By Steve Sherack
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With the majority of the field for the GI Kentucky Derby beating the rain and turning in their final works either Friday or Saturday, it was a pretty quiet day of training at Churchill Downs on a humid Sunday morning.
While the sloppy and sealed track was being worked on during the 8:00 a.m. renovation break, trainer Bob Baffert caught up with a fellow Hall of Famer, retired jockey Chris McCarron.
“Chris rode my first Derby loser,” Baffert joked to the adoring crowd assembled near the gap.
Baffert, of course, was referring to his painful second-place finish with Cavonnier in the 1996 Run for the Roses.
With the sun trying to escape through a thick cloud cover as temperatures hit the mid 60s, unbeaten champion Nyquist (Uncle Mo) began to make his way through the Churchill backstretch for the first time since arriving from Lexington Saturday afternoon.
Media and horsemen alike began to line up to catch a glimpse of the Derby favorite, who remained a cool customer, as the track was still being groomed. The legendary Jack Van Berg, trainer of the 1987 Derby hero Alysheba, checked out Nyquist while aboard his stable pony as did Randy Gullatt of Twin Creeks Racing. Destin (Giant's Causeway), campaigned by the latter, enjoyed a scheduled day off after breezing Friday as well as fellow Todd Pletcher trainee Outwork (Uncle Mo).
Southern California trainer Richard Baltas snuck in a quick video of Nyquist with his cell phone while his nearby GI Kentucky Oaks charge Mokat (Uncle Mo) awaited the track's reopening for the special 15-minute training period allotted for Derby/Oaks horses at 8:30 a.m.
Sporting a red shadow roll, last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile hero jogged once around the main oval beneath regular partner Jonny Garcia much to the delight of assistant trainer Jack Sisterson. Conditioner Doug O'Neill later revealed that owner Paul Reddam would be in town Wednesday night for the draw. The team behind the 2012 dual Classic winner I'll Have Another also boast a loaded hand for Friday's Oaks with Land Over Sea (Bellamy Road), who went out for light training following Nyquist's return to Barn 41 just before 9 a.m.
Creator (Tapit), upset winner of the GI Arkansas Derby, continues to train like a horse that means business, turning in another impressive gallop while fitted with a pair of WinStar white blinkers. His stablemate Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}), meanwhile, also galloped 1 1/2 miles, though he didn't seem to handle the sticky weather conditions quite as well, getting a bit lathered up by his neck. Both Steve Asmussen-trained runners are slated to breeze four furlongs Monday.
“They're lined up today,” the newly minted Hall of Fame trainer noted of the crowd gathered on the backstretch while accompanying Creator to the track via pony.
Mor Spirit (Eskendereya), a potential fifth Kentucky Derby winner for Baffert, galloped an easy 1 1/2 miles while displaying a low head carriage with Georgie Alvarez aboard. The GI Santa Anita Derby runner-up is also expected to work Monday.
The consistent Whitmore (Pleasantly Perfect) quickly caught the eye while galloping a mile with good energy beneath Laura Moquett, wife of trainer Ron Moquett.
The Chad Brown-trained duo of 'TDN Rising Stars' My Man Sam (Trappe Shot) and Shagaf (Bernardini) were both out for light exercise while the Japanese raider Lani (Tapit)'s 30-minute plus window on the track included a visit to the starting gate.
Can't make it out to Churchill for the morning activity this week? No problem. The Kentucky Derby website (click here) offers live streaming between 8-9:00 a.m.
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