CHURCHILL DOWNS
Monday, April 28
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 58
Track: Fast
LOUISVILLE, Ky. –The California contingent to this year’s Kentucky Derby is a small but potent one, led by morning-line favorite Journalism. The group also includes reigning juvenile champion Citizen Bull, Wood Memorial winner Rodriguez, and Santa Anita Derby runner-up Baeza, who still needs a late scratch to draw into the 20-horse field.
Citizen Bull and Baeza were two of the three potential Derby starters to work during the special Derby/Oaks training session Monday at Churchill Downs, along with Coal Battle. The West Coast runners each breezed five furlongs, while Coal Battle just blew out three-eighths of a mile after having turned in his final serious drill six days earlier.
Citizen Bull, who has looked very sharp since arriving here last week, was full of run Monday morning. Breaking off at the 4 1/2-furlong marker, the Bob Baffert-trained son of Into Mischief posted lively internal splits of 35.64 seconds and 46.72 for the half before completing his move a sixteenth of a mile past the wire in 58.47 despite fanning a bit wide off the turn. He did so without any encouragement from his regular rider, Martin Garcia, before sustaining good energy on the gallop-out, completing six furlongs midway on the turn in 1:12.09 before easing up seven-eighths in 1:27.30.
The speedster appears to have arrived here on top of his game but faces the formidable task of trying to become the first horse to win the Derby from post 1 since Ferdinand in 1986.
Baeza was a study in contrast compared to Citizen Bull while breaking off in a more conventional manner, from the five-eighths pole, under jockey Flavien Prat. Baeza cruised through his opening furlong in a leisurely 13.61 before picking up his pace steadily thereafter, completing the final half of a maintenance-like breeze in 48.64.
Baeza traveled easily throughout, switching leads almost imperceptibly upon settling into the stretch while keeping his head cocked out a bit from the top of the lane through midstretch. He galloped out a modest six furlongs in 1:16.30.
Baeza will be at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to rail-drawn Citizen Bull and will break from the extreme outside if he is fortunate enough to get into the race.
Coal Battle blew out three-eighths in 12.28 and 36.29 over the lively surface while sent along to finish, as he has in each of his previous two local works.
About the only Derby candidates likely to turn in official works moving forward are the two Japanese contenders, Admire Daytona and Luxor Cafe, neither of whom have been set down for a serious drill since arriving locally. Both spent considerable time out and about Monday morning, entering the main track at 7:15 a.m. and not returning to their respective stalls until after a schooling session in the paddock more than 30 minutes later. They are both expected to have some sort of a breeze Tuesday.
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Arguably the No. 1 star of Monday’s Derby/Oaks training session was the filly La Cara, who was full of herself zipping by the grandstand, around the turn, and down the backstretch at better than a two-minute clip much of the way. The Ashland winner is giving every indication she has bounced out of her sensational half-mile work here last Tuesday ready for yet another big performance in the Oaks.
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