Ground Transport, one of the locally-based sophomores preparing for the upcoming $1 million Louisiana Derby (gr. II), is attracting some attention after posting consecutive bullet moves at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
The latest for the 3-year-old son of 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Big Brown covered five furlongs in :59 2/5 March 16. It followed a half-mile breeze in :47 flat a week earlier as he approaches a date in the 100th renewal of the Louisiana Derby March 30.
"It was a very nice work for him," said trainer Mike Stidham on the morning of March 17. "He did it well. He broke three lengths behind another horse named Trend that has been graded stakes placed here and had almost caught him by the time the work finished. I got what I wanted from him in the work."
Ground Transport, owned by Marrette Farrell, Frank Calabrese, Martin Nixon, and Jeffrey Yingling, would be making his stakes debut in the Louisiana Derby. Bred in Kentucky by River Bend Farm out of the unraced Broad Brush mare Extry, the dark bay colt has won both of his starts in 2013. He is coming off a three-length score in a first-level allowance Feb. 23 at Fair Grounds as the even-money favorite. Jockey Mark Guidry has the mount.
On Sunday morning at Fair Grounds, Gold Mark Farm's Mylute breezed a half-mile in :50 3/5 for trainer Tom Amoss in preparation for the Louisiana Derby. The son of Midnight Lute is coming off a seventh-place effort in the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) Feb. 23 at Fair Grounds.
Meanwhile, on St. Patrick's Day in south Florida at Palm Meadows Training Center, two other Louisiana Derby probables had published workouts. Dogwood Stable's Palace Malice , working in company with Shanghai Bobby , breezed five furlongs in 1:00 flat and WinStar Farm's Revolutionary breezed that same distance in 1:00 3/5 in preparation for the Louisiana Derby. Both of those 3-year-olds are trained by Todd Pletcher.
Shanghai Bobby is pointing for the Besilu Stables Florida Derby (gr. I) also on March 30.