Balance the Books in, Noble Tune out of Blue Grass

Trainer Chad Brown was at Keeneland Monday morning and confirmed that Balance

the Books would be entered Wednesday for Saturday's Grade 1 Blue Grass and said

Noble Tune, who had been considered for the race, instead would make his next

start at Churchill Downs. Both colts worked at Keeneland Sunday, Balance the

Books covering four furlongs in :48 1/5 and Noble Tune breezing five furlongs in

1:01 1/5.

"I don't feel like (Noble Tune has) handled the Polytrack as well as I would

have hoped, but Balance the Books is now a probable to run in there," Brown

said.

By Lemon Drop Kid, Balance the Books is coming off an 11th-place finish in

the Spiral on March 23 at Turfway Park. The race marked his first start of 2013.

"Things didn't go his way. He never really ran but half of the race," Brown

said about the performance. "I was so surprised he didn't handle it. Maybe it

was Turfway or the shipping. I bought that horse at Keeneland last year, and I

thought he'd trained so well on the Polytrack before I bought him. He breezed

yesterday just as I suspected he would on Poly -- terrific. I'm going to draw a

line through Turfway and take a shot in the Blue Grass."

Balance the Books was purchased for $37,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September

Yearling Sale. Consigned to the 2012 Keeneland April Two-Year-Olds in Training

Sale, he was sold to Klaravich Stable for $160,000. The colt won the With

Anticipation at Saratoga last August and took the Bourbon in October. He was

third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Javier Castellano will ride Balance the Books, who walked the shedrow on

Monday morning, in the Blue Grass.

Brown said Noble Tune, an Unbridled's Song colt, would be pointed to the

American Turf on May 3 at Churchill Downs. He was second in the Breeders' Cup

Juvenile Turf.

"He's coming to the Blue Grass," trainer John Terranova said Monday morning

of West Hills Giant after the New York-bred colt worked five furlongs in 1:00

2/5 over a fast Belmont Park training track.

"Tonja (Terranova's wife and assistant trainer) said he worked the last

three-eighths in :35. You need to see that little something when you are going

to take on better horses."

West Hills Giant finished second to Vyjack in the Gotham in his most recent

start on March 2.

"He is leaving there today and will be here (Tuesday)," Terranova said. "Jose

Espinoza will ride him in the Blue Grass."

Also working Monday toward a possible Blue Grass start was Footbridge.

Working at Hollywood Park, Footbridge completed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5.

Trained by Eoin Harty, Footbridge is scheduled to ship to Keeneland on

Wednesday.

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