Kentucky Derby 2013 Barn Notes - April 30

“It was a little bit longer gallop, a little bit stronger at the end,” trainer Kelly Breen said. “He came out of it looking dynamite.”

“And he’s only 41 years old,” Breen said. “He’s had a great career and horse-backing is second nature to him. It’s a plus to have a guy who knows where the finish line is at and where the winner’s circle is at.”

The Spiral Stakes (Grade III) winner Black Onyx will be Bravo’s third Kentucky Derby mount after finishing 16^th on both of his previous mounts – Spanish Chestnut in 2005 and Atomic Rain in 2009.

“This is going to be my third Derby and the trainer’s third Derby, so hopefully three’s a charm,” Bravo said. “He keeps improving day by day, just looking at him. Don’t know how good he is but we’ll find out real soon. It looks like we have plenty of pace in there. Another factor is going to be this weather. We don’t know who is going to get ahold of a muddy track but we’re going to find out about 7 o’clock Saturday night.”

“He was really into it. He’s always into it. He’s great. He likes to go out there and train. He just loves it. It’s all good,” trainer John Terranova said.

Falling Sky was purchased for $425,000 in January at the OBS Mixed Sale in Ocala.

“He had run three times and had already won two of three starts. He won an allowance race nicely at Gulfstream and we thought he’d stretch out nicely,” Terranova said.

Falling Sky was entered in the seven-furlong Hutcheson (GII) at Gulfstream and the 1 1/16-mile Sam F. Davis (GIII) at Tampa Bay on Feb. 2. His new connections opted for the Davis, and the son of Lion Heart won while stretching out around two turns for the first time.

“Everyone thought we would run in the Hutcheson, but we did the 180 at the last minute. We knew what we wanted to do and ended up going to the route. That worked out nicely,” Terranova said.

Falling Sky came back to finish a distant third behind Verrazano and Java’s War in the Tampa Bay Derby (GII) and went on to finish fourth in the Arkansas Derby (GI).

“He’s a real honest horse. He obviously has real talent. He’s a horse that’s a free-runner who likes to be out there. And he’s been pretty competitive in each start,” Terranova said.

Fear the Kitten is scheduled to come to Churchill Downs on Wednesday and will be housed in Barn 41, Stall 15.

Concurrently, Derby jockey Victor Lebron was on Arkansas Derby (GI) runner-up Frac Daddy, who continues to show off his aggressive nature in the mornings.

“I was worried he was going to run off that second mile there,” McPeek said. “Victor had a tough time pulling him up.”

That aggression – or “high-spiritedness,” as Lebron calls it – could be a concern for Frac Daddy in a chaotic 20-horse race that is preceded by a litany of preparations and no small amount of pomp and circumstance in front of 160,000 screaming fans.

“He still needs to show he can handle adversity a little bit better but physically he’s doing terrific.”

Frac Daddy earned four Kentucky Derby qualifying points as a juvenile when he finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (GII) at Churchill Downs but had not added to that total going into the Arkansas Derby. His disappointing efforts in two Gulfstream Park stakes would have meant the end of the Derby road for many horses but the owners and trainer still saw a raw talent that just hadn’t put it all together yet.

“We gave him a sharp work right out of the Florida Derby and wheeled him back in Arkansas,” McPeek said. “I was a little reluctant to do it – it was a bit of an aggressive approach – but it was one of those deals where he needed to wake up quick. Carter Stewart (of Magic City) said to go with it, wanted to make it in, and we knew we needed to run second or third to make the race.

If Frac Daddy runs big on Saturday, that bullet breeze at Gulfstream eight days after the Florida Derby (five furlongs in 1:00.40 on April 7) will become known as the critical turning point for a 3-year-old many had written off. Six days later, after a good week of increasingly strong gallops at Oaklawn Park, he got up for second in the Arkansas Derby at 23-1.

“With him, nine-tenths of it was just getting in,” McPeek said. “He loves this racetrack and the mile-and-a-quarter won’t be a problem. We just needed to get him in and he punched his ticket there.”

Because of defections Monday from the possible field, Golden Soul moved into the top 20 horses, according to Derby points.

“They’re elated,’’ Stewart, said of his help. “They were excited. And they know he’s a good horse, and everybody, obviously, wants to be in the race.’’

Stewart said he is leaning toward a particular jockey for Golden Soul but will wait until Wednesday, entry day, to cement the decision.

“Well, I think I’ve got it pretty much narrowed down,’’ Stewart said. “I mean, we’ve got a couple of guys – one guy we’re real solid on. We’re just going to wait. If something was to happen (further defections), then the owner (Charles Fipke) wouldn’t step in and say, ‘Hey, how come we’re not using one of these guys?’ ’’

Golden Soul galloped Tuesday under exercise rider Emerson Chavez.

Trainer Eddie Plesa Jr., who arrived in Louisville from his South Florida base Monday afternoon, monitored the morning exercise. The Calder Race Course-based trainer reported that Itsmyluckyday will gallop up to the Derby and likely visit the starting gate on Wednesday. He has no plans to school the son of Lawyer Ron in the paddock.

“Nothing bothers him, so I don’t see any reason to do that,” said Plesa, whose Gulfstream Park Derby and Holy Bull (GIII) winner finished second behind Orb in the Florida Derby (G1) last time out.

Itsmyluckyday is slated to be the second Derby starter for Plesa, who saddled Three Ring for a 19^th-place finish in 1999. The filly was bumped and had to be steadied sharply just after the break.

“She never had an opportunity. I felt really bad for the owners. If after the first eighth of a mile, you could hit pause and they could say, ‘Go on with the race or take the horse out,’ I would say, ‘Take the horse out,’ because there’s no way you’re going to overcome what had happened to her,” said Plesa, whose filly went on to win the Acorn (GI) before a fall in the Belmont paddock before the Mother Goose claimed her life.

Plesa said he and his wife, Laurie, will enjoy Derby Week, but come Saturday, he’ll be wearing his game face.

“I’ll be miserable to be around, as my wife will attest to, on the morning of the race,” Plesa said. “I don’t like to be bothered. Then, I’m focused and zoned in. Things just disrupt that, and I don’t like it. That’s not my usual demeanor, but for big races it is – not everyday races.”

“We made a conscious change in his style – try to take him back off the pace and make one run – and it worked well,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “So we’ve followed that same pattern for the Kentucky Derby. He’s had his big work, three weeks out, and he’s had his two minor works, which is how we did it for the Louisiana Derby. His big work here was really nice, just as it was before the Louisiana Derby, so we’re real comfortable with where we are.”

Being by Midnight Lute, the champion sprinter of 2007, it is easy to presume that Mylute could have distance limitations. However, the change in tactics helps to get the most out of Mylute’s speed by conserving him for the stretch as much as possible. The nine-furlong Louisiana Derby was Mylute’s farthest test yet and he passed most of the field in the final three-eighths.

“I have no fear regarding his fitness level or his understanding of getting a true distance of ground,” Amoss said. “I know that he’s physically ready to do that and that he’s had the training to do that.”

“He had an awfully good work yesterday and he’s done awful well since he’s been at Churchill. Even before all that I wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d been the post-time favorite,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “But Verrazano very much deserves to be the (morning-line) favorite. He probably deserves to be the post-time favorite.”

McGaughey said there is very little to choose between Orb and Verrazano, who won the Wood Memorial (GI) in his most recent start.

Will Take Charge rallied from mid-pack to win the Rebel (GII) on March 16 at Oaklawn Park in his most recent start. A big, chestnut colt, Will Take Charge appears built more for power than speed, and he ran from off the pace in all but one of his seven races. But don’t expect him to be at the back of the Derby pack, Lukas said.

“He lays a little closer than you think,’’ Lukas said. “When you look at him physically in the paddock, you’d say, ‘This horse is definitely going to come from way out of it.’ He’s got a little bit of a lick to him. I would say mid-pack. He’ll be in touch.’’

Lukas, who has won the Derby four times, said he doesn’t have a favorite Derby winner.

“Not really, because I represented four different clients,’’ he said.  “That’s what made it special. Every time I won it, I never duplicated one of them. I got Bill Young (owner of Grindstone) where he wanted to be, Gene Klein (owner of Winning Colors), then Bob Lewis (owner of Charismatic) – right down the line. It was special because I was able to have that association with people I really am fond of.’’