LEXINGTON, Ky. – The redemption road, and, potentially, the road to the roses runs back to Keeneland for East Avenue. On Saturday morning, the colt, a Grade 1 winner at this track, turned in his final piece of work for next Saturday's Grade 1, $1.25 million Blue Grass Stakes, breezing a half-mile in 47 seconds flat.
East Avenue, a Godolphin homebred trained by Brendan Walsh, won the Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity last October at Keeneland, but a bad stumble at the start cost him all chance as the favorite in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He was again beaten as the favorite, but with no apparent excuse this time, in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes in February at Fair Grounds, racing in contention to the far turn before folding and fading to 10th.
The Blue Grass will be crucial for East Avenue's hopes of making the Kentucky Derby starting gate. Not only will he need to run strongly enough to convince his connections to press on, he will likely need a top-two finish, earning either 100 or 50 points, to earn his way in to the field.
"I think he likes it here," assistant trainer Paul Madden said at Keeneland. "I've seen a different look in his eyes. I hope I'm right."
Madden oversaw the work in the absence of Walsh, who had a flight out of Florida later Saturday. He had initially planned to breeze the colt Sunday, but moved it up a day with extended wet weather looming in the Lexington forecast. This was East Avenue's sixth breeze since the Risen Star, and he was coming off a strong series of five-furlong works at Fair Grounds.
"This was just a maintenance work," Madden said. "All his hard work was in New Orleans."
East Avenue and workmate Gosger, a last-out maiden winner, went to the pole with vigor before finding company in a duo from another barn, who accompanied them down the backstretch and around the far turn through an opening quarter of 23.40 seconds. The Walsh duo had worked their way clear in the stretch, with East Avenue, ahead throughout the work, coming to and past the wire clearly in front, galloping out in 1:00.40.
"I had him going the last quarter pretty fast, so it was perfect," Madden said. "That's what the boss wanted."
Exercise rider Stephen Dolan was in the irons for the work, but who will be aboard the colt next Saturday remains to be seen. Regular rider Tyler Gaffalione broke his ankle this week at Gulfstream, and is expected to be out about two months. Madden said that Godolphin representatives, who were on hand for the work, told him they had not yet finalized a replacement.
According to Keeneland, potential entrants for the Blue Grass include Owen Almighty and Chancer McPatrick, one-two in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby; Grade 3 Holy Bull winner Burnham Square, who, like East Avenue, is trying to get back in the game after he was the beaten favorite last out in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth; and Caldera, Render Judgement, and River Thames. Entries will be taken Tuesday.
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