Kentucky Derby 2020: Letmeno leads Wilkes' 3-year-old charges
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Photo:
Coady Photography
Letmeno returned to the work tab Wednesday for the first time since October for trainer Ian Wilkes, who has ideas of putting the 3-year-old Twirling Candy colt on the 2020 Kentucky Derby
trail.
With Letmeno last seen finishing fourth behind Dennis’ Moment in Churchill Downs’ Iroquois Stakes (G3), Wilkes opted to give the colt time off to rest up for a busier spring.
“I just thought there was a little wear and tear on the horse,” Wilkes said. “I wanted to just freshen him up and give him a shot at some of the better races this year.”
While definitive plans are in the making for the former $70,000 yearling purchase, Wilkes said he’s seeing a “developed” version of Letmeno since his return to the farm. Wednesday's breeze clocked a half mile in 50.85 seconds at south Florida’s Palm Meadows Training Center.
“I’m actually very pleased with the way he came back,” Wilkes said. “Hopefully that translates to the racetrack in the afternoon.”
After debuting a maiden winner July 13 at Ellis Park, Letmeno progressed to stakes company, finishing second to Rowdy Yates in the Ellis Park Juvenile. Away at 12-1 going around two turns in the Iroquois, he rallied to fill out the superfecta.
Letmeno worked at Churchill Downs once after the Iroquois, but Wilkes then opted for the freshening.
The barn will have other shots in the 3-year-old division beginning Saturday at Gulfstream Park.
For Race 4, at 1:33 p.m. ET, Lothenbach Stables’ Violent City drew post No. 2 in a field of nine going six furlongs in his debut.
“He’s been working nice,” Wilkes said of the Violence colt, who fetched $330,000 as a yearling. “First time for me. You know, I’m not too worried. Just getting him started. If he’s good enough, he’ll win. If not, he’ll be ready next time.”
Later in the card, in Race 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET, maiden winner Tiz Rye Time will go from the rail in allowance optional claiming company.
Having run eighth in his November debut at Gulfstream Park, Tiz Rye Time won next out over the same track, beating odds-on favorite Candy Tycoon from Todd Pletcher’s barn by half a length.
“He’s a horse that won last time and ran down a horse of Todd’s, which I thought was a very nice effort,” Walkes said. “He’s still a horse that is figuring things out. He needs more racing.”
Campaigned in partnership with Bourbon Lane Stable, Tiz Rye Time went for $200,000 as a yearling.
“I wanted to come back with him,” Wilkes said. “I didn’t just want to wait for a stakes race. I feel he’s learning every race.”
And on Saturday, Wilkes will learn a bit more about where his charges stand in the 3-year-old division. The former assistant to Carl Nafzger, part of the team that conditioned 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, saddled his own Derby contender a decade later when McCraken ran eighth in the 2017 edition.
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