Kentucky Derby Daily Activity Report – Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Kentucky Derby Daily Activity Report – Wednesday, April 27, 2011

ANIMAL KINGDOM – Barry Irwin, chief executive officer of Team Valor

International, notified Churchill Downs officials that Animal Kingdom,

the 2 3/4-length winner of the Spiral (G3) at Turfway Park on

March 26, would train at Keeneland on Thursday morning and then van to Churchill

Downs that afternoon.

Trained by Graham Motion and to be ridden by Robby Albarado,

Animal Kingdom is scheduled to breeze six furlongs on Saturday in company with

Meistersinger according to Irwin.

ARCHARCHARCH – Robert Yagos' Archarcharch had some company

Wednesday morning when he went to the track with jockey Jon Court aboard.

Trainer Jinks Fires sent another 3-year-old named Supreme Ruler

with his Arkansas Derby (G1) winner and the duo galloped once around at a

two-minute lick.

"It is a training technique to get them in the bridle," Fires said. "It gets

them competitive training together."

Fires plans to run Supreme Ruler in a Derby Week allowance race.

"He is a pretty good horse," Fires said. "I sent him to New Mexico (for the

Sunland Derby that was won by Twice the Appeal). He makes his big run at

the end and that day in the races I saw, there were no closers closing that day.

Where they were at the head of the stretch is where they finished."

Fires plans to work Archarcharch work five furlongs prior to the Derby.

"I will work him when the track is suitable," Fires said. "I probably should

have worked him yesterday. I thought the track was a little hard early in the

morning, but better after the break. But he just ran a mile and an eighth last

Saturday and he is where he needs to be."

DECISIVE MOMENT – Just for Fun Stable's Decisive Moment walked the

shedrow at Barn 41 as trainer Juan Arias elected not to take the homebred

son of With Distinction out of the barn.

"His work is pushed back to Friday," Arias said. "He will go to the track in

the morning, but just to gallop."

MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE – Arnold Zetcher's homebred Midnight Interlude,

winner of the Santa Anita Derby (G1), walked under the shedrow for three-time

Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert on Wednesday.

Midnight Interlude worked six furlongs in 1:13.80 on Tuesday in company with

older stablemate Mythical Power in 1:13.80.  Assistant trainer

Jim Barnes

said the War Chant colt came out of the work well.

MUCHO MACHO MAN – Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Dream Team One

Racing Stable's Mucho Macho Man galloped two miles before the

renovation break under exercise rider Mike Herra.

"I didn't want to wait and take a chance of it being worse later," trainer

Kathy Ritvo

said after Mucho Macho Man returned to the barn and 90

minutes before the rain subsided for the morning.

Mucho Macho Man is scheduled to work most likely on Sunday.

NEHRO – Zayat Stables'

Nehro, runner-up in the Arkansas Derby (G1)

and Louisiana Derby (G2) for trainer Steve Asmussen, galloped a mile

under exercise rider Carlos Rosas on Wednesday.

It was the first trip to the track for the son of Mineshaft since a

five-furlong work in 1:02.80 over a sloppy track on Monday.  Assistant

trainer Scott Blasi said Nehro came out of the work well.

The final pre-Derby work for Nehro is expected on Monday.      

PANTS ON FIRE – George and Lori Hall's Louisiana Derby (G2)

winner Pants On Fire galloped a little more than a mile and a

half.

Trainer Kelly Breen, whose first Kentucky Derby experience came in

2009 when he saddled West Side Bernie and Atomic Rain for the

Halls, plans to work Pants On Fire on Saturday or Sunday.

Rosie Napravnik, seeking to become the first woman rider to win the

Kentucky Derby, has the mount on Pants On Fire.

SANTIVA – Tom Walters' Santiva walked the shedrow at Barn 31 a day after

working a half-mile in :49.20 for trainer Eddie Kenneally.

        Santiva will return to the track

Thursday and have his final work for the Derby early next week.

SHACKLEFORD – Michael Lauffer and W.D. Cubbedge's Shackleford

galloped a mile and a half after the renovation break under Faustino Ramos.

        Shackleford, trained by Dale

Romans, is scheduled to work Saturday.

STAY THIRSTY/UNCLE MO – Trainer Todd Pletcher reported all was

well with the Repole Stable's Uncle Mo a day after the colt worked

five furlongs in 1:01.80.

        "So far, everything is good,"

Pletcher said of the 2-year-old champion of 2010 who walked the shedrow

Wednesday morning.

        Uncle Mo is scheduled to return to

the track Thursday morning.

        His stablemate, Stay Thirsty,

galloped a mile and three-eighths after the renovation break under exercise

rider Fernando Espinoza.

         Stay Thirsty is

scheduled to work Sunday with Uncle Mo scheduled for Sunday or Monday.

TWICE THE APPEAL/SWAY AWAY – Jerry Hissam, agent for three-time

Kentucky Derby-winning rider Calvin Borel, said Wednesday afternoon that

Borel has picked up the Kentucky Derby mount on Sunland Derby (GIII) winner

Twice the Appeal.

Borel, who has won the past two runnings of the Kentucky Derby on Mine

That Bird and Super Saver, is one of five riders to win the

Derby in consecutive years. No rider has won three consecutive Kentucky Derbys.     

In accepting the ride on Twice the Appeal, Borel will again seek success in

the Kentucky Derby aboard a horse whose road to Churchill Downs wound through

New Mexico and Sunland Park.  Mine That Bird finished fourth in the 1

1/8-mile Sunland Derby to his 2009 Kentucky Derby triumph under Borel at odds of

50-1, the second-largest upset in Kentucky Derby history.

Owned by Edward Brown Jr., Victor Flores and Henry Hernandez,

and trained by Jeff Bonde, Twice the Appeal jogged two

miles before the renovation break in a steady downpour under exercise

rider Nate Quinonez.

      Bonde's other Kentucky Derby hopeful,

Batman Stable, Philip Lebherz, Cindy Olsen, Janet

Sharp and Glen Wallace et al's Sway Away jogged with the pony

in the mile chute under Quinonez.

TWINSPIRED – Alpha Stables, Skychai Racing and Sand Dollar

Stable's Twinspired galloped a mile and a half under Derrick Smith

at Trackside Training Center for trainer Mike Maker.

        Runner-up in the Blue Grass

(G1) in his most recent start, Twinspired will be ridden in Derby 137 by Mike

Smith, who won the 2005 Derby on Giacomo.

        Maker also said that Ken

and Sarah Ramsey's Derby Kitten, winner of last Saturday's Lexington (G3) at Keeneland, would train up to the Derby should he

get in. With $120,000 in graded stakes earnings, Derby Kitten would need several

defections from horses under consideration for the Derby that is limited to 20

entries with the most graded earnings.

WATCH ME GO – Gilbert Campbell's Watch Me Go arrived at Churchill

Downs early Tuesday afternoon and spent Wednesday morning in Barn 41.

"He will not go to the track until Friday," said Lucy Pompell, groom

of Watch Me Go. "He is scheduled to work Saturday or Sunday."

        Pompell said that trainer

Kathleen O'Connell is scheduled to arrive in Louisville Friday night.

        Luis Garcia has the Derby

mount on Watch Me Go.