Banned breezes for Virginia Derby

Glen Hill Farm's BANNED (Kitten's Joy), a two-time graded winner on

turf, tuned up for a run in the $600,000 Virginia Derby (G2) at Colonial

Downs on July 16 with a sharp half-mile work over Churchill Downs' firm

Matt Winn Turf Course on Thursday.

The bay three-year-old, who captured the American Turf S. (G2) and

Jefferson Cup (G3) in his last two under the Twin Spires, breezed four

furlongs around the dogs in :50 2/5 for trainer Tom Proctor.

"He's a little keener than I'd like him to be at this point, but

that's OK, it was still a good work," Proctor said.

Proctor gave his rising star a bit of a breather after his Jefferson

Cup win, but is now gearing Banned up for the Virginia Derby.

"I was thinking about working him Tuesday, but I wanted to give him

an extra couple days because it's the summer and hot and you don't want

to cook them," Proctor explained. "I probably could have worked him

Tuesday though, because I don't think he ran too hard in his last race."

A big effort by Banned at Colonial Downs could convince Proctor to

point his pupil to a run in the 1 1/4-mile Secretariat S. (G1) at

Arlington Park on August 13.

"We'll have to see how he comes back from the Virginia Derby, but

it's a big possibility we will run in the Secretariat," Proctor

remarked. "I don't know if he's really bred to go that far and the

bottom half of his pedigree says he can't, but if you look at his action

he looks like he could handle 1 1/4 miles."