Samraat, Others Exit Derby in Good Shape

Trainer Rick Violette said he was delighted with the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) fifth-place performance put in by his colt Samraat, but was unsure of the colt's next start.

"I thought he gave us a typical Samraat performance," Violette said the morning of May 4. "He laid it all on the line and gave us what he had. He ran his eyeballs out. He chased what is obviously a good horse and at the head of the lane your hair stood up on the back of your neck because we were certainly in it. It looked like if he could go on; he had every shot of winning it."

The trainer credited jockey Jose Ortiz with keeping the My Meadowview Farm's New York homebred son of Noble Causeway   in contention.

Violette said the colt was fine, but that he did not know when Samraat would run next. As for the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) May 17, he said that Samraat was "possible, but not probable."

"He showed signs last night that he was coming out of the race well," Violette said. "We had him out grazing for a half an hour or so and he was pretty aggressive grazing. He was hungry. He was tired, but not depleted."

Samraat is to be flown back to New York Monday, May 5.

Sixth-place finisher Dance With Fate sustained a nick on the back of one of his legs but was otherwise doing well the morning after the race. Trainer Peter Eurton said by text message that Dance With Fate is likely to wait until July for Del Mar to make his next start, but that "is not etched in stone."

There was no word on the immediate plans for Medal Count, who ran eighth, while trainer Bob Baffert said ninth-place finisher Chitu would not go on to the Preakness after setting the pace in the Derby and weakening.

We Miss Artie (10th), Intense Holiday (12th), and Vinceremos (17th), who along with third-place finisher Danza comprised trainer Todd Pletcher's quartet in this year's Derby, were none the worse for wear, according to assistant Ginny DePasquale.

"They're all doing fine, touch wood," DePasquale said. "They'll head up to Belmont (Park) next. The other horses in this barn will go to New York, about half to Belmont, the others to Saratoga."

DePasquale confirmed that We Miss Artie, a Canadian-bred, would be pointed for that country's biggest race, the Queen's Plate, another 1 1/4-mile test for 3-year-olds on the Woodbine Polytrack. The Canadian classic, which carries a $1 million purse, will be run July 6.

As far as the others, she said, "I'm sure Todd will take some time, get them back out on the track to train, then figure out where they'll be running next," she said.

Trainer Mike Maker reported that his trio—General a Rod (11th), Harry's Holiday (16th), and Vicar's in Trouble—came back satisfactorily.

"Everybody came out OK," he said. "I don't have any plans right now. Vicar's in Trouble hit the rail early in the race and that was all for him. I haven't watched the replay yet, but it looked like General a Rod had a troubled trip. Harry's Holiday was outrun."

Disappointed trainer John Sadler said there's a "slight chance" Candy Boy could run in the Preakness after an eventful journey in the Derby under Gary Stevens resulted in a 13th-place finish.

"I'm going to talk to the owners (Lee and Susan Searing) for their feedback on what's next," Sadler said. "I'm fairly certain he's coming back to California (Monday). I'd say about 90% sure. There's a slight chance we'd consider Baltimore, but only a slight one."

After watching Tapiture flatten out in the homestretch to finish 15th, trainer Steve Asmussen said the longer-distance races of the Triple Crown series were probably not optimal for the son of Tapit  .

"He came out of the race really good," Asmussen said. "We'll shorten up his races a bit. I think he looked competitive to a point and then distance was exposed."

Florida Derby (gr. I) runner-up Wildcat Red (18th) came out of Saturday's race with a deep cut on the outside of his right front leg, trainer Jose Garoffalo reported

"It's not too serious, but it's deep. It's something we have to pay attention to. But he's walking good. In general, he's doing good," Garoffalo said. "He got hit pretty hard."

Wildcat Red will be returned to Gulfstream Park and given time to recover, he said.