Zayat Stables's El Kabeir (Scat Daddy) breezed a half-mile in :46.81 at Belmont Saturday in what will be his last work prior to the GI Kentucky Derby May 2.
“Everything looked good,” trainer John Terranova said. “From our vantage point, everything seemed to go well. He's nice and sharp, and coming into the race well.”
El Kabeir spent the winter at Aqueduct where he won the GIII Jerome S. Jan. 3 and the GIII Gotham S. Mar. 7. He finished second in the GIII Withers S. Feb. 7 and was a late running third last time in the GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial S. Apr. 4. The gray already has a win at Churchill Downs in last November's GII Kentucky Jockey Club S., and his pilot from that start, Calvin Borel, will get back aboard next Saturday.
El Kabeir, who is just the second Derby starter for Terranova who saddled 19th-place finisher Falling Sky (Lion Heart) in 2013, will ship to Lousiville Sunday.
“We're looking forward to a good week,” Terranova said. “He's a real smart, well-seasoned colt, and he's been battle tested already. We're just going to go in and enjoy the week–keep him happy, keep us happy – and hopefully we'll have a fun Derby.”
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