Toby's Corner, one of two Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) contenders for trainer Graham Motion, worked at the Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland the morning of Sunday, May 1.
The Bellamy Road colt, winner of the Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I), was timed in 1:15 for six furlongs over the artificial surface at the training center. It was second-best time of the day among five at that distance.
A Florida homebred racing for Dianne D. Cotter, Toby’s Corner has won four of six starts with two third-place finishes, and earnings of $722,240. In addition to the Wood, the colt won the Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct and finished third in the Gotham Stakes (gr. III).
Motion will also be represented in the Derby by Animal Kingdom , who breezed six furlongs in 1:13 at Churchill Downs on Saturday, April 30.
Meanwhile, Churchill officials said trainer Eoin Harty had officially ruled out the Derby for Anthony's Cross . The Robert Lewis Stakes (gr. II) winner was 21st on the graded stakes earnings list that is used to determine the 20-horse Derby starting field.
“We got to thinking about it and we decided it was just going to be too much hassle,” Harty said. “You ship all the way down there and then, if you don’t get to run, you’ve got to ship all the way back. And right now it doesn’t look good for us running, so rather than hanging on hope, we just decided it would be best for all if we said ‘no go.’
“We’ve got lots of other options with this colt and I’m zeroing in on one of them, but we’ll definitely live to fight another day. We would have loved to have come, but often these things work out for the best.”
To have gotten into the race, Anthony’s Cross would have needed a defection by one of the current top 20 contenders.
