Girvin continues to train well for Louisiana Derby

Brad Grady’s Girvin continues to train well for the Grade II $1,000,000 Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby on Apr. 1, working the morning of Saturday Mar. 18 in company with fellow Grady-owned and Joe Sharp-trained stakes-winning sophomore Cool Arrow. The pair went five furlongs in 1:01 flat. Sharp was aboard Cool Arrow, while Rosie Napravnik was aboard Girvin. The pair went their first half in 24.60, three furlongs in 36.60 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.20 while remaining even. Girvin, who is a more mellow work horse, seemed to maintain himself, while Cool Arrow — typically the better work horse in the mornings — was slightly more enthusiastic.

“He went great,” Sharp said. “I was on Cool Arrow again and Rosie was on Girvin and it was even better than we expected. Unlike when they’ve worked together before, we had Girvin on the outside this time. At one point, Rosie queezed on him and he quickly opened up a little on Cool Arrow. He galloped out great, too.”

Girvin burst onto the local scene with a swift six-furlong maiden victory in mid-December over highly regarded Al Stall, Jr.-trained Excitations. When moved to Evangeline training center for a more quiet space, he fell victim to the quarantine restrictions and was unable to run in the Grade III $200,000 Lecomte Stakes on Jan. 21. Such may have turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the son of Tale of Ekati then had the perfect prep when running a bang-up second over a surface he did not love in the grassy $50,000 Keith Gee Memorial on Feb. 4. 

 

Wheeled back by design on three weeks’ rest, he spoke to the prowess of his young and talented conditioner when winning the Grade II $400,000 Risen Star Stakes with a powerful move from the three-furlong-pole to the wire under Brian Hernandez, Jr.