Zozos leads Derby and Oaks workers at Churchill

It was an action-filled Friday morning at Churchill Downs where Grade 2 Louisiana Derby runner-up Zozos continued his preparation toward the Kentucky Derby with a five-furlong move in 1:00.60.

The trio of Hidden Connection (five furlongs, 1:00.0), Secret Oath (five furlongs, 59.2 seconds) and Turnerloose (five furlongs, 1:00.8), who are bound for the $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks, also topped the Friday morning worktab.

Barry and Joni Butzow’s Zozos, the lightly-raced son of Munnings, worked in company at 5:30 a.m. EDT with Dawn and Ike Thrash’s Rachel Alexandra (G2) winner Turnerloose.

“He’s a really smart horse,” Geroux said. “He’s starting to come into his own and it was a really nice work this morning. I settled back of (Turnerloose) and he finished up nicely with her. Both horses worked well.”

Shortly after Zozos and Turnerloose worked, Hidden Brook Farm and Black Type Thoroughbreds’ Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) runner-up Hidden Connection clipped five furlongs in 1:00.0 under jockey Reylu Gutierrez. The Connect filly galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.60.

Gutierrez summed up the work in one word, “Awesome.”

At 7:30 a.m., Briland Farm’s Honeybee (G3) winner Secret Oath cruised five furlongs in 59.20 seconds under jockey Luis Saez.

“I talked to (jockey) Luis (Contreras) after the race and he was sort of surprised with how much of an explosive kick she had at the three-eighths pole,” Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “With that explosive kick at that point in the race it was a little too much too soon. She got shuffled back at the start and got into contention but it was too much to ask. … We ran in the Arkansas Derby for a million-and-a-quarter and I thought we were the best horse going into the race and I still think we were the best.”

Other Kentucky Derby contenders that are based at Churchill Downs are the aforementioned Cyberknife, who is slated to work Saturday; UAE Derby (G2) winner Crown Pride; Louisiana Derby winner Epicenter; Gotham winner Morello; Blue Grass (G1) runner-up Smile Happy; Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) runner-up and Lexington (G3) contender Tawny Port; and Jeff Ruby Steaks winner Tiz the Bomb.

The next Derby contender scheduled to arrive is Arkansas Derby runner-up Barber Road, who ships from Hot Springs, Ark. Friday at 2 p.m. EDT and should arrive between 3-4 a.m. EDT Saturday to Barn 46.

Training hours at Churchill Downs remain 5:30-10 a.m. EDT with half-hour renovation breaks from 7-7:30 a.m. EDT and 8:30-9 a.m. EDT There is a 10-minute period for workers only from 7:30-7:40 a.m. EDT.

The 15-minute training window reserved for only Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders will begin Saturday, April 23.