Adriano likely for Derby after work

Adriano earned his chance at Derby glory with a nice work at Churchill (Reed Palmer/Churchill Downs) Courtlandt Farm's homebred ADRIANO (A.P. Indy) is now considered likely for a run in the $2 million Kentucky Derby (G1) following a four-furlong workout on Sunday at Churchill Downs, where the race will be run on May 3. The Graham Motion-trained chestnut, winner of the Lane's End S. (G2) over Turfway Park's Polytrack, had jockey Edgar Prado in the saddle as he breezed a half-mile in intermittent rain over a fast surface in :50 The three-year-old colt breezed in company with his four-year-old stablemate Longley (Seeking the Gold), who broke off in front of Adriano. The duo raced as a team through the turn and into upper stretch before Adriano and Prado pushed past in the final furlong to finish a length in front. Motion planned to discuss the colt's immediate future later in the day with Courtlandt Farm owner Donald Adam, but he felt Adriano had shown enough in Sunday's easy work at Churchill Downs to earn a start in the Run for the Roses. "I'm pretty sure we're going to go for it after this -- I don't know why we wouldn't," Motion said. "Believe me, I want to win the Derby as much as anybody else does, but I don't think it's engraved in my mind that I've got to get there. I want to get there for the right reasons, and I think when we analyze it and we talk with Mr. Adam and with Edgar, I think it is the right thing to do at this point. That was depending upon what happened today, and I think it went well."

Churchill Downs clockers caught Adriano in fractions of :13, :25 2/5 and

:37 4/5, and the colt galloped out five furlongs in 1:03 2/5. Longley was time

in :50 2/5 for his four-furlong move. Adriano's move ranked 29th among 42 at the

distance.

"He went nice," Prado said. "He started nice and easy, and he finished good.

When I called on him, he was there. He galloped out really good and it seemed

like he handled it very well. Graham was happy and I was very happy with him."

Motion had expressed reservations about Adriano's handling of

traditional dirt courses like the one-mile oval at Churchill Downs after the

colt turned in a disappointing ninth behind Cool Coal Man (Mineshaft) in the Fountain of Youth

S. (G2) on February 24 at Gulfstream Park. That was Adriano's first race on traditional dirt

after racing on grass or Polytrack in his five previous races. The conditioner brought Adriano to Churchill

Downs to see how his charge would handle the dirt footing, and was pleased with what he saw as he watched the move from a seat atop

his stable pony.

"He seemed to handle it fine," Motion said. "I thought he looked good. I

don't think the time was real flashy, but, to be honest, I really wasn't asking

him to do that. And (the track) was kind of 'cuppy' -- I'm guessing they didn't

put a lot of water on the track because of the rain, so it just looked like it

was a little loose.

"I pretty much told Edgar he had a free rein to do what he wanted, within

reason. He kind of smooched to him at the eighth-pole and (Adriano) really lengthened

his stride. He just seemed to accelerate like he would on any surface. I

couldn't say he went a lot differently than he would have gone on the turf or

the Polytrack."

If Adam and Motion make the expected decision to point Adriano toward the

Kentucky Derby, Prado will have a decision to make. The jockey is coming off

victories in Saturday's Blue Grass S. (G1) aboard Monba (Maria's Mon) and last week's Wood Memorial (G1)

on Tale of Ekati (Tale of the Cat).

Motion indicated that Prado would need to make a decision on whether he would

stick with Adriano for the Derby within "24 hours."

"He's got to make up his mind, and I don't want to miss out on getting

somebody else," Motion explained. "If Edgar is not the 'money rider' right now, he's

certainly one of the two or three."

"Hopefully, everything will work out good," Prado said of his looming choice.

"We hope (Adriano) will come out of the work beautiful and we'll play it from

there. We just hope we make the right choice."

Motion planned to take Adriano back to Keeneland after Sunday's work, but

will return his colt to Churchill late this week if the decision comes down to

run in the Derby.