It was hard to tell the players without their yellow Kentucky Derby saddle towels Saturday, April 24 as trainer Todd Pletcher sent out five of his seven Derby contenders for their final tune-ups. Heading out just after the renovation break at 8:30 a.m. were Louisiana Derby (gr. II) (VIDEO) winner Mission Impazible and Risen Star Stakes (gr. III) (VIDEO) winner Discreetly Mine, along with Rule, Super Saver , and the filly Devil May Care.
Mission Impazible traveled five furlongs in 1:00 1/5 under exercise rider Kevin Willey. His fractional times were recorded as :12 1/5, :24 1/5, :35 3/6, and :47 2/5. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13 4/5.
In next Saturday's Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) he will be ridden by Rajiv Maragh.
Under intermittent rain, the track was sealed during the renovation. Throughout the morning, the track was very sloppy.
“It was sloppy,” Pletcher said of the track surface April 24. “But the one thing about it is we worked five horses earlier this morning, and they all worked well and came out of it well. We worked two horses yesterday. That sort of eased my comfort level knowing that they worked well over it and came back in good shape.
“As a rule, this is a very good ‘wet track,’” he said. “It handles water really well. I wouldn’t be that comfortable working horses on sloppy tracks in a lot of places, but here I am.”
Mission Impazible is by Unbridled's Song—La Paz, by Hold Your Peace and races for Twin Creeks Racing Stables. He was bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Farm.
Discreetly Mine worked “very good,” according to Pletcher. “He seemed to like the wet track.”
Joyce Robsham’s homebred son of Mineshaft out of Alabama (gr. I) winner Pretty Discreet (by Private Account), breezed five furlongs in 1:00 1/5. Under jockey Javier Castellano, the colt was time in :12 2/5, :24 2/5, :36 2/5, and :48 1/5. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13 2/5 and seven furlongs in 1:29 1/5.