Kentucky Derby Update: Stronghold, Track Phantom Among Five To Post Final Works Sunday

MYSTIK DAN – After Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing and Daniel Hamby III’s colt put in his final major tune-up on Saturday for the Derby for trainer Kenny McPeek, so he walked the shedrow on Sunday.

“He walked today after his work,” said McPeek, who was satisfied in drawing the No. 3 post position in the Derby. He’ll have Brian Hernandez Jr. on board and was listed at 20-1 on the morning line.

On Saturday, he was timed for the five furlongs in 1:01.20 with Hernandez, finishing up in 1:14.40.

RESILIENCE – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is bringing Wood Memorial (G2) winner Resilience up to the Kentucky Derby in old school fashion. On Sunday, Mott sent Resilience out for his third work in 10 days as the colt covered four furlongs in :49.20 during the 7:30 a.m. training session.

Shortly after stablemate and champion Just F Y I completed her half-mile breeze in advance of the Kentucky Oaks, Resilience got down to his own bit of serious business in a solo move with blinkers on. The son of Into Mischief was well in hand through fractions of :12.60 and :24.80 before galloping out in 1:01.40.

“I would say I was hoping to see exactly what we got,” Mott said. “I was hoping for a :49 work. We put a really good work into both horses six days ago so we just wanted our final work to be nice and smooth and cross our fingers and hope they come back good. It looked like they both breezed well, finished up well and came back nicely. Neither one of them was being pushed.”

The addition of blinkers has helped Resilience dial in his focus, with Mott now seeing a horse whose mind is on par with his physical ability. When he captured the Wood Memorial on April 6, he was able to not only finish up in strong fashion but do so with what appeared to be more left in the tank.

"He’s physically done well and with the blinkers he seems to be more focused on everything,” Mott said “He got jostled around a bit in the Wood but by the time he got to the backside, he had a nice trip, had a nice stalking position.”

Mott added that, rather than a walk day, he may send Resilience back to the track on Monday for an easy jog.

STRONGHOLD – Trainer Phil D’Amato put the finishing touches on his colt as the Ghostzapper offspring heads toward Saturday’s 150th edition of the Kentucky Derby.

The conditioner sent Eric and Sharon Waller’s homebred trackside during the 7:30-7:45 training period. He signed on rider Joe Talamo to handle the youngster in a team drill with his charge Motorious and rider Martin Garcia. Motorious is one of the horses D’Amato brought in from California and he’s bound for Saturday’s $600,000 Twin Spires Turf Sprint (G2).

The trainer’s instructions were for the two to work in concert, but not go too, too fast for their five-furlong exercise. The riders did just that, breaking off at the five-eighths pole and going in unison to the wire where they finished all but even. Churchill clockers gave Stronghold, who worked outside, a final time of :59.80 and his workmate a clocking of 1:00.

“He felt real good,” Talamo said following the exercise. “I’ve worked this horse before (Talamo broke his maiden at Churchill last October) and today he showed me another gear. He’s a different horse now; he did this easy.”

D’Amato, who watched the work from the frontside grandstand, was quite pleased with the drill.

“I told them I just wanted a maintenance work today; nothing too serious. And in the end it was an ideal drill. I said maybe go in 1:01 or so, but the way the track is playing right now their times were plenty good. This horse has raced six times at six different racetracks and he knows what he’s doing out there now. We’ve checked all the boxes and I’m very happy with where we stand coming up to the Derby.”

With his wife and chief exercise rider Sherri Alexander at the wheel, the trainer headed out from the track to catch a plane back to California and his main string of runners. He indicated he’d return Tuesday for the balance of Derby Week.

T O PASSWORD (JPN) – Tomoya Ozasa’s colt warmed up for a half-hour in the mile chute with stablemate T O Saint Denis (JPN) and then galloped an easy mile before turning to the chute to cool down. Training assistant Yuichi Tomomichi rode T O Password this morning.

Jockey Kazushi Kimura is scheduled to arrive in Louisville Sunday and will take over the morning saddle activity on Monday.

T O Password drew post 10 for the Kentucky Derby and Kate Hunter, Asia representative for the Kentucky Derby, said the connections of the undefeated colt were pleased with the draw.

T O Password is scheduled to work Tuesday in company with Derby entrant Forever Young (JPN).

TRACK PHANTOM – Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner had his final work prior to the Kentucky Derby, working a solid five furlongs in 1:00 outside stablemate Mugen.

Track Phantom began his move through a solid opening quarter-mile of :24.20 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.60, according to Churchill Downs Clocker John Nichols.

“I think Track Phantom has a beautiful rhythm to him with a nice, beautiful stride,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “I don’t think he’s a horse that has to be on the lead. In his last two starts there were very tepid paces. I think for him to be wrangled back in either of those two races wouldn’t have been to his style. I obviously expect there to be more pace in the Derby, everybody does with the quarter-mile run into the first turn. I think in a full field I still want him to jump away from there well but I’d be very surprised to see him on the lead in this year’s Derby.”

WEST SARATOGA – Harry Veruchi’s colt walked the shedrow Sunday morning following a three-eighths work in :37.20 under jockey Jesus Castanon on Saturday.

Trained by Larry Demeritte, West Saratoga will return to the track Monday. West Saratoga drew post 13 for the Derby.

“No matter what, I go to church on Sundays,” Demeritte said Saturday. “It’s normally a quiet day at the barn for us.”

ALSO ELIGIBLE – Welch Racing’s Epic Ride galloped a mile and a half under Sophie Doyle for trainer John Ennis.

Average Joe Racing Stables and Dan Wells’ Mugatu had a scheduled walk day for trainer Jeff Engler.

THE KENTUCKY DERBY FIELD – Here is the field for the 150th running of the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (Grade I) in order of post positions (with rider and morning line odds): Dornoch (Luis Saez, 20-1), Sierra Leone (Tyler Gaffalione, 3-1), Mystik Dan (Brian Hernandez Jr., 20-1), Catching Freedom (Flavien Prat, 8-1), Catalytic (Jose Ortiz, 30-1), Just Steel (Keith Asmussen, 20-1), Honor Marie (Ben Curtis, 20-1), Just a Touch (Florent Geroux, 10-1), Encino (Axel Concepcion, 20-1), T O Password (JPN) (Kazuski Kimura, 30-1), Forever Young (JPN) (Ryusei Sakai. 10-1), Track Phantom (Joel Rosario, 20-1), West Saratoga (Jesus Castanon, 30-1), Endlessly (Umberto Rispoli, 30-1), Domestic Product (Irad Ortiz Jr., 30-1), Grand Mo the First (Emisael Jaramillo, 50-1), Fierceness (John Velasquez, 5-2), Stronghold (Antonio Fresu, 20-1), Resilience (Junior Alvarado, 20-1), Society Man (Frankie Dettori, 50-1). Also-Eligible: Epic Ride (Adam Beschizza, 50-1), Mugatu (Joe Talamo, 50-1). All starters will carry 126 pounds.

Working toward the Kentucky Oaks shortly after the track opened for training on Sunday was Courtlandt Farms’ Our Pretty Woman. Listed as the first also-eligible for the $1.5-million race, Our Pretty Woman worked a half-mile in :50.60. Working during the 7:30-7:45 window were George Krikorian’s Just F Y I (four furlongs in :49.40) and Foster Family Racing, William Wargel, R.K. Eckrich Racing and Maxis Stable’s Everland (four furlongs in :51.60).