Trainer Michael McCarthy said that Amerman Racing's Stark Contrast is out of the Kentucky Derby (GI) picture and will be entered in the $1 million American Turf (GI). With that defection, Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures' Intrepido moves into the top 20 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard.
With Stark Contrast opting for the American Turf, Litmus Test stands at No. 21 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard and needs one defection from horses under consideration for the Derby to make the main body of the field when entries are taken Saturday.
Scheduled to work Friday April 24 at Churchill Downs for the Derby are Emerging Market, So Happy, and Wonder Dean (JPN), with Golden Tempo expected to work at Keeneland.
On the Oaks front, Always a Runner, Bella Ballerina, Brooklyn Blonde, Meaning, Paradise, and Prom Queen are scheduled to work at Churchill Downs and Dazzling Dame at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland.
KENTUCKY DERBY UPDATE
ALBUS/INCREDIBOLT - Pin Oak Stud's Albus and Incredibolt galloped a mile and a quarter and then ventured to the mile chute to visit the starting gate before completing their morning activity by galloping another quarter-mile.
"That is pretty standard for us," trainer Riley Mott said after the two returned to the barn with Antonio Garcia on Albus and Charlotte O'Connell on Incredibolt.
Mott said he would be watching the weather to determine a final work day for his runners.
"It doesn't look like the forecast is as ominous as it was earlier," Mott said. "Looks like the rain starts at 6 tomorrow night but doesn't stick around, so we should be OK Saturday morning.
"They have worked together before but they won't this time. Antonio would be on Albus and Jaime Torres on Incredibolt."
CHIEF WALLABEE - Mike and Kay Kay Ball's Chief Wallabee visited the paddock and then galloped a mile and a half under Marvin Orantes for trainer Bill Mott.
CHIP HONCHO - Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe and John Cilia's Chip Honcho galloped Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. with exercise rider Roberto Howell aboard for trainer Steve Asmussen. The colt is scheduled to work Saturday.
COMMANDMENT/FULLEFFORT/FURTHER ADO - Trainer Brad Cox's Derby trio of Wathnan Racing's Commandment, St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing's Fulleffort and Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado trained Thursday morning at Churchill Downs before schooling in the paddock.
Commandment and Fulleffort were out in the first training set at 5:15 a.m. Commandment, with assistant trainer and exercise rider Katie Tolbert aboard, jogged, while Fulleffort galloped about 1 1/2 miles under Edvin Vargas. Further Ado trained in the second set with exercise rider Jonathan Santiago aboard, jogging about a half-mile before galloping about 1 1/2 miles.
All three horses would work Saturday or Sunday depending on the weather, according to Cox.
DANON BOURBON - Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitee Danon Bourbon remains in USDA quarantine in Chicago and is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Friday morning. The colt is expected to train Saturday morning and will be based in Barn 17.
EMERGING MARKET - Klaravich Stables' Emerging Market galloped a mile and a half under Luis Ortiz Trinidad for trainer Chad Brown. Brown said that Emerging Market would work at 7:15 Friday with jockey Flavien Prat aboard.
INTREPIDO - Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures' Intrepido jogged two miles under Alejandro Galindo for trainer Jeff Mullins. Galindo said Intrepido is scheduled to work Sunday morning with jockey Hector Berrios coming in for the breeze.
LITMUS TEST - Los Alamitos Futurity (GII) winner Litmus Test worked five furlongs out of the gate in company with Favoritism in :59 under Martin Garcia here Thursday morning. Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols caught Litmus Test in fractions of :23.80, :35.40, :47.20, :59 and then out six furlongs in 1:11.20 and seven-eighths in 1:24.
"He was going to work Sunday (at Oaklawn Park) but the weather was bad and the track was sealed so we gave him a couple days to gallop here and he was good to go," said Dan Ward, who is overseeing trainer Bob Baffert's string here.
With Stark Contrast opting for the American Turf, Litmus Test stands at No. 21 on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard and needs one defection from horses under consideration for the Derby to make the main body of the field when entries are taken Saturday.
PAVLOVIAN - Reddam Racing's Pavlovian galloped a mile and a half at 7:15 under Tony Romero for trainer Doug O'Neill. Pavlovian is scheduled to work Sunday.
POTENTE - Speedway Stables' Potente is scheduled to arrive at Churchill Downs Thursday afternoon after shipping from his Southern California base for trainer Bob Baffert.
RIGHT TO PARTY - Chester Broman Sr.'s Right to Party galloped Thursday morning for trainer Kenny McPeek and is scheduled to record his final Kentucky Derby work Saturday.
SILENT TACTIC - John Oxley's Silent Tactic worked a half-mile in :48 under jockey Cristian Torres for trainer Mark Casse.
Working on his own at 7:15, Silent Tactic clicked off fractions of :12, :24, :48 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01 and six furlongs in 1:14.80, according to Churchill Downs clocker Adam Wallace.
"He got over the track really well and when he came back, he wasn't even blowing," Casse said of Silent Tactic's first Churchill Downs work.
The work was accomplished on a Chamber of Commerce morning with mild temperatures.
"The weather was perfect," Casse said, adding with a smile, Now let the other guys worry about the weather."
SIX SPEED - Brunetti Dugan Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Steve Adkisson and Swinbank Stables' Six Speed is scheduled to clear quarantine Thursday evening and train Friday at 7:15 a.m.
SO HAPPY - Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners' Santa Anita Derby (GI) winner So Happy galloped a mile and a half under Gustavo Alvarado during the 7:15-7:30 training window for Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses.
Trainer Mark Glatt was on hand for the morning activity for So Happy who is scheduled to work Friday morning.
STARK CONTRAST - Amerman Racing's Stark Contrast will bypass Kentucky Derby 152 and be entered in the $1 million American Turf (GI) on Derby Day according to trainer Michael McCarthy.
THE PUMA - OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing's The Puma jogged a mile under Carlos Oliveras for trainer Gustavo Delgado.
It was the first day on track for The Puma, who arrived at Churchill Downs Tuesday and tack-walked in Barn 42 on Wednesday.
WONDER DEAN (JPN) - Yoshinari Yamamoto's Wonder Dean galloped Thursday morning and remains scheduled to work six furlongs Friday.
SHAPING UP: THE $5 MILLION KENTUCY DERBY PRESENTED BY WOODFORD RESERVE (GI) - Here is the top 20 preference list for the $5 million Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (GI) in alphabetical order (with jockey and trainer): Albus (Manny Franco, Riley Mott); Chief Wallabee (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott); Chip Honcho (TBD, Steve Asmussen); Commandment (Luis Saez, Brad Cox); Danon Bourbon (Atsuya Nishimura, Manabu Ikezoe); Emerging Market (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown); Further Ado (John Velazquez, Brad Cox); Fulleffort (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox); Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux); Incredibolt (Jaime Torres, Riley Mott); Intrepido (Hector Berrios, Jeff Mullins); Pavlovian (Edwin Maldonado, Doug O'Neill); Potente (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert); Renegade (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher); Right to Party (Chris Elliott, Kenny McPeek); Silent Tactic (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse); Six Speed (TBD, Bhupat Seemar); So Happy (Mike Smith, Mark Glatt); The Puma (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado); Wonder Dean (JPN) (Ryusei Sakai, Daisuke Takayanagi). Also Eligibles: Litmus Test (TBD, Bob Baffert); Great White (Alex Achard, John Ennis); Ocelli (TBD, Whit Beckman); Robusta (TBD, Doug O'Neill)
LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS UPDATE
ALWAYS A RUNNER - Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm's Always a Runner galloped a mile and a half under Oscar Becerra Laynen for trainer Chad Brown. Brown said the undefeated winner of the Gazelle (GIII) would work Friday morning at 7:15 with jockey Jose Ortiz up.
BELLA BALLERINA - Godolphin's Bella Ballerina galloped Thursday morning at 7:15 a.m. and is scheduled to work Friday for trainer Brendan Walsh.
BOTTLE OF ROUGE/EXPLORA - Jill Baffert's Bottle of Rouge and Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman's Explora are expected to arrive at Churchill Downs this afternoon after leaving their Southern California base early Thursday morning.
COUNTING STARS/SEARCH PARTY - Trainer Mark Casse sent his two Kentucky Oaks hopefuls out under the lights at Churchill Downs shortly after the track opened Thursday morning for half-mile works.
First up was Tracy Farmer's Search Party. With Cristian Torres up, Search Party clicked off fractions of :11.80 and :23.20 with the half-mile in :47.60. She galloped out five furlongs in 1:00.40 and six furlongs in 1:13.80.
"That was probably as good as she has ever worked," Casse said of the Fantasy (GII) runner-up.
A few minutes later, West Point Thoroughbreds' Fantasy winner Counting Stars worked a half-mile in:48.60 under Froylan Garcia.
Fractions on the work were :12.40, :24.60, :48 and out five furlongs in 1:01.20 and six furlongs in 1:15.
"We had to slow her down a little bit or otherwise she would have just zipped around there," Casse said. "Pleased with all the works."
MEANING/BROOKLYN BLONDE - Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Meaning and Sun-Kissed Stables and Bobby Flay's Brooklyn Blonde both galloped Thursday morning with Brooklyn Blonde out at 5:40 and Meaning at 7:15.
Isael Alvarez Perez partnered both fillies who are scheduled to work Friday morning according to trainer Michael McCarthy.
PARADISE/PROM QUEEN - NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods' Paradise and Gary and Mary West's Prom Queen both galloped Thursday morning at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. Both fillies are scheduled to work Friday, according to Cox.
PASHMINA - Red White and Blue Racing's Pashmina jogged a mile on her first day on track for trainer Rob Atras. Jesse Sauter was aboard Pashmina who is scheduled to work Friday or Sunday depending on weather.
PERCY'S BAR - Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar, winner of the Ashland Stakes (GI) at Keeneland in her most recent start, worked a half-mile in :49.60 at Keeneland Thursday morning.
With jockey Luan Machado up, Percy's Bar started 5 lengths in back of Tregetour, a 3-year-old maiden, and was even at the wire.
"It was perfect. Nice and easy," trainer Ben Colebrook said. "She didn't need to do much. She ships to Churchill Saturday morning. She will walk on Friday, train first thing Saturday morning at Keeneland and head to Churchill.
"She won't do much at Churchill. Probably just gallop, go to the gate to stand, go to the paddock to school and that will be it."
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