On the Kentucky Derby worktab

Fountain of Youth S. (G1) winner COOL COAL MAN (Mineshaft) worked four

furlongs in company in :47 2/5 over the fast dirt at Churchill Downs on Thursday in

preparation for the Blue Grass S. (G1) on April 12 at Keeneland. The Nick Zito

trainee finished just in front of three-year-old maiden Chris Got Even (Stephen

Got Even), who was timed in :47 3/5. The move by Cool Coal Man ranked as

the fourth fastest of 25 at the distance.

Zito said he moved up the work by a couple of days because of a forecast for

heavy rain in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. There were only a few raindrops on Thursday

as Cool Coal Man worked over a dry surface shortly after the break for track

maintenance. Zito will saddle reigning two-year-old champion War Pass (Cherokee

Run) in Saturday's Wood Memorial (GI) at Aqueduct.

"This is actually how he did it before the Fountain of Youth," Zito said.

"He's not a robust colt, but he's a really flashy little guy. I think his name

is appropriate. I always talk about letting them run through the lane a little

bit (before a race) -- kind of like a 'blowout' the old fashioned way. We're

still traditionalists, right?"

Zito, who would have preferred to prep Cool Coal Man on traditional dirt surface rather

the Polytrack surface he'll compete over next week at Keeneland, decided

to give Cool Coal Man an extra week to run at Keeneland rather than come back in

last week's Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

"I really wanted a fresh horse," Zito said. "He's two-for-two this year and

he certainly looks good, so I just wanted some kind of chance for this horse in

the Derby and I hope we get it. I would prefer to have run on a conventional

track like Churchill Downs, but the Blue Grass is a good race and I've been

lucky in it a lot of times, too. And I saw what Street Sense did last year, and

if he could run that kind of race I'll take it and then maybe we'll get lucky in

the big one."

Back-to-back winner FIRST COMMANDMENT (Deputy Commander) blew out three

furlongs in :37 on a fast training track at Belmont Park in advance of

Saturday's Wood Memorial (G1).