After watching Stay Thirsty breeze five furlongs in 1:01 3/5 in company with a stablemate at Palm Meadows the morning of March 27, trainer Todd Pletcher will likely make an equipment change for the April 3 Florida Derby (gr. I) at Gulfstream Park.
“He was a little green on the inside of another horse, and we’re thinking of putting blinkers on him for the Florida Derby,” Pletcher said in a release. “He was just a little intimidated with another horse kind of eyeballing him from the outside.”
Stay Thirsty’s workout was the sixth-fastest of 26 recorded at the distance. The son of Bernardini captured the March 5 Gotham Stakes (gr. III) at Aqueduct in his most recent start.
Pletcher sent out early Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) favorite Uncle Mo for a half-mile workout later the morning of March 27. The 2010 juvenile champion male, who was accompanied by a couple of workmates, breezed four furlongs in :49 2/5. The clocking was ranked 26th of 55 recorded at the distance, but the work was designed more for experience than speed.
“I thought he worked extremely well. He was full of run throughout,” Pletcher said in a statement. “We were just putting him behind a couple horses getting him used to a little dirt, which we did once with him as a 2-year-old. It was just a maintenance half, outside of that.”
Uncle Mo, who won the March 12 Timely Writer Stakes at Gulfstream impressively in his first start of the year, is expected to run next in the Wood Memorial (gr. I) at Aqueduct April 9.
Also working from Pletcher's 3-year-old brigade at Palm Meadows was Oaklawn Park-bound Brethren , expected to run in the $1 million Arkansas Derby (gr. I) April 16.
WinStar Farm's Brethren, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his older half-brother, 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver , drilled a half-mile in :51 4/5. It was the Distorted Humor colt's first workout since finishing third as the odds-on choice in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) March 12.
“He worked well and is on schedule for the Arkansas Derby,” said Pletcher in an email message.
Brethren's 3-year-old campaign has progressed much as Super Saver's did. He has toiled in the shadows of Uncle Mo, much like Super Saver did last winter and spring as a second-stringer to stablemate Eskendereya. Super Saver closed his 2-year-old season with a win in the Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) at Churchill Downs and progressed at 3 to win the Derby after a third-place finish in Tampa and a runner-up finish in Hot Springs.
Brethren is a little behind that schedule, having won a maiden event at Belmont and an allowance at Churchill as a juvenile. He then opened this year with a win in the Sam Davis Stakes (gr. III) in Tampa followed by the letdown over the same track last time out.
Elsewhere, Derby hopeful Soldat made a strong appearance during and after a five-furlong workout at Palm Meadows. The Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth (gr. II) victor was clocked in 1:00 4/5, well within himself before galloping out to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin’s complete satisfaction.
“He worked great,” McLaughlin said in a release. “He worked excellent and galloped out strong. We’re happy with the work. It was perfect. He’s just doing well.”
Soldat, whose clocking was ranked fifth of 26 at the distance, has won both of his starts at Gulfstream Park this year.
