Charge It
It was a busy Friday morning at Churchill Downs with 10 GI Kentucky Derby and GI Kentucky Oaks contenders logging their penultimate work prior to the first weekend in May. Half of those workers were from Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher's barn--Oaks contenders GII Gulfstream Park Oaks runner-up Goddess of Fire (Mineshaft) (five furlongs, 1:00.80); GI Central Bank Ashland S. winner Nest (Curlin) (four furlongs, :49.80); and unbeaten G3 UAE Oaks heroine Shahama (Munnings) (five furlongs, 1:00.80) and Derby contenders GI Curlin Florida Derby runner-up Charge It (Tapit) (five...
Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency WELL-RELATED DUO DEBUT AT KEENELAND 1st-KEE, $80K, Msw, 2yo, 4 1/2f, 1:00 p.m. Wesley Ward season is upon us with early 2-year-old races being carded at Keeneland and he is represented here by a well-bred colt in ALIBI IKE (Munnings). The chestnut is out of GSP Dragic (Broken Vow), who is a daughter of GSW Letgomyecho (Menifee). That mare also produced champion and GI Kentucky Oaks prospect Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), GISW and Coolmore stallion Echo Town (Speightstown), GSW J Boys Echo (Mineshaft) and GSP...
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL--The three winners of Florida's four previous GI Kentucky Derby prep races meet Saturday as they make their final starts ahead of the First Saturday in May in Gulfstream's GI Curlin Florida Derby. Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) ruled the Tampa Bay Downs preps, scoring decisive victories in both the GIII Sam F. Davis S. Feb. 12 and the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12. He hit the board in all three of his juvenile races, starting with a dominant debut at Saratoga Sept. 4. Finishing third after setting...
Whisper Hill Farm homebred Charge It (c, 3, Tapit--I'll Take Charge, by Indian Charlie), a hard-fought, narrow second to subsequent GIII Sam F. Davis S. third-place finisher Volcanic (Violence) after a long duel going a one-turn mile on debut at Gulfstream Jan. 8, romped to a 'TDN Rising Star' graduation at Gulfstream Saturday. He posted a pair of bullets at Todd Pletcher's Palm Beach Downs base since, including a four-furlong move in :47 4/5 (1/19) Feb. 5. Drawn widest of all in post 10 going a mile once again here,...
4th-GP, $60k, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 1:27 p.m. ET Several in this race carry nice price tags but IRON WORKS (Distorted Humor) on the outside catches the eye first as a $550,000 purchase from last year's OBS April sale (:10 1/5) for MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm. The runner is a half to one other winner from GISP Silverpocketsfull (Indian Charlie), herself out of MGSP Unforgotten (Northern Afleet) and a half to another graded stakes-placed horse. Particular (Classic Empire) one down in the gate is part of the first 3-year-old crop for...