International Star Heads Derby Works at CD

With the 141st Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) only two weeks away, three contenders for the May 2 classic turned in solid works at Churchill Downs the morning of April 18.



Ken and Sarah Ramsey's Louisiana Derby (gr. II) winner International Star shipped over from trainer Mike Maker's base at nearby Trackside Training Center to the racetrack and breezed five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 in company with stablemate Dreams Cut Short, who got the distance in 1:02 3/5. With Miguel Mena aboard, the son of Fusaichi Pegasus   was timed in splits of :12 2/5, :25, and :37 1/5, while galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.

"It was a pretty routine work for him," Maker said. "We were looking for a strong gallop out and he gave it to us... One trait about him is he's going to give you 120 percent. Whether that's good enough or not, we don't know."

International Star tops the Kentucky Derby points list with 171. He won the Jan. 17 Lecomte Stakes (gr. III) and took the Feb. 21 Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) before winning the Louisiana Derby in 1:50.67 on a fast track. He also won the Grey Stakes (Can-III) on Polytrack at Woodbine as a 2-year-old, then was fourth in the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) at Churchill Downs in November, before sweeping the Kentucky Derby prep series at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Bred by Katharine M. Voss and Robert T. Manfuso out of the French Deputy mare Parlez, International Star was an $85,000 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2013 Eastern fall yearling sale purchase by Patrice Miller and EQB, agent, when consigned by Chanceland Farm.

Donegal Racing's Keen Ice worked in company, breezing six furlongs in 1:13 1/5 while posting fractional times of :23 1/5, :35 1/5, :47 1/5, and :59 4/5. He galloped out seven-eighths of a mile in 1:27 3/5. Tammy Fox was aboard for trainer Dale Romans.

"We've been taking our time with this horse," Romans said. "I've never really squeezed the lemon and made him work fast, because he's not a naturally-fast workhorse. But coming into this race (the Kentucky Derby), he's done everything we've asked him to do. We've been hoping to squeeze the lemon the last three weeks before the Derby and have him peak to run an all-time best race on the first Saturday in May. So far, it's working out well. He had a fast five-eighths work last week (1:00 1/5 April 11) and this week, he comes back three-quarters (of a mile) in 1:13 and change. We've got one more big work ahead of us."

Keen Ice, a son of Curlin   bred in Kentucky by Glencrest Farm, ranks 21st on the Derby points list that will determine the 20-horse Derby starting field. A $120,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, the colt's lone victory from seven starts came in his second career outing. He has subsequently placed third in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) at Keeneland as a 2-year-old and third in the Risen Star. In his most recent effort, Keen Ice was fourth in the Louisiana Derby.



John Oxley's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) runner-up Danzig Moon zipped five furlongs in :58, in company with Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile (gr. IIT) candidate Tepin, and timed in splits of :11 2/5, :22 2/5, :34, and :45 3/5 for trainer Mark Casse. Their move was timed as fastest of 58 at the distance on the day.

The Kentucky Derby contender had jockey Julien Leparoux in the saddle and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 1/5. Danzig Moon's gallop-out time for three-quarters of a mile was faster than the work turned in by fellow Derby hopeful Keen Ice, who was timed with the only official six-furlong work of the Saturday training session.

The swift move by Danzig Moon left assistant trainer Norman Casse, who oversees his father's stable at Churchill, concerned that the colt could have done too much just 14 days out from Kentucky Derby 141.

"We usually reserve our two-weeks-out works to be our big works and, unfortunately, I think he got a little overzealous leaving the pony," Casse said. "He's a fast horse and he worked fast, and Julien recognized that and really didn't ask him to do too much afterwards.

"We know he likes the racetrack and the horse he worked with is a very, very talented horse. The horse that worked is running on Derby Day as well. We purposely worked them together, because they basically have the same target: different races, but on the same day. Had he not gotten away and ran-off the first bit, the overall time wouldn't have been nearly as fast. But it's OK."

Casse took a close look at Danzig Moon immediately after the work and will do so again Sunday morning. 

"I've already gone over him and already jogged him by hand, and we did a post-breeze scope and all those things are perfect," Casse said. "That's the important thing."

An Ontario-bred son of Malibu Moon  , Danzig Moon broke his maiden in his third start and finished fourth in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) March 7 previous to his Blue Grass placing. A $160,000 acquisition from the Keeneland September yearling sale, the colt has earned $251,120.