General Quarters and Flying Private, the respective 10th- and 19th-place finishers in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), worked at Churchill Downs May 11 as they tuned up for the May 16 Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
General Quarters, the only horse in owner-trainer Thomas B. McCarthy’s stable, breezed a half-mile in :50 1/5, the co-28th fastest time among the 48 workers at the distance.
“Perfect. Looks like he finished up better than he started,” McCarthy said. “That was just enough to put him on the van and go on over (to Pimlico).”
Clockers caught General Quarters in splits of :12.60, :25, :37.40 and galloping out five furlongs in 1:04.60 under exercise rider Justin Court.
“It was the first time I had worked the horse and I was impressed with him,” Court said. “I had a lot of horse and I think he will do well over there.”
Winner of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) and Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III), the son of Sky Mesa —Ecology, by Unbridled's Song, is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore Tuesday. He has won three of 12 starts, with three seconds and a third, while earning $641,735.
Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Flying Private was timed in :48 1/5 for his four-furlong breeze, ninth-fastest of the day with 48 horses working that distance.
With jockey Jamie Theriot aboard, Flying Private clicked off fractions of :12.80, :24.80 and :36.20 while in company of stablemate Sea Admiral. Flying Private left his workmate seven lengths behind at the wire.
The winner of one of 11 starts, with earnings of $193,080, Flying Private ran second in the Mountain Valley Stakes and Lane’s End Stakes (gr. II). Previous to his last-place Derby finish, the son of Fusaichi Pegasus was fifth in Papa Clem ’s Arkansas Derby (gr. II) victory.
A son of Fusaichi Pegasus—Beautiful Treasure, by Unbridled, Flying Private is owned by Robert C. Baker and William L. Mack.
