Union Rags well following troubled Derby run

Chadds Ford Stable's Union Rags was "bright" Sunday morning after his

troubled seventh-place finish in Saturday's Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Michael Matz was pleased with his Derby starter's condition Sunday,

but still disappointed that Union Rags' Derby trip was compromised by a slow

start and subsequent traffic and resulted in a seventh-place finish.

After breaking a step slowly, Union Rags was bumped and squeezed back to 18th

in the 20-horse field before encountering traffic on the far turn that forced

jockey Julien Leparoux to take a hold. The son of Dixie Union closed from 16th

to seventh in the final quarter-mile.

"All I could see was that Dullahan came over to the left. I couldn't see what

happened to the other horses. (Leparoux) said he got hit out of the gate after

he didn't break sharp. That's the Derby," Matz sighed. "I feel bad for the

horse. He didn't have the chance to show his true ability. He probably ran a

half-mile in about 2 1/2 miles (including the Florida Derby)."

Union Rags, who was trapped behind horses before closing late to finish third

in the Grade 1 Florida Derby as the 2-5 favorite, surprised his trainer by

failing to break alertly.

"The last two times he ran, he broke real sharp. The gate has never been a

problem. He's always broken good. It's such a disappointing situation right

now," Matz said. "I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong. Certainly, after

the Florida Derby, I thought it wouldn't happen twice. There's only one chance

to do this with a horse like that. That's the disappointing part of this."

Matz reported that Union Rags would leave Churchill Downs Sunday evening and

arrive at his Fair Hill, Maryland, barn early Monday morning after an overnight

van ride.

The trainer of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro said it will be a tough

decision whether to run Union Rags back in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on

May 12 or wait until the Belmont Stakes on June 9 at Belmont Park.

"It kind of puts you in a tough situation. If you go to the Preakness and he

runs good, then you'll say, 'He has to go to the Belmont.' If he goes to the

Preakness and runs bad, you'll say, 'I should have waited until the Belmont.' So

it's kind of a no-win situation right now," Matz said. "It's a long year. It

sort of makes you say, 'Do you want to go an hour and a half down the road to

the Preakness in two weeks. Or do you want to wait the extra time and go to the

Belmont and space his races out?'"

Ultimately, a decision will be made after observing Union Rags' training at

Fair Hill and discussing the colt's future with owner Phyllis Wyeth.

"We'll just have to see how he comes out and talk to Phyllis and see what she

would prefer to do. There are some nice races all through the whole year, so

we'll see what happens," Matz said. "It's (Union Rags' Derby trip) so

unfortunate for the horse and for the owner. How many chances do you get like

this, especially for Phyllis, who's 71 and this was her first chance to get here

-- and might be her only chance?"