Led by Kentucky Derby (G1) favorites Journalism and Sovereignty, six 3-year-olds recorded their final breezes April 27 over a fast track at Churchill Downs in preparation for the $5 million race.
The Michael McCarthy-trained Journalism, the 3-1 morning-line favorite for the 1 1/4-mile first leg of the Triple Crown, breezed five furlongs by himself in 1:01 2/5, galloping out with energy with splits of 1:13 3/5, 1:26 4/5, and 1:41 1/5 under his Derby jockey, Umberto Rispoli.
Journalism's Sunday work followed a decision to postpone the colt's final breeze scheduled for the morning of April 26, when rain showers during the preceding day still left the Churchill main track wet. The postponement resulted in a whirlwind 36 hours for Rispoli, who had flown out from Los Angeles on a redeye flight the evening of April 25 after riding at Santa Anita Park. After Journalism's work was postponed, Rispoli tried to fly back to California to make the Saturday card there, but he was unable to make it back in time due to a canceled connecting flight.
"I just decided to fly back to Louisville," Rispoli said. "It's a part of our lifestyle. Probably hundreds of jockeys have crazy travel stories.
"It would have been tough to work over the track in that condition yesterday. Obviously, I had to cross the country, but we did this for him (Journalism). We work as a team, we win as a team. I think it was the most intelligent choice we could've made, and I'm glad we worked the horse today. Everything worked out. It's a privilege to ride a horse like him. He really liked the surface."
McCarthy, eyeing his first Derby win with Journalism, called the work a "nice leg stretcher. I thought he got over the racetrack well and got to see the whole place. Umberto seemed like he was very happy."
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Journalism, campaigned in partnership by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, Bridlewood Farm, Don Alberto Stable, Bob LaPenta, Elayne Stables 5, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, drew post 8 at Saturday night's Derby draw.
Speaking of the Derby, McCarthy said, "It's obviously nice to go in there with the favorite—certainly it makes you feel pretty good about the position you're in."
Italian-born Rispoli, recently featured in the Netflix series "Race for the Crown", will also be seeking his first victory in the Run for the Roses. McCarthy and Rispoli finished ninth in last year's Derby with Amerman Racing's Endlessly.
"If you asked me five years ago when I arrived in California if I was going to ride the favorite in the Kentucky Derby, I'd tell you I don't know, but look, it's a privilege," Rispoli said. "(To win) It would probably—no it would be—the best achievement of my career."
Later that morning, Rispoli added to his frequent flyer miles, catching a flight out of Louisville back to California to ride Santa Anita's Sunday card. The rider will return to ride at Churchill for three days beginning May 1.
Sovereignty, East Avenue A 1-2 Punch for Godolphin
Sovereignty breezed shortly after Journalism during the exclusive training session reserved for Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby runners and their workmates, easily dispatching his workmate in a five-furlong move timed in 1:01 4/5. Clockers timed him galloping out another furlong in 1:15 under exercise rider Javier Cardona.
"I was pleased with what I saw. I mean, we didn't put as a stiff work in him as we did last week, but that was intentional," said Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Mott won the 2019 Derby with Country House when stewards disqualified Maximum Security for interference.
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Sovereignty is the expected second choice in the Kentucky Derby, assigned morning-line odds of 5-1. In two starts this year, he won the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) before running second in the Florida Derby (G1) behind Tappan Street, a colt not competing in the Kentucky Derby after a condylar fracture injury was discovered after his breeze Saturday. As a 2-year-old last year, Sovereignty scored by five lengths in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) over the Churchill Downs strip.
Godolphin bred and owns late-running Sovereignty, a son of Into Mischief , as they do fellow homebred East Avenue, a Medaglia d'Oro colt and another Kentucky Derby competitor. The latter, trained by Brendan Walsh, is expected to be one of those involved in the early pace in the 20-horse field. East Avenue breezed Sunday as well, timed in :59 2/5 during an in-company move under his Derby jockey, Manny Franco. His six-furlong gallop-out time was 1:12 1/5.
"It's nice to have multiples out there," Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock, Michael Banahan, said of having two Kentucky Derby prospects breezing moments apart..
The work impressed Walsh as he glanced down at his stopwatch on the gallop out and found a time quicker than it looked.
"I loved the way he finished up in the work," the trainer said. "I got him finishing up in 11 (seconds) and change, it looked like he was going 12 the whole way. It's always nice when you look at your watch and you see it a little quicker than what you thought. It's perfect; he's cooling out good and he seems happy and that's all we can hope for."
One of the key points of the work was to get Franco, who has yet to ride East Avenue in a race, acquainted with the colt. Franco arrived from New York for the breeze and immediately left afterward to fly back in time to ride the Aqueduct Racetrack Sunday card.
"He'll fit him perfectly," Walsh said. "He's a good all-around rider. He's ridden for me—I won't say a lot—but he's ridden for me plenty before. We're very happy with him, I think he'll fit the horse just fine."
East Avenue will break from post 12, which Walsh said was ideal, as he is drawn outside the other speed.
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Rodriguez Amazes His Exercise Rider With Drill
Rodriguez—along with Citizen Bull, one of two Derby entries for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert—drilled five furlongs in 1:00 under exercise rider Eric Garcia. Churchill clockers caught the leggy son of Authentic galloping out the six furlongs in 1:12.60.
"He got across the track as well as you could've hoped for this morning," co-owner SF Racing's Tom Ryan said of Rodriguez. "He seems like a happy horse; he's got lots of energy.
Rodriguez, 12-1 on the morning line for the Derby, exits a frontrunning victory in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2) April 5 at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Garcia came off the track at the five and a half-furlong gap, shaking his head in a form of pleasing disbelief.
"Amazing work; amazing," the rider said. "He was in hand all the way."
Rodriguez, one of the projected pace horses in Saturday's Derby, will start from post 4 under two-time Derby winner Mike Smith.
"He's got a great base level of fitness, he's got the right mind, the right amount of experience," Ryan said.
Tiztastic, Publisher Split Up for Relaxing Half-Miles
In the two posts directly outside East Avenue will be the pair of Steve Asmussen-trained runners: Publisher in post 13 and Tiztastic in post 14.
Publisher races for Gus King and the estate of Brereton Jones, while Tiztastic races for owners Winchell Thoroughbreds and the Coolmore-affiliated Magnier, Tabor, and Smith.
The Asmussen pair are well acquainted with being side-by-side, having breezed together in both their April 12 and 19 works at Churchill Downs. However, with Asmussen wanting an easy final move before the Derby, the pair split up and navigated the Churchill Downs oval solo.
Publisher went first, clocking a half-mile in :49 under exercise rider Wilson Fabian. Tiztastic soon followed the same distance in :50 1/5 under Carlos Rosas.
"Both horses had a very sharp work eight days ago, and for them to come back and be as relaxed and as loose and handle as well as they did today, we're extremely pleased," the North America's all-time winningest trainer said. "Just hoping everything goes as smooth the next six days as it has up to this point."
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