Redskin Warrior Drills 7 furlongs For Gotham Stakes

Paraneck Stable's Redskin Warrior, coming off an impressive victory in the Best Turn Stakes, worked seven furlongs in 1:28 1/5 over the Aqueduct inner track Wednesday, in preparation for the March 20 Gotham Stakes (gr. III).

Working just after noon with jockey Richard Migliore aboard, the powerful son of Indian Charlie broke off slowly from the pony and went in leisurely fractions of :26 1/5 and :52 1/5, with trainer Jennifer Pedersen trying to conserve his speed and help him stretch out to a mile in the Gotham. Even playing around a bit at the quarter pole, he still managed to close his last two fractions in :24 and :12 before galloping out another eighth in a strong :13 1/5, completing a 1:41 1/5 gallop-out time for the mile.

The colt did suffer a slightly scraped right-hind hoof while playing around with the pony before the work, but it was very superficial.

"He kept trying to jump on the pony in a playful way, and he grabbed himself," said Migliore, who jogged Redskin Warrior with the pony, once around and then began the work at the wire. "He's just a big goof, wanting to play. He kept thumping on the pony; I even thought about breaking him off earlier. I squeezed him a little at the quarter-pole because he started playing around again."

Pedersen and owner Ernie Paragallo were happy with the work. "If they had opened the main track on Monday, I would have worked him on the main," Pedersen said. "They do a great job on the tracks here, but there was water on the main track and I felt he was used to being on the inner track, so why change?"

Aqueduct's main track season opened on Wednesday, and the track was listed as muddy for the first race.

"I'm too much of a mother, I guess, and I was very nervous before the work," Pedersen said. "That's just me. The important thing is that I wanted him to relax so we could put him anywhere, to come home strong and to gallop out strong. He did all that, and Richie has the ideal hands for him. He looked great. It was perfect."

As for the scapre on his ankle, Pedersen said, "It is very superficial, the kind of stuff they do to themselves in the stall. He grabbed himself playing around. What are you going to do? Good horses get bored because they are bred for competition. We'll baby him I'm sure, but it is nothing to worry about."

According to Andrew Byrnes, stakes coordinator for the New York Racing Association, other likely Gotham runners include Deputy Storm, Eddington, Pomeroy, Quick Action, Saratoga County, and War's Prospect.

Bobby Frankel had entertained thoughts of running Master David, who was forced to miss the Florida Derby due to a fever, but likely will wait for the Wood Memorial (gr. I).