Mott Duo Breezes for Second Time in Five Days

For the second time in five days, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott sent his duo of Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) winner Resilience  and 2023 champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I  to the Churchill Downs track for published workouts in advance of their respective starts in the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) and May 3 Kentucky Oaks (G1).

Coming out at 9 a.m. April 22, Emily Bushnell and Eric Waldman's Resilience had to delay his breeze a few minutes as another horse got loose on the track and decided to be one of the first horses to experience Churchill Downs' new $200 million paddock. While all the commotion occurred on the clubhouse turn and the stretch, Resilience waited patiently beneath jockey Junior Alvarado on the far turn and resumed his jog without incident once the situation cleared.

"He was just chill," Alvarado said. "His mind is like a 5-year-old man in a 3-year-old body."

After working without blinkers in company with Just F Y I Thursday, Resilience worked with blinkers by himself this time. After an opening quarter-mile in :25 4/5, Resilience completed his five-furlong breeze in 1:01 3/5 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 3/5.

Resilience working five furlongs in 1:01.60. #KyDerby pic.twitter.com/VWI0RCqpYX

— Kevin Kerstein (@HorseRacingKK) April 22, 2024

"I thought he looked super," Mott said. "It looked like he was traveling well, he finished well. Looked strong. Junior said when he had to pull him up down the backside, he switched leads and acted like he wanted to go again."

"He worked really nice, a beautiful work," Alvarado said. "Very good energy with that horse, very easy to manage. The horse has been progressing race by race. Today he just worked amazing. Galloped out very strong. He wanted to keep going."

John Velazquez rode Resilience in each of his past three starts, including both career victories, but the Hall of Famer will opt for champion 2-year-old male Fierceness  for the Derby. The Kentucky Derby will be the first time Alvarado will ride the son of Into Mischief   in a race, but he feels confident he's found the right horse.

"I wouldn't trade any horse for (Resilience), to be honest," Alvarado said. "The way he worked today he gave me the feeling that, as a jockey, you always want."

An hour and a half earlier, Alvarado was aboard George Krikorian's Just F Y I for a five-furlong breeze that she completed in :59 4/5 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12 1/5. 

"It couldn't have been better," Mott said. "She did it the right way. Both horses galloped out very well. The seven-eighths gallop out on both horses was tremendous."

Just F Y I had been hard to handle in her breeze Thursday. However, breezing alone and having the first work under her belt seemed to relax her Monday.

"She was very in-hand today," Alvarado said. "As smooth as you can work a horse. I think the workout was one of the best works I ever had on a horse."