Kentucky Derby 2019 Daily: War of Will in new hands

Welcome to Horse Racing Nation’s Kentucky Derby Daily, which will each day leading up to the May 4 race at Churchill Downs detail all the news and notes related to contenders in one convenient space.

Since going to work for trainer Mark Casse, Allen Hardy has worked in, among other places, California, Arkansas and New York. He also spent time in recent years at Churchill Downs — but not this close to the Kentucky Derby. And not with type of colt.

In his first interview as Casse’s new Churchill-based assistant, Hardy brought up the stress of overseeing the Lecomte (G3) and Risen Star (G2) winner War of Will, who galloped for the first time back Wednesday morning under the Twin Spires.

“It’s tremendous. It’s fun,” Hardy said. “Obviously there’s a lot of pressure, but it’s the same with every Derby horse right now.”

Hardy, who follows Norm Casse and Nicholas Tomlinson in the high-profile assistant role, also highly credited David Carroll, who worked daily with War of Will at Fair Grounds and Keeneland.

Since the War Front colt ran ninth in the Louisiana Derby (G2) when suffering a mild hind end injury leaving the gate, he has scanned clear and returned to working out.

“He seems healthy and happy,” Hardy said. “Every horse is different, and every horse heals and recovers differently.”

War of Will presents a puzzle for handicappers, given he went from division leader to a bit of an afterthought due to his issues leaving the gate last time. But Gary Barber’s charge certainly passed the eye test Wednesday, skipping over the surface at Churchill Downs.

“He seemed to handle it pretty well,” Hardy said. “He’s a pretty easygoing horse. He’s nice to work with and handle. He goes out there and does his job. He seems to handle the track.

“…It depends every single day. He comes out of his stall, he does his job and he’s healthy — so we carry on and continue progressing forward with him.”

Derby links

• It was a quiet morning at Churchill Downs, where the main news came that Bob Baffert’s Santa Anita Derby (G1) 1-2 finishers won’t ship in until Saturday. See Wednesday's notes.

• Churchill Downs track announcer Travis Stone, a former morning line maker by trade, estimated Kentucky Derby odds with his thoughts on which horses should take money.

• Some high-profile names are still searching for their first Kentucky Derby wins. Matt Shifman runs down the list.

• Is it safe to toss Master Fencer, Japan’s Kentucky Derby contender? Handicapper Reinier Macatangay further examined the foreign invader.

• Take a look at recent Kentucky Derby workouts with columnist Laura Pugh’s reaction and grades on each. Agree?

And courtesy of Vividseats, check out this look at the recent history of top Kentucky Derby preps: