Kentucky Derby 2018 Daily: Timing key for Copper Bullet

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily — proudly sponsored by NYRA Bets — 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.

By Jonathan Lintner

Nearly a year before the 2018 Kentucky Derby, Copper Bullet came on the scene as an eight-length maiden winner May 25 at Churchill Downs, then backed up the talk by rolling to a four-length score later in the summer in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special.

Away from the races since then with shin issues, the well-bred Steve Asmussen trainee is on the comeback trail. Possibly, he’ll hit the Derby trail, too.

“It still depends on when he gets ready,” said David Fiske, racing manager for Winchell Thoroughbreds, which campaigns Copper Bullet with Willis Horton. “If he doesn’t get ready before the preps stretch out, chances are we aren’t going to break him out in a mile-and-an-eighth Grade 1.

“It’s possible we might miss the Derby and try the Preakness — something like that. It’s still all up in the air. It depends on if he stays healthy and continues to train how he’s training.”

Copper Bullet posted his third workout back Monday morning, breezing four furlongs in 49.80 seconds (19/52) at New Orleans' Fair Grounds. That time marked a pickup from a half mile in 52.80 two weeks ago and 50.60 last week.

“He looks great,” Fiske said. “He looks bigger — looks stronger.”

When deciding to give the horse a break last September, owner Ron Winchell told BloodHorse, "We want to look at the big prize and not get caught up with the little prize. I love the Breeders' Cup, but we buy these horses to make it to the Derby.”

Asmussen will continue “turning the screws" in the morning, but connections haven’t selected a comeback race for the More Than Ready colt, out of Unbridled’s Song mare Allegory. He was a $200,000 yearling purchase.

“I hate to be like a human cliche machine,” Fiske said, “but I guess he’ll let him tell us.”

Rating the preps

Earlier this month, we outlined criteria for pegging the Derby winner as early as January, with factors including a 100-plus Brisnet late pace figure, a victory in the first prep of the year and pace progression, in that a horse is doing his best running late.

According to Horse Racing Nation’s Super Screener handicapping tool, authored by Mike Shutty, Mucho Macho Man Stakes winner Mask fared best in those regards. The only area in which he falls short compared to past Derby winners is his foundation, as the Jan. 6 race at Gulfstream Park marked just his second career race.

Mask’s Brisnet early pace figure was a 90, middle was 96 and late 102. Notably, McKinzie’s late pace number of 108 in the Grade 3 Sham is highest from the early preps this year. Instilled Regard’s Grade 3 Lecomte win was assigned the slowest late pace figure, a 98.

A debut to watch

Telekinesis, a $470,000 colt Mark Casse tipped us on a couple weeks ago, will debut Thursday in Fair Grounds’ 7th race, set for 4:55 p.m. ET. The son of Ghostzapper is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the field of seven set to go six furlongs.

Telekinesis has tuned up under the direction of Casse assistant David Carroll, with his latest breeze a half mile Saturday in 48.20 seconds.

“He’s a horse we like a lot,” Carroll said. “He’s a beautiful looking colt that’s real well-bred and owned by great people. He’s a two-turn horse and that will be his end game. We’re looking forward to getting him started and just running well and moving forward from there.”

The works

Bravazo/Sporting Chance —Bravazo dropped into a first-level allowance race after missing the board in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club and won his 3-year-old debut. He got back on the tab Monday with a bullet five furlongs in 1:00.40 at Oaklawn. Sporting Chance, off since winning the Grade 1 Hopeful, matched that time. Both D. Wayne Lukas trainees could be candidates for the Grade 3 Southwest.

City Plan — This Godolphin colt missed the board in the Sham Stakes but two starts back won a stakes on Golden Gate’s synthetics. It’ll be interesting to see if he goes in the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby next month. He’s working consistently at Santa Anita, getting 5/8 on Monday in 1:00.80 (5/29).

Dak Attack — Third in the Mucho Macho Man Stakes back on Jan. 6, he posted his first work back Monday at Gulfstream Park, going an easy half mile in 50.48 (14/15) for trainer Dale Romans.

Vino Rosso — An impressive allowance winner Dec. 22 at Tampa Bay Downs, he moved to 2-for-2 and could pop up on the Derby trail next out. Monday’s breeze was his second back at trainer Todd Pletcher’s Palm Beach Downs base. He went 5/8 in 1:03.77.

In case you missed it…

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Good Magic got back on the work tab Sunday, and we got some feedback about the drill from an expert clocker in the Derby Daily report.

• Catch up with all the latest Derby news by reading past editions of HRN’s Derby Daily report.