O'Neill Confident After Irap's Mile Work

As Doug O'Neill watched Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Irap breeze on the main track at Keeneland April 28, the trainer seemed confident and relaxed. He chatted on the phone with owner J. Paul Reddam while the Tiznow   colt completed his mile work in 1:44 1/5 under Julien Leparoux, polishing off final serious preparations for the May 6 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1).

Setting up a similar plan for Irap training at Keeneland as the team did a year ago with the 2016 Derby winner and 2015 champion juvenile Nyquist  , O'Neill is enjoying a much different scenario this time around. 

"There is less pressure," he said of his 2017 Derby charge, upset winner of the April 8 Blue Grass. "We're very optimistic, but we're not coming in with an undefeated colt like we were last year. All eyes are definitely not on us. It's more enjoyable that way."

Similar to Irap's mile breeze in 1:44 April 21, O'Neill was happy with the colt's energy—especially on the gallop out.

"It was very similar, just a good leg stretch," the trainer said. "The main focus was just letting him put his feet where he wanted to put them, and having him finish up good. Just a good mile work, with a good gallop in and a good gallop out—that's what I was hoping for and what I saw.

"(Paul Reddam) was wanting to hear how the fractions were unfolding in the work. I could tell on the other end of the line that he was very happy with the way things were unfolding, and he's eager to see his colt in Louisville."

Runner-up in the Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity (G1) at 2, Irap finished second in two more stakes at 3 before breaking his maiden with a three-quarter length victory in the Blue Grass. That score earned a start in Louisville classic for the colt, who was bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones out of the Storm Cat mare Silken Cat. 

"He's always been a good-size, physically imposing individual," O'Neill said of the colt, who his brother Dennis spotted and purchased as a 2-year-old for $300,000 from Bobby Dodd's consignment to the Ocala Breeders' Sales 2016 March sale of 2-year-olds in training. "He was always a little bit mentally immature, but I think his win in the Blue Grass has kind of moved him way forward in confidence and (the win) sure has made all of us around the barn treat him with a lot more confidence. He's just doing super. 

"We're blessed to have a few that we were hoping to make the Derby with, and I would say that Irap was one of the outsiders, and for him to jump forward the way he did in the Blue Grass is very exciting. He continues to thrive, so we're very optimistic."

The trainer said Irap will ship to Churchill Downs April 29. O'Neill, who flew from Southern California for the work, plans to visit Nyquist at Darley's Jonabell Farm before flying back Friday afternoon. He plans to be in Louisville May 1. 

Jockey Mario Gutierrez, who has the call aboard Irap in the Derby, was scheduled to work the colt Friday morning, but O'Neill said since Santa Anita Park's April 27 card did not fill, the jockey would have had to take off mounts Friday, a situation O'Neill and Reddam did not want to require. 

"(Mario) was saying that he'd have to take off a lot of horses and it was just (Irap's connections) being super classy and saying, 'As much as we want you fly out here and work a horse, we don't want you to ruin any relationships with other barns,' " O'Neill said.

Immediately after Leparoux brought Irap back around after his work, he dismounted on the track and got a leg up on Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1) contender Daddys Lil Darling. 

Normandy Farm's homebred daughter of Scat Daddy worked in company with Wholehearted. The Kenny McPeek-trained duo completed five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 and galloped out in 1:15. 

"It was just a nice maintenance work. We wanted to let Julien get the feel of her," McPeek said, adding that she will ship to Churchill Monday. In her last work, she clocked a half-mile April 21 at Keeneland in :47 2/5. 

The 3-year-old filly was runner up in the April 8 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) last time out, finishing a half-length behind fellow Oaks contender Sailor's Valentine. She finished sixth in her other start this year, the grade 3 Florida Oaks on the Tampa Bay Downs turf. At 2, she took the Pochahontas Stakes (G2) before running second in the Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) and fourth in the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). She closed out her juvenile season with another runner-up effort in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2).