Baffert rules out Broker; Govenor, Code West questionable

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday that Power Broker (24th on the

points list) was no longer a candidate for the Kentucky Derby, that a decision

on Code West's status will be made after he talks with owner Gary West about the

colt's breeze and that Govenor Charlie will work Monday morning.

Working in company with unbeaten Kentucky Oaks prospect Midnight Lucky, Code

West was reeled in by the filly. He completed five furlongs under Hall of Fame

jockey Mike Smith in 1:00 2/5, while Midnight Lucky sped in :59 3/5.

The colt's five-furlong work time was the sixth fastest of 42 at the distance on the fast main

track. Midnight Lucky's was the fourth-best.

Code West turned in splits of :12 3/5, :24 4/5, :37 and :48 4/5, and galloped

out six furlongs in 1:12 3/5.

"He worked nice today," Baffert said of Code West, near-miss runner-up in the

Risen Star two back at Fair Grounds.

"He likes this track. He's starting to do much better. He had a setback; the

second time I took him to Louisiana (finishing sixth in the Louisiana Derby), he

didn't run well. I was really disappointed in his run, but now it looks like

he's coming back.

"Our options are the Derby, the Preakness, the Peter Pan. The Belmont has

been the target for him. I'm just going to sit down and talk with Gary West

today after I worked him and see what I thought. We're going to go over it.

There's no rush to judgment yet."

Power Broker, also owned by the Wests, was a Grade 1 winner as a two-year-old

last year, but has only made one start in 2013, a well-beaten fifth in the Santa

Anita Derby.

"Power Broker is a nice horse," Baffert said. "He's coming back and had that

one out. Code West and him are going to get better with age.

"Mr. West does not want to compete unless he has a chance to win the race. He

wants to be right there. That's what you have to look at. Just leading them up

there to be part of it, is not how he rolls. He wants to be competitive. When

they turn for home, we want to be able to root.

"By the summer, they're going to be really good horses."

Govenor Charlie, track record-setting hero of the Sunland Derby, has not

breezed since April 11. Mike Pegram's homebred was examined by Dr. Larry

Bramlage after he was found to have a foot bruise and some soreness in his hind

end. He has been given a clean bill of health, but Baffert has been careful not

to push him.

"We'll know more tomorrow," Baffert said. "It was a nice track today and we

let Govenor Charlie gallop a little bit. I just want to monitor him really well.

If not here, he'll go to the Preakness.

"You can't have a hiccup, and we had a little hiccup with him. I just want to

see how he went. He looked good today, but there is no rush in making that call

yet."

However, Baffert said experience tells him to be cautious with Derby

candidates.

"Govenor Charlie's last out was pretty impressive," he said. "It's a shame

that we had that little setback with him.

"He looks really good now, but I'm a little tight for time and I don't want

to press him. Everything has got to go smooth. Every time I've come with these

Derby horses, you can't miss a beat. It's one of those things where I let the

horse tell me."

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