One day after saying it was unlikely that Wertheimer and Frere’s Interactif would enter the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), trainer Todd Pletcher indicated the colt is still being considered and that a final decision won’t be made until Wednesday, April 28—the day of the draw.
Pletcher said Tuesday morning the son of Broken Vow came out of his April 26 work—in which he fired a bullet when clocking four furlongs in :47 3/5 in the mud at Churchill Downs—“very well” and seems to be thriving in the wet conditions. The weather could be a major factor whether or not Interactif is entered Wednesday. As of now, there is a 40-60% chance of rain for the May 1 Derby.
“I thought he worked well,” Pletcher said. “I don’t know that it means he will win the Derby, but he is doing well and likes the track. The one thing we think is that he does like it when it’s wet. He’s trained well over it all week. That’s something we’ll consider overnight. It’s still up in the air. There is no urgency to make a decision now, as opposed to tomorrow morning.”
When asked what the deciding factor will be, Pletcher said: “Whether the owners want to run or not.”
Interactif is a homebred of Alain and Gerard Wertheimer. The brothers also own Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) runner-up Setsuko, whom they would like to run but will likely come up short on graded earnings.
The decision on Interactif directly affects at least one Kentucky Derby hopeful—Backtalk, who sits 21st on the graded earnings list. If Interactif is entered the Tom Amoss trainee would be left out, as the classic is limited to the top 20 graded earners.
Interactif, who is out of the Broad Brush mare Broad Pennant, is 3-2-1 from eight starts with earnings of $355,750. The bay colt won a pair of grade III stakes on turf as a 2-year-old and was runner-up in the San Felipe (gr. II) March 13 at Santa Anita.
Pletcher said he was still undecided about a rider for Interactif, should the colt be entered.