It was another stormy morning at Churchill Downs on Monday, May 2, but that did not deter the connections of three Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders from sending their horses to the track for their final breezes.
First on the track at 5:45 a.m. was Santiva for trainer Eddie Kenneally. The son of Giant's Causeway who won the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) at Churchill Downs last year, was timed in :50 1/5 for a half-mile over the very wet, but sealed track.
Next out was Watch Me Go, the son of West Acre who won the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II), as he went five furlongs in 1:02. Trainer Kathleen O’Connell had opted to send the colt over the sealed track after electing not to work him over a wet track the previous day. She explained that Watch Me Go does not like an “off” track and that on Sunday the track was not just wet but was also “chopped up.”
O’Connell said she inspected the track before workouts began and that it was “consistent.” She said the most important element of the workout was how well the colt galloped out.
At 6:15, Nehro, the runner-up in the Louisiana Derby (gr. II) and Arkansas Derby (gr. I), breezed four furlongs in :51 1/5.
Scheduled to breeze later in the morning are Brilliant Speed and Midnight Interlude.
Additional details from the workouts will be posted later.