Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Quip's trainer started with Justify

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 5 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space.

Rodolphe Brisset says his association with mega breeding and racing operation WinStar Farm boils down to “a very clean and simple understanding.”

The former Bill Mott assistant — out on his own as a trainer for a year now — tends to a number of young WinStar horses at his Keeneland base before they’re ready to head to the races.

“I get them for a while,” Brisset said, “and then send them to Todd Pletcher, or Bob Baffert, or Steve Asmussen.”

Among those trained early on by Brisset was Justify, the precocious 2018 Kentucky Derby favorite Justify following his score in last weekend’s Santa Anita Derby. Brisset, a jockey before his training career began, breezed Justify himself three times.

“He was showing some ability,” he said. “I could never guess what he became."

Brisset also keeps a few WinStar horses, including Quip, the 9-2 third choice for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Arkansas Derby.

“That was a good surprise,” he said. “He was very raw — 2 years old. So we put a lot of work into him, and then he pays us at one point.”

The son of Distorted Humor enters Saturday’s race off a victory in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) and has already qualified for the Kentucky Derby with that score, Brisset’s first stakes win. Overall, Quip has won three of four starts. His only defeat came with a troubled trip in November’s Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

It seems as though success has come quickly for Brisset. But the native Frenchman has spent his life in the sport.

At 14, he started jockey school. And after his riding career, served as agent to top rider Christophe Soumillon. Brisset, however, wanted a more hands-on experience. He worked first for French trainer Patrick Biancone, then moved to America to gallop horses for the Hall of Famer Mott, whose WinStar trainees during that time included Breeders’ Cup winners Drosselmeyer and Tourist.

When Quip hit the wire March 10 at Tampa Bay Downs, Brisset found himself not so much looking forward to running at Churchill Downs, but looking back to how he got to this point.

“We tried to set up the business the best we can,” Brisset said. “We got a lot of horses right off the bat when we started first of April of last year. But it’s not easy every day. You have to work hard and find the people — find the right help. It took a while to get everything together, but all that work really pays off.”

Arkansas Derby field set

Oaklawn Park attracted a field of nine for Saturday’s Arkansas Derby with these the Derby points scenarios:

Quip and Magnum Moon are safely in the field. Solomini should be in if he finishes fourth or better. Combatant and Dream Baby Dream need to run third or better. The others may need to win to get in, being that Solomini with 34 points is the current last horse in.

• Get our full-field Arkansas Derby analysis.

My Boy Jack outside in Lexington

Trainer Keith Desormeaux said My Boy Jack must win Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Lexington Stakes, and do so “decisively,” to move on to Churchill Downs. Rain in the forecast should benefit a horse that won Oaklawn’s Southwest Stakes (G3) when the going went muddy.

Realistically, My Boy Jack is the only Derby hopeful in this field, though connections to Greyvitos could leave him in the fray if he wins and ups his total to 30 — at that point having to hope for defections to run the first Saturday in May.

• Get our full-field Lexington Stakes analysis.

Derby links

• It’s that time of year: Horses are working under the Twin Spires. Trainer Tom Amoss filled us in on Louisiana Derby runner-up Lone Sailor’s breeze, making some points you need to know if looking for a longshot.

• Shipping plans are set for European Derby trail qualifier Gronkowski. Bigger picture, trainer Jeremy Noseda said that given the colt’s name, Gronk “will open up horse racing and the Kentucky Derby to a different level of sports fan.”

• In some ways, Combatant has been a hard luck loser on this year’s Derby trail. His racing manager explains how ahead of Saturday’s Arkansas Derby, the key race if trainer Steve Asmussen is to have a horse in the Kentucky Derby field.

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