ease with which Upstart breezed might have been the most impressive aspect of the work.

"He's not a brilliant workhorse. He'll do what you ask him to do, but today offered a lot for him," Violette said. "He fools people a lot. He looks like he's going in 50 and he goes in 47. He does what good horses do. Today, he showed us that we're not supposed to cancel any travel plans." 

Upstart will have one more breeze in South Florida late next week before departing for Kentucky on April 28.