How great is it to be able to turn on the local news each morning and catch live coverage from the backstretch of Churchill Downs? Welcome to GI Kentucky Derby week in Louisville.
There was plenty to do and see once again on another sunny, yet brisk Tuesday morning.
WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden, sporting a black Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway) jacket, of course, Stonestreet Stable principal Barbara Banke and bloodstock advisor John Moynihan, secured a good position on the rail near the chute as the Derby/Oaks training session was about to get underway.
Bob Baffert's dynamic duo of Dortmund (Big Brown) and American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) were among the first to step foot on the freshly manicured surface as they jogged the wrong way at 8:30 a.m. Watching the unbeaten aforementioned mighty chestnut come roaring off the clubhouse turn into the backstretch with those giant strides of his during his subsequent gallop was worth the price of admission alone.
Bolo (Temple City) and Firing Line (Line of David), meanwhile, continue to make a nice impression during their preparations since arriving from Southern California. The tongue-tied Bolo has certainly looked the part the past few days, sporting a flashy double browband for trainer Carla Gaines.
Walden and the team had plenty of reasons to smile as their two-time Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Carpe Diem looked absolutely dynamite while making his first voyage around the main track since arriving from Keeneland Monday. After having a light travel day, he was more than ready to get back to work and entered the track with plenty of positive energy. You can certainly see how the GI Blue Grass hero co-topped last year's OBS March Sale at $1.6 million after catching a brief glimpse of watching him train.
Trainer Todd Pletcher's other three Derby hopefuls–the unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Materiality (Afleet Alex) and longshots Stanford (Malibu Moon) and Itsaknockout (Lemon Drop Kid)–were also on the track as Derby and Oaks horses were out in full force. Sporting a pair of red Ramsey blinkers, the streaking International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus) made his first appearance after turning in his final major preparations at Mike Maker's nearby Trackside stable.
The globe-trotting Mubtaahij (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was impossible to miss with his white reins and blanket with the South Africa flag covering his hind end as he walked calmly onto the track. The runaway G2 UAE Derby hero arrived in Kentucky Monday evening after training at Arlington Park for about a week upon his immediate arrival from overseas. His affable trainer Mike de Kock was later available for an informative meet-and-greet with the press in Churchill's Parlay Media Center.
“I probably found the worse year ever to attempt to run in the Kentucky Derby,” de Kock said to some laughs. “The way he won in Dubai, he did it in a manner that gave one confidence that you could put the horse on a plane, and hopefully he'll be competitive.”
Kentucky Oaks morning-line favorite Stellar Wind (Curlin), a jaw-dropping winner of the GI Santa Anita Oaks, has gotten an early start to her days since making the trip from the Golden State, bypassing the private 15-minute training session. The gorgeous blaze-faced chestnut shined bright during a schooling session later in the day prior to Churchill's second race as the temperatures warmed up kindly to the 60s.
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