Derby contenders out in force Sunday

Bellamy Road is but one of Zito's five Derby entrants (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Eight horses with Kentucky Derby (G1) aspirations took to the track on Sunday

to prepare for their date with destiny on May 7. Trainer Nick Zito led the pack,

sending out three of his five Derby runners in five-furlong drills.

BELLAMY ROAD (Concerto), sensational winner of the Wood Memorial (G1), led

the trio to the track, getting five-eighths in 1:00 2/5. NOBLE CAUSEWAY (Giant's

Causeway) followed, working in company with Capac (Deputy Minister) to post five

furlongs in 1:00. HIGH FLY (Atticus) finished out the trifecta, going five

panels in 1:00 2/5 in company with Last Samurai (Pulpit). Maxine Correa was

aboard all three colts.

"With Bellamy Road, I thought Maxine did a great job," Zito said afterward.

"You could see he was even all the way around, finished up good and he looked

very relaxed doing it. What we try to do in our program, since we are training

horses, especially the last 15 years, is basically try to get all of our horses

to relax. I think our stable now, people know that we try to get our horses to

go a mile and a quarter, no matter what race it is. With Bellamy Road, there has

been so much talk that he won't rate and this and that. At least this last work

and the work before shows us some indication that he will."

Bellamy Road could go favored in the Derby off his 17 1/2-length win in the

Wood. His race prior to that April 9 event also came as a double-digit win.

High Fly and Noble Causeway were the one-two finishers, respectively, in the

Florida Derby (G1) in their last one, but the former holds a slight advantage in

that he has lost only one start in his six-race career. His work on Sunday was

made slightly more interesting when another horse

joined in with High Fly and working partner Last Samurai.

Bandini is one of two Fusaichi Pegasus colts in the Derby (Joseph DiOrio/Horsephotos.com)

Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out two of his three Derby entrants in their final

drills before the Run for the Roses. BANDINI (Fusaichi Pegasus) worked in

company with Lion Tamer (Will's Way), who is scheduled to go in the Churchill

Downs H. (G2) on the Derby undercard, getting five-eighths in 1:00 4/5 while his

stablemate went the same distance in 1:00 1/5.

"He's getting physically stronger and more mature mentally all the time,"

Pletcher said of Bandini, whose sire won the 2000 Derby. "He's a late foal

(May), and he's by Fusaichi Pegasus, so we tried to follow the same map as his

sire, in terms of when he made his first start, and his schedule after that."

Bandini made his career debut a month earlier than his sire, going in

November, but didn't do half as well, running sixth by double digits after a

series of mishaps prior to the race.

"In the paddock, he kicked his jockey (Jamie Spencer) in the chest, so we had

to unsaddle him and get a new rider," Pletcher explained. "Then he got off bad

and ran greenly. But it was a learning experience. He had to run behind horses

and get dirt in his face, and it was a good lesson. He was ready for his next

start and ran the way we thought he could."

Bandini captured his next start in January at Gulfstream Park, taking a

seven-furlong maiden special weight by 4 1/4 lengths. He followed that up with a

nine-length allowance win, a second in the Fountain of Youth S. (G2) and a

six-length decision most recently in the Blue Grass S. (G1). Jockey John

Velazquez was aboard for the work and has the call for the Derby.

FLOWER ALLEY (Distorted Humor) had a bit more luck in his career bow for

Pletcher, running third, and also broke his maiden in his next start. The

lightly raced chestnut scored in the Lane's End S. (G2) in only his third career

start, then finished second in the Arkansas Derby (G2) in his final prep for the

Derby. On Sunday, he made his final drill for the classic event under exercise

rider Michelle Nihei while wearing blinkers for the first time, breezing five

furlongs in 1:00 3/5 while in company with champion Ashado (Saint Ballado), who

is possible for the Louisville Breeders' Cup H. (G2) on Friday and got the same

distance in 1:00 1/5.

Coin Silver could become the first horse since Charismatic to record a Lexington-Derby double (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Flower Alley will keep the blinkers for the Derby and have jockey Jorge

Chavez in the saddle. Pletcher's other Derby entrant, recent Lexington S. (G2)

hero COIN SILVER (Anees), is scheduled to breeze on Monday at Churchill.

Multiple stakes hero GOING WILD (Golden Missile) put in his final major work

on Sunday for the Derby, going five furlongs in :59 3/5, the co-fastest of 58

works at the distance for the day. The D. Wayne Lukas trainee put up fractions

of :11 4/5, :23 3/5, :35 1/5 and :47 under exercise rider Stacy Prior and

galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.

"He was full of himself this morning," Lukas said. "He was tough to pull up.

It was great to see him get over this surface well once again. I have been high

on him all along. He's got show us something in the next one -- that's for sure

-- and I know it's easy to knock him. But I've been around along time to know

these horses, and I just can't believe what I saw out of him in those last two

starts."

Going Wild made his sophomore debut in the San Miguel S. in January, scoring

by a nose, then captured the Sham S. by a length in his next one. That was his

last win, and the dark bay ran seventh and fifth, respectively, by double digits

in the Wood Memorial and Lexington S. in his prior two. Lukas named Jose

Valdivia Jr., who was aboard for Going Wild's maiden victory, to ride the colt

in the Derby. The Hall of Fame conditioner's second Derby horse, CONSOLIDATOR

(Storm Cat), galloped 1 5/8 miles just after Churchill opened for training at 6

a.m. (EDT)

SPANISH CHESTNUT (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 at

Churchill in his first work on the track for trainer Patrick Biancone. The

chestnut colt is the second entrant in the Derby for his owners, Michael Tabor

and Derrick Smith, who also own Bandini.

Buzzard's Bay will be going for his third Derby on Saturday (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

BUZZARDS BAY (Marco Bay), who surprised at 30-1 in the Santa Anita Derby to

earn his chance at Derby glory, jogged a mile at Santa Anita before galloping 

1 1/2 miles for trainer Jeff Mullins. The chestnut colt, who is set to

arrive in Louisville Wednesday, is scheduled to breeze six furlongs at 8 a.m.

(PDT) under regular jockey Mark Guidry at Santa Anita on Monday.

Grade 3 winner CLOSING ARGUMENT (Successful Appeal), third in the Blue Grass

last out, is also schedule to work Monday, but got his first trip over the

Churchill Downs surface on Sunday, galloping 1 3/8 miles.

"He handled it great and looked good out there," trainer Kiaran McLaughlin

said. "He'll breeze Monday morning. We'll take him out at 8:40 (a.m.) when the

track opens after the break."

DON'T GET MAD (Stephen Got Even), a seven-length winner of Saturday's Derby

Trial S., walked 30 minutes around the shedrow at Churchill and will now be

pointed toward the Derby just seven days after his dominating win, according to

trainer Ron Ellis. The bay colt gives owner B. Wayne Hughes a second possible

entrant and will race only after stablemate GREELEY'S GALAXY (Mr. Greeley) draws

in. If both don't draw in, Ellis said Don't Get Mad will be pointed toward the

Preakness S. (G1) on May 21.