When Chief Wallabee arrived at Churchill Downs April 14, there was still a question whether or not he would end up running in the May 2 Kentucky Derby (G1) as he sat on the outside of the point leaderboard waiting for a defection to allow him in.
The team surrounding the son of Constitution could then release of sigh of relief April 18 when the connections of Ottinho opted to drop out of Derby contention and point for either the Preakness Stakes (G1) or Peter Pan Stakes (G3).
READ: Ottinho to Bypass Kentucky Derby
With that hurdle out of the way, the reigning Kentucky Derby-winning team of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and jockey Junior Alvarado could relax and focus purely on preparing their colt to run for the roses. Fresh in from Arkansas, Mott was on hand April 20 to see Alvarado pilot Chief Wallabee for his first official breeze over the Churchill Downs surface.
The work was an important one as Chief Wallabee wore a pair of blinkers, something he hadn't done in his three lifetime starts. The reason for this move was due to a belief that the young runner did not stay entirely focused in the stretch of the March 28 Florida Derby (G1), where he was beaten a half-length in third behind Commandment and The Puma.
"I think he was just looking at the horses in front, looking at the other horse outside," Alvarado explained on the April 20 episode of BloodHorse Monday. "He was kind of holding his finish right there. I think the blinkers will do the trick for him."
In his Monday morning breeze during the special Kentucky Derby/Oaks contenders-only time around 7:15 a.m., Chief Wallabee took a light gallop from the backside around to the clubhouse turn before breaking into his work outside of recent Keeneland maiden-winning stablemate Gilded Bandit.
Alvarado kept Chief Wallabee under restraint through splits of :24 4/5, :36 3/5, and :48 1/5 into the stretch. Alvarado then allowed him to inch by his stablemate as they hit the wire.
After the wire, Alvarado allowed Chief Wallabee to run entering the clubhouse turn, and he quickly buried Gilden Bandit, leaving him in the dust as he entered the backstretch alone. The official workout was recorded at 5 furlongs in 1:00, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols, who recorded gallop-out times of 1:12 for 6 furlongs and 1:26 3/5 for 7 furlongs.
Chief Wallabee works 5F in 1:00 under the Twin Spires for trainer Bill Mott.
— Kentucky Derby (@KentuckyDerby) April 20, 2026
Watch the Derby and Oaks horses train each morning beginning at 6:45am EDT right here on X. pic.twitter.com/bRkZ6HfagX
Alvarado was very pleased with the work, saying the blinkers had properly done the job.
"He was pretty smooth," Alvarado said. "He's very kind, he does everything you want in the morning. We were just making sure he was serious with the blinkers; he didn't get too rank with them. He was very kind, and he finished up the work just as we were expecting. Very strong today."
Mott was equally pleased when speaking to the media gathered outside his barn soon after.
"Chief Wallabee worked very good," Mott said. "He finished up really good and galloped out around the turn. He worked out to the 7/8th pole, but then continued the gallop out. Looked smooth and finished really nice."
Chief Wallabee had a later start to his career than many of the rivals he'll face on the first Saturday in May. He debuted an impressive winner Jan. 10 at Gulfstream Park, defeating The Puma by 1 1/2 lengths with another 9 1/4 lengths back to third.
The talent has always been evident in the Michael and Katherine Ball homebred, but he had a couple minor setbacks that delayed his first entrance into the start gate. Mott said they had originally planned to debut at Saratoga before "baby stuff we had to give him time for" ultimately pushed him back to January.
For 136 years, the "Curse of Apollo" had reigned supreme over horses who entered the Derby without experience racing as a 2-year-old. That was until 2018, when eventual Triple Crown winner Justify broke the curse and became the first horse to win the Derby with no starts at 2 since Apollo in 1882. Then, just five years later, Mage would do the same.
"I've always believed that a Derby winner needed to run as a 2-year-old. Of course, we're not in that situation," Mott said. "It seems like everything is changing a little bit. There's a lot of horses coming in with fewer races."
Still, despite that lack of experience, Chief Wallabee enters the Derby as one of the leading contenders following his narrow defeats in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Florida Derby. In the final Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool that closed April 4, he was the fourth choice at 13-1.
"He's a horse who started his racing career a little bit late, but I think we're catching up with him at the right time," Alvarado said. "He kind of responded to all the answers we're looking for, and I think we're sitting on go with him."
The addition of blinkers could provide a difference maker, and Alvarado said it was something he thought the horse may always need. It was simply just a matter of when to finally add them.
"Because he started his racing career a little bit late, we didn't want to add the blinkers right away," Alvarado said. "We wanted to give him a chance to develop, start learning how to race without them. I think eventually he was going to need it, so Bill decided to put them on. ... But that's the only challenge we face with a horse that started his racing career a little bit late, we had to try and figure him out very quick, especially with a good horse like him heading into the Derby."
Although he may lack in experience, Chief Wallabee does not lack in mind.
"He's very talented and he's got a wonderful disposition," Mott said. "So I think he can handle everything that goes on."
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