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Age of Humor arrives at Churchill
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Age of Humor made a winning seasonal debut in New York
(Ross Woodson/Horsephotos.com) |
AGE OF HUMOR (Distorted Humor) arrived at Churchill Downs
just before 10 a.m. (EDT) on Wednesday following a 15-minute van ride from trainer Mike Maker's
Trackside
Training Center base. The bay lass will break from post 4 in Friday's Kentucky
Oaks (G1).
Maker was enthusiastic about the progress of Age of Humor, who will race Friday
in a more drastic style of blinkers instead of the French cup
(three-fourth cups) she was
previously
outfitted with.
"The filly's doing excellent," Maker said. "I'm glad we got in because I think
she's going to improve as the distances increase and she's really come around.
"The changes to the blinkers are really going to help her. She didn't want to
pull
away from that horse (winner Orchestrator [Bernstein]) in the Bourbonette (G3). She looked
like
she had that horse anytime she wanted and even in her works she always wanted to
stay
with other horses and not draw away. With these different blinkers we put on
she's been
drawing away so we're happy.
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"It's more of a full cup," Maker explained. "She had some French cups that she
ran in that blocked out some but not all of it. Now she's a lot more focused,
and she's
filled out. And she's another one that
if the
track came up sloppy it wouldn't hurt her.
"She's come into her own and this is a great spot to find out where you sit."
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Evening Jewel took a spin under the Twin Spires Wednesday
(Laura J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
On her first morning at Churchill Downs
since arriving by plane from California on Tuesday, EVENING JEWEL (Northern
Afleet) was absolutely
full
of herself on the track and grazing behind Barn 41. Trainer Jim Cassidy looked
on as his Ashland S. (G1) winner nearly ran off with exercise rider
Lindsey
Molina during Wednesday morning's training session.
"The plan was to just jog her a little bit because I thought she'd be awfully
keen,"
Cassidy said afterward. "And she was all that and more. She scared poor Lindsey
to
death. She came off the plane feeling pretty good obviously."
The flight was not the first for Evening Jewel, who traveled from California to
Kentucky earlier this month.
"She was quite content and her old self at Keeneland," Cassidy said. "This was
different this morning. But I had her out grazing and couldn't be happier. She's
just
feeling really good."
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Cassidy said Evening Jewel would school in the paddock Thursday with the
horses for the 2ND race.
JOANIE'S CATCH (First Tour), who arrived by van from
Calder Race Course on Tuesday, was introduced to the Churchill Downs surface
while
galloping a 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning.
"She had a nice gallop," trainer Barry Rose said of his homebred filly.
Joanie's Catch, who'll be ridden by Paco Lopez, will break from the far-outside 14 post position.
"It shouldn't have any real effect. She's not going to be bursting out of there
to
get the lead," Rose said. "It might keep her out of trouble, if something goes
on in the
middle of the track with some of these three-year-olds."
In other Oaks news:
AMEN HALLELUJAH (Montbrook)
galloped 1 1/2 miles at Churchill Wednesday morning under exercise
rider
Michelle Nevin. The dark bay has turned in two bullet workouts since finishing
second behind Kentucky Derby (G1) entrant Devil May Care (Malibu Moon) in the Bonnie Miss
S. (G2), both at
Gulfstream Park.
"The Gulfstream Park track was getting hard the last three weeks. I don't think
she likes a real hard track like that was," trainer Rick Dutrow said.
BEAUTICIAN (Dehere), runner-up in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Fillies
(G1), jogged a mile Wednesday morning and then galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise
rider
Marvin Abrego. Trainer Ken McPeek said she has shown no ill effects from
suffering a
minor cut in her final workout Monday morning.
"That's a detail thing, changing her shoes, way more than a medical thing,"
McPeek said. "It's all in the details, switching up the angles of the shoes and
such.
Beautician had a really good day today and is doing quite well."
Beautician drew post six in the 14-horse Oaks field and will be ridden by jockey
Alex Solis. As for the draw, McPeek had no worries.
"There's way too much being a trainer to worry about than things we can't
control," he said. "You run where they draw you and take it in stride."
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Bella Diamante will try to make the Oaks her first stakes victory
(Laura J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
BELLA DIAMANTE (Lost Soldier) galloped 1 1/2 miles during
the Derby and Oaks training session with Eddie Milligan Jr., brother of trainer
Allen
Milligan, aboard.
"She was a lot brighter today," Eddie Milligan Jr. said. "She seems to like it
here.
She is going to run the best race she can and that's about all you can ask."
Allen Milligan will arrive in town Thursday.
The 6-5 morning line favorite for Friday's Kentucky Oaks, BLIND LUCK
(Pollard's Vision)
visited the paddock Wednesday morning before galloping 1 1/2 miles under exercise
rider
Archie Cross. Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said he will send Blind Luck to the
paddock
for schooling the next two days.
"She's very happy to be here, which is a key, and very relaxed," Hollendorfer
said. "She's never been a problem horse in that area anyway."
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Blind Luck drew post five in the Oaks' 14-horse field and will be ridden by
Rafael Bejarano.
"I like the draw a lot and we've got a rider who has been on this horse and
knows
her very well," Hollendorfer said. "Bejarano is something else. He works harder
than just
about anybody getting to know a horse. You should see him; he's on the computer
watching videos, studying the charts, everything. Not many riders do that like
he does."
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The sun was shining bright when Blind Luck took to the track
(Laura J. Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com) |
CHAMPAGNE D'ORO (Medaglia d'Oro) came onto the track
the minute it opened at 5:45 a.m. to jog one mile and gallop one mile.
"We went out in the dark," trainer Eric Guillot said. "I train in the dark so
nobody learns anything. I can't give away my trade secrets."
Guillot said he did not know the name of the exercise rider but that whoever it
was did a fine job.
"She's training good," he said. "I was a little afraid she was going to run
off."
Guillot also raved about the clarity in his filly's eyes, which the trainer said
is an
indicator of her overall health.
"You know a horse is doing good when you can look in their eyeball and see what
the guys in the barn across the way are doing," he said. "I know more about
what's going
on in that barn over there than the trainer does, just by looking in her eye.
Clarity in the
eyes is key. Just like a person."
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Trainer John Sadler had CRISP (El Corredor) out early on a chilly
Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs for a 1 1/2 mile gallop on the big
oval
under exercise rider Lupillo Alferez..
"She went well," the California-based conditioner said at his Barn 42. "She'll
go
out early tomorrow, too. All my horses will. I think this track is better first
thing in the
morning."
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It's Tea Time will break from the rail in the Oaks
(Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) |
IT'S TEA TIME (Dynaformer) galloped to the starting
gate,
where she stood for a while and then galloped back around to the five-eighths
pole under
exercise rider Ronin Quinn on Wednesday.
"She did about a mile and a half and was excellent at the gate," said trainer
Rusty
Arnold of It's Tea Time, who drew the rail for Friday's Oaks. "She'll gallop
a mile
and a half tomorrow and probably walk Friday morning."
Arnold was not happy with his filly's draw.
"I jinxed myself yesterday saying I wanted anything but the one and then it
plunks
out," Arnold said. "She may have to stand in there a bit longer, but sometimes
these
things have a way of working out for the best."
JODY SLEW (Slew City Slew) galloped 1 1/2
miles during the Derby and Oaks training session with Eddie Corerra in the
saddle.
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"She backed up to the gate, stood in the gate, and then galloped a mile and a
half,"
trainer Bret Calhoun said. "I love the way she's been training. She's back to
her old self.
She's full of energy and really happy. She's ready to go and we've just got to
get a good
trip and be the best horse that day."
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Jody Slew had been given plenty of time to recover for the Oaks
(Harold Roth/Horsephotos.com) |
Jody Slew, who finished seventh in the March 26 Fair Grounds Oaks (G2),
became cast in her stall about 10 days before that race
and suffered bruising high up on the inside of her hind legs that forced her to
miss a
scheduled work.
"She was compromised significantly," Calhoun said. "That was a throw-out race.
Prior to her getting cast we felt really good about our chances of winning the
Fair
Grounds Oaks. Then after she got cast in her stall it was more about getting to
the
Kentucky Oaks instead of winning the Fair Grounds Oaks and using that as a prep
race.
"We felt it was a race that she needed in order to get to the Kentucky Oaks, but
it
wasn't a race we were very confident we'd do a lot of good in. Her injuries were
not such
that we thought we would risk any setback by running her there but we did think
it was a
situation where she'd improve from it and I think that's what's happened. She's
gotten
over all the issues she had from being cast and she's really moved forward up
here.
"If we had gone eight weeks and tried to go a mile-and-an-eighth it would have
been more of a training challenge getting her here, but I think that race under
her belt
helped and we didn't have to do as much getting her here as we would have if she
hadn't
run that day."
Jody Slew drew post position 2 for the Kentucky Oaks.
"I didn't matter," Calhoun said. "She's going to drop back. The only negative is
she'll be standing there longer during the load. I'd rather be there than the
outside
because she's already saving ground and won't use any energy dropping over."
Trainer Dale Romans' first Kentucky Oaks starter in 11 years, QUIET TEMPER
(Quiet American), galloped 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning and made her way to the
starting
gate for a schooling session. The Fair Grounds Oaks winner mirrored
the
morning activities of her stablemate Paddy O'Prado (El Prado [Ire]), who is finalizing his
preparations for Saturday's Kentucky Derby.
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"Everything is on course from here," Romans said. "I've only run one filly in
the
Oaks. Ran one, finished third in Silverbulletday's year (1999) with Sweeping
Story.
The neat thing is that we are running Sweeping Story's baby (C.S. Royce
[Unbridled's Song]) on
Saturday in
a maiden race, too."
TIDAL POOL (Yankee Gentleman) jogged a 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning for
trainer D. Wayne Lukas. She drew post eight in the field of 14 and will
be ridden by Calvin Borel, who won the race last year with Horse of the Year
Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro).
"She's gotten better," Lukas commented. "At two, she wasn't quite as strong as she is now. She's
really on an upward spiral. She was second in the Fantasy (G2), but she'll be better
on Friday. Much better. Blind Luck ran by us in the Fantasy; we were second, but
we'll make it more interesting next time."
AILALEA (Pulpit) went trackside under Patti Barry
Wednesday
morning during the post-renovation break "Derby/Oaks horses only" period,
galloping a
mile and five-sixteenths in anticipation of her Friday date.
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