Monday before Kentucky Derby: Works, videos, stable buzz

Citizen Bull, the Eclipse Award-winning champion of 2024 as the nation’s top juvenile male, put the finishing touches Monday morning on his preparation for Kentucky Derby 2025.

The colt sired by Into Mischief worked five furlongs in 58.4 seconds under jockey Martín García for trainer Bob Baffert. Citizen Bull’s work was the fastest of 15 at the distance over a fast track. Churchill Downs clockers caught Citizen Bull in fractions of 11.6, 23.0, 45.8, 58.4 and out six furlongs in 1:12.4 and seven-eighths in 1:27.2.

Predicting Kentucky Derby finish from 1st to 20th.

Coal Battle, who also worked Monday morning, breezed three furlongs in 36.0 under Bethany Taylor for trainer Lonnie Briley.

Baeza, who is the lone also-eligible for the run for the roses, worked five furlongs in 1:02.0 under jockey Flavien Prat for trainer John Shirreffs. Splits on the work were 13.6, 26.4, 37.8, 1:02.0 and out six furlongs in 1:16.0.

Japan shippers Luxor Café and Admire Daytona tentatively are scheduled to work Tuesday.

Admire Daytona. UAE Derby (G2) winner Admire Daytona warmed up in the one-mile chute and then had a light training session on the track before schooling in the paddock. Trainer Yukihiro Kato was expected to arrive Monday afternoon, and the colt could breeze Tuesday.

American Promise. BC Stables’ American Promise went trackside at 6:30 a.m. EDT on Monday to jog once around the main track under Tayja Smith and then took a few more laps around the chute before returning to trainer D. Wayne Lukas’s barn. The flashy chestnut son of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify continues to make a favorable impression in the mornings. “He’s a beautiful horse,” Lukas said of American Promise, who grazed later behind barn 42. Other than looks, American Promise has something more important in his corner coming into the Derby for Lukas. “The best thing is not having to make a single adjustment,” Lukas said. “Everything has been smooth so far the past six weeks (since winning the Virginia Derby). That is a big plus not to have to worry about anything.”

Baeza. Trainer John Shirreffs greeted racing’s most recent Eclipse Award-winning jockey Flavien Prat at barn 41 on Monday morning just before the 7:15-7:30 a.m. EDT special training period for Derby and Oaks runners. The conditioner then gave the France-born rider a leg up on his Kentucky Derby hopeful Baeza, a son of the young sire McKinzie who is the lone also-eligible for this year’s classic. The pair went trackside through the gap near the six-furlong pole and then conducted the business of working five furlongs on a pleasantly mild morning in Louisville, Ky. Clockers caught the bay in splits of 13.6, 26.4, 37.8 and then a final time of 1:02.0.  He went out in 1:16.0. “He went good,” Prat said. “He felt good, and he did it easy.” Shirreffs was OK with the move. “I know 1:02 is a little on the slow side, but he’s not an especially sharp work horse. We put a good work into him last week (seven furlongs in 1:28.0 at Santa Anita on April 20), and he’s ready. We just need to get a little lucky and get him into the race.” Baeza needs one dropout to be allowed to run in America’s most famous race. Scratch time for the 1 1/4-mile race is Friday at 9 a.m. EDT.

Burnham Square. Whitham Thoroughbreds’ Burnham Square jogged to the starting gate where he stood and then backed out before galloping a mile under Mark Cutler for trainer Ian Wilkes. Winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and Holy Bull (G3), Burnham Square was on the track at 7:15 a.m. EDT during the special training period for Kentucky Derby and Oaks runners.

Chunk of Gold. Terry Stephens’ Chunk of Gold galloped about 1 1/2 miles Monday morning under trainer Ethan West. “He was definitely feeling good and wanted to do more,” West said. Chunk of Gold is expected to school in the paddock at mid-week, West said.

Citizen Bull and Rodríguez. The two Kentucky Derby colts trained by Baffert took different routes Monday morning. Rodríguez, who had put in his final drill for the big one the previous morning when he covered five furlongs in 1:00.0, was just a walker at barn 33. His stablemate, however, had work to do. García took the bay from the barn down through the 5 1/2-furlong gap and out onto the big oval right at the beginning of the special training session for Derby and Oaks competitors. Citizen Bull then put the colt through a bullet 58.4-second drill that was built around splits of 11.6, 23.0 and 45.8, then finished with out times of 1:12.4 and 1:27.2. As García came back up through the gap, he said, “He worked really good out there. But he was just messing around. He did it easy.” A later chat with the rider turned up an “on the fly” special. It is notable that all of Baffert’s riders have radio contact with him as they go through their exercises. Baffert was watching this morning’s move from the frontside and had his version of a walkie-talkie connection in place. “I thought I was working four furlongs,” García said. “But then when I get into it, Bob tells me I’m going five. So I’d broken off at the half-mile pole, which meant I had to go past the wire and finish up at the seven (furlong marker). We did it, and it worked out OK.” The next time García mounts Citizen Bull will be Saturday when he goes to the starting gate in the Derby. They’ll be the first to load into post 1.

Coal Battle. Norman Stables’ Coal Battle put the finishing touches on his Kentucky Derby preparations with a three-furlong blowout in 36.0 seconds with assistant trainer and exercise rider Taylor aboard for Briley. “He looks like he did pretty easily,” Briley said of the work that produced fractions of 11.6, 36.0 and out a half-mile in 50.0 seconds. The work was the fourth for Coal Battle since arriving three weeks ago from Oaklawn, where he was third behind Sandman in the Arkansas Derby (G1). “The closer to the race, the tougher it gets,” said Briley, 72, who will be saddling his first Kentucky Derby starter. “He will walk tomorrow, and then there will be some jogging and galloping. He’s ready.”

East Avenue. Godolphin’s East Avenue returned to the track Monday following his five-eighths move in 59.6 seconds Saturday morning. The colt jogged under exercise rider Stephen Dolan with trainer Brendan Walsh leading him on their stable pony.

Final Gambit. Juddmonte’s Final Gambit jogged about a mile Monday morning under exercise rider Joel Osorio for trainer Brad Cox.

Flying Mohawk. Two Eight Racing, Berry Family Racing and Kaleta Racing’s Flying Mohawk had a light gallop Monday morning under trainer Whit Beckman’s assistant-exercise rider Maurilio García.

Grande. The Wood Memorial (G2) runner-up got some exercise under Juan Suárez with trainer Todd Pletcher looking on during the special Derby-Oaks training period. The handsome son of Curlin galloped about 1 3/8 miles in the middle of the track and then took a trip over to stand in the starting gate in the chute.

“It’s looking like we might get some rain and some funky weather over the next few days, so I wanted to get him to the gate when we’ve got dry land,” said Pletcher, 57, who has signed on his good buddy John Velázquez, 53, to handle Grande on Derby day. Between them the two Hall of Famers have nine Eclipse Awards, and they won the 2017 Kentucky Derby with Always Dreaming.

Journalism. The Kentucky Derby favorite took it easy Monday morning and merely walked the shedrow at barn 35. The husky Curlin colt put in his final Derby drill Sunday when he covered five furlongs in 1:01.4 to earn his day off. Trainer Michael McCarthy was feeling fine about the circumstances surrounding his charge. “He came out of it (the work) very well,” he said. “We’re all good this morning. He just walking and that’s enough.” Journalism will be ridden in the Derby by the veteran Italy jockey Umberto Rispoli, who worked his way through a flying escapade from his West Coast headquarters to Louisville on Saturday and Sunday in order to put his colt through his paces. After working his way through a postponed work session Saturday, canceled connections and a five-hour hangout in the Atlanta airport that afternoon, a return to Louisville for the Sunday exercise and another plane ride back to Los Angeles that morning, the high-energy rider rang the bell at Santa Anita by winning the Señorita Stakes (G3) on Jungle Peace. On Saturday he’ll take Journalism out of the no. 8 gate and point him toward glory.

Luxor Café. Fukuryu Stakes winner Luxor Café galloped Monday morning after warming up in the one-mile chute for about 20 minutes. Trainer Noriyuki Hori was expected to arrive in Louisville on Monday, and the colt could breeze Tuesday.

Neoequos. C2 Racing Stable, Ian Parsard, Shining Stables and Stefania Farms’ Neoequos had an easy gallop at 7:15 a.m. EDT for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.

Owen Almighty. Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing’s Owen Almighty had a scheduled walk day at trainer Brian Lynch’s barn.

Publisher and Tiztastic. Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen’s duo of Publisher and Tiztastic had a walk day in barn 38 following their half-mile works Sunday in 49.0 and 50.20 seconds, respectively.

Render Judgment. Baccari Racing Stable, Dream Walkin Farms, MJM Racing and Rocket Ship Racing’s Render Judgment galloped at 7:15 a.m. EDT under retired jockey Robby Albarado for trainer Kenny McPeek. Render Judgment’s co-owner, the late country music star Toby Keith, always dreamed about having a horse run in the Kentucky Derby, according to his family. They posted on Urban’s X account, “It was Toby’s dream. Render Judgment is going to the Kentucky Derby. He worked so hard to finally have one there. Toby will have the best seat in the house to watch.”

Sandman. D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables’ Sandman had a scheduled walk day at trainer Mark Casse’s barn. “We are on the same schedule as the Arkansas Derby when we gave him Monday off,” Casse said of the 2 1/2-length winner of the Grade I race at Oaklawn on March 29.

Sovereignty. The double stakes-winning son of Into Mischief earned himself an off day by putting in a solid 1:01.8 workout Sunday morning at Churchill Downs. Trainer Bill Mott gave the thumbs up at barn 19 Monday morning when asked about his bay charge. “He came out of his work just fine,” the Hall of Fame conditioner stated. “It’s all good. He’ll walk today, then the plan is to go back to galloping tomorrow.” Sovereignty will be reunited with his regular rider Júnior Alvarado for the Derby and start from post 18.