Kentucky Derby 2025 notes: Luxor Cafe, Admire Daytona drill

The two Japan-based contenders in Kentucky Derby 2025, Luxor Café and Admire Daytona, turned in works over a fast track on a warm Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Noriyuki Hori, Luxor Café worked five furlongs in 1:02.4 with jockey Joao Moreira aboard. Fractions on the work were 13.4, 26.0, 37.8 and 1:02.4.

Trained by Yukihiro Kato, Admire Daytona worked five furlongs in 1:02.4 with Yoshimitsu Niyashita aboard. Working in company with the 3-year-old Dale Romans-trained maiden winner Greatdayforhockey, Admire Daytona produced fractions of 13.4, 25.6, 49.4, 1:02.4 and out six furlongs in 1:16.2.

Both colts worked during the 7:15-7:30 a.m. EDT training period reserved for Kentucky Derby and Oaks entrants.

Admire Daytona. Trained by Yukihiro Kato, Junko Kondo’s Admire Daytona worked five furlongs in 1:02.4 with Yoshimitsu Niyashita aboard.

Working in company with the 3-year-old Dale Romans-trained maiden winner Greatdayforhockey, Admire Daytona produced fractions of :13.40, :25.60, :49.40, 1:02.40 and out six furlongs in 1:16.20.

“Up until now he’s been just training on his own just maintaining condition from Dubai,” Kato said of the Grade 2 UAE Derby winner. “Today we wanted to train him in company to tighten the screws down, and it was perfect. He is a horse that thrives off a challenge. We really appreciate Dale Romans helping us out today.”

American Promise. American Promise galloped a mile and a half under Tayja Smith for trainer D. Wayne Lukas at 7:15.

Looking on from the backstretch was jockey Nik Juarez, who will have the mount in the Kentucky Derby, which will his first start in the run for the roses.

“I am just taking it all in,” said Juarez, whose agent is three-time Kentucky Derby-winning rider Gary Stevens. “He told me to just soak it all in.”

Juarez was aboard American Promise for the first time when he won the Virginia Derby by 7 3/4 lengths on March 15 at Colonial Downs.

“He was exceptional that day, and he did what Mr. Lukas was expecting him to do,” Juarez said.

Stevens will have Juarez busy on Saturday with four mounts before the Derby plus one in the nightcap on the 14-race program.

So, what will the Derby rookie be thinking about when he guides American Promise into post 5 on Saturday?

“I’ll be in the gate with confidence and wait for the gate to pop,” Juarez said.

Baeza. The Kentucky Derby’s lone also-eligible went about his business Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs as his people hope for that touch of good fortune that will get him in the starting gate this Saturday.

The McKinzie colt had regular exercise rider Frankie Herrate in the irons as they headed out during the Derby-Oaks training period. Their first stop was the new paddock at the ancient oval, and the bay handled that just fine. From there they came back to the racetrack and put in a good gallop of about 1 1/4 miles.

The day prior, he’d turned in his final Derby work by going 1:02 for five furlongs.

Trainer John Shirreffs looked on Tuesday from the Lukas Gap area.

“We just want to keep him from getting too fresh now,” the veteran conditioner said. “Keep that nose to the grindstone, so to speak. Later in the week we’ll lighten it up.”

Baeza is No. 21 on the Derby list and needs one of the 20 scheduled runners to withdraw from the 1 1/4-miles race before the 9 a.m. scratch time Friday. Eclipse Award winner Flavien Prat is listed as the rider, if the bay gets into the gate.

Burnham Square. Burnham Square galloped 1 1/2 miles under Mark Cutler at 7:15 for trainer Ian Wilkes.

A victory by Burnham Square on Saturday would put Wilkes into exclusive company as one of 12 trainers to saddle a Kentucky Derby winner and a Breeders’ Cup Classic winner.

Wilkes saddled Fort Larned to victory in the 2012 Classic at Santa Anita for Janis Whitham with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard. Hernandez has the mount on Burnham Square on Saturday.

Owner Whitham Thoroughbreds has six horses with Wilkes, and the trainer was asked what a Derby victory for his longtime clients would mean.

“I can’t explain it,” Wilkes said. “It would mean so much to the staff. I would like to try to answer that Saturday evening.”

Chunk of Gold. Chunk of Gold visited the Kentucky Derby starting gate and then galloped 1 1/2 miles under trainer Ethan West during the 7:15-7:30 training window.

Citizen Bull, Rodriguez. Trainer Bob Baffert’s two Derby colts had different agendas Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs. Citizen Bull was only a shedrow walker after drilling a nifty bullet 58.4 Monday, but Rodriguez took to galloping during the Derby-Oaks training period under exercise rider Eric Garcia.

Rodriguez took care of business and returned to barn 33 in good order.

Come Saturday, both runners figure to be busy early as likely members of the forward contingent in Kentucky Derby 151. Citizen Bull drew the rail, and rider Martin Garcia will have last year’s 2-year-old champ going full tilt ASAP. Hall of Famer Mike Smith is assigned to Rodriguez again after winning the Wood Memorial (G2) in New York. His front-running style indicates he’ll be in the hunt from the get-go, too.

Baffert, a six-time winner of the Kentucky Derby, is back in town and back in action after being sidelined for three years after his horse Medina Spirit failed a post-race drug test in 2021. Baffert, a member of horse racing’s Hall of Fame since 2009, said one of the things he’s happiest about is his chance to be back in action with his good "other" horses on the Derby undercard.

“You know, they always have a terrific undercard for the Derby with lots of good opportunities for good horses,” he said Tuesday morning on the Churchill backstretch. “I had good horses over the last three years and never got to run them here.

“But I’m back doing it now and have spots for my horses to run. (He has five horses in undercard races on Saturday.) That’s one of the best things of all for me and for my owners.”

Coal Battle. Coal Battle walked the shedrow at barn 42 a day after working three furlongs in 36.0 under Bethany Taylor.

Owner Robbie Norman from Alabama was on hand and enjoying the Derby experience.

“We’ve been here since Saturday before the draw,” Norman said. “I have never been to the Derby. I had a horse here in 2022 (with trainer Lonnie Briley) on the Thursday before, but the traffic was so bad, I just turned around and decided I wouldn’t come back until I had a horse in it.”

Briley has been training for Norman for 13 years.

East Avenue. East Avenue galloped a mile and a quarter at 7:15 under Stephen Dolan for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Final Gambit. Final Gambit galloped 1 1/2 miles under Joel Osirio for trainer Brad Cox at 7:15.

Flying Mohawk. Flying Mohawk galloped at 7:15 under Maurilio Garcia for trainer Whit Beckman.

Grande. The Wood Memorial runner-up continued his training for the Kentucky Derby with a solid gallop of about a mile and three-eighths Tuesday morning during the 7:15 to 7:30 period for Derby and Oaks horses.

Exercise rider Juan Suarez was at the controls, and trainer Todd Pletcher was a very interested observer.

Things are flowing fine during Derby week for the Hall of Fame conditioner, who knows a thing or two about how the drill works at Churchill Downs. When he puts the saddle on his Curlin colt Saturday, it will be the 66th time he’s sent a horse out in America’s most famous race. That’s a record by a clear margin.

“We’ve got him lined up to do some paddock schooling in the third race Wednesday,” Pletcher noted.

Hall of Famer John Valezquez will be aboard Grande and come out of post 10 on Saturday.

Journalism. The well-made Curlin colt continued Tuesday morning to move toward his date with destiny in Kentucky Derby 15.

With regular exercise rider Marc Witkowski doing the steering, the likely Kentucky Derby favorite merely jogged a mile, then spent time getting used to the starting gate. It all went well for the bay who comes into the run for the roses with three straight graded stake wins on his ledger, the most recent being the Santa Anita Derby (G1).

Trainer Michael McCarthy oversaw the proceedings and continues to navigate his way through a hectic week. The 54-year-old, who spent his growing-up years in Southern California and now calls that part of the world his training headquarters, said he always enjoys coming back to Kentucky.

“In a lot of ways Louisville feels like home,” he said. “I had all those years here with Todd (he was an assistant for Todd Pletcher for 11 years), so I know my way around a bit. If I want to go for a nice dinner, Jack Fry’s is one of my favorites. And there are a couple of watering holes around town (Molly Malone’s and a pint of Guinness drew a nod) where I like to stop by.

“But I’m not drinking this week. I’ve got other things to do.”

Luxor Cafe. Luxor Cafe worked five furlongs in 1:02.4 with jockey Joao Moreira aboard. Fractions on the work were 13.4, 26.0, 37.8 and 1:02.4.

“Today I was asked to canter a lap as a warmup,” Moreira said of the colt trained by Noriyuki Hori. “Then I galloped him from the five-furlong pole. It was just an easy work, just to keep him ticking over. The horse felt good, relaxed and had good rhythm throughout. I was happy with his action and focus. He pulled up well. Looking forward to the challenge of riding him in the Kentucky Derby.”

Neoequos.’ Neoequos galloped at 7:15 for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owen Almighty. Owen Almighty galloped 1 1/2 miles at 7:15 under Antonio Orellana for trainer Brian Lynch.

Javier Castellano, who savored Derby success with Mage in 2023, will be aboard Owen Almighty for the first time in Derby 151 and exit post 20.

“He has tactical speed and he can sit off the pace,” Lynch said of his three-time stakes winner. “Then we’ll see what happens.”

Owen Almighty is scheduled for a paddock schooling session in Wednesday’s third race.

Publisher, Tiztastic. Trainer Steve Asmussen’s Derby duo jogged during the 7:15-7:30 training window.

Publisher was partnered by Carlos Rosas, with Roberto Howell aboard Tiztasic.

Render Judgment. Render Judgment galloped at 7:15 under Robby Albarado for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Sandman. Sandman galloped a 1 1/4 miles under Froylan Garcia for trainer Mark Casse.

Jose Ortiz, who rode Sandman to victory in the Arkansas Derby (G1) in his most recent start, will be aboard for the fourth time on Saturday. Ortiz rode Sandman in his debut at Churchill Downs last June and also in the Iroquois (G3) in September before reuniting at Oaklawn Park.

“Jose said he rode him terrible the first time,” Casse said. “Before the Arkansas Derby we watched tapes of the Southwest (G3) and Rebel (G2). And the key is to let him get into his stride, and Jose let him settle (in the Arkansas Derby).”

Sandman finished third in the Street Sense (G3) in his third Churchill start, but Casse does not feel the track will be a condern Saturday.

“A lot has been made of him not running well here,” Casse said. “The track was totally different last fall and now is the best I have seen itm and I have been coming here 47 years. (Trainer) Dale Romans said the same thing last night, and he has been here about as long as I have.”

Sandman was scheduled to school in the paddock Tuesday afternoon with horses in the third race.

Sovereignty. The colt who was the 5-1 second betting choice in the morning line for the Kentucky Derby was kept to the task Tuesday morning at Churchill Downs with regular exercise rider Guesler Cardona on his back.

He put in a good gallop, then went up and into the paddock with trainer Bill Mott on his pony as accompaniment. All went well in that regard.

Mott, who will saddle his 14th Derby starter Saturday, looked a day ahead with his Into Mischief youngster. “We’ll probably paddock school him in the afternoon Wednesday,” he said. Sovereignty is scheduled to be ridden by Junior Alvarado in Derby 151, and they are drawn into post 18 in the 20-horse field.