With four days to go to the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), only two classic contenders worked at Churchill Downs on the morning of Tuesday, April 29.
Charles Fipke’s homebred Tale of Ekati was out early, working a half-mile in :49 2/5 as the morning dawned on a cool overcast day.
Trainer Barclay Tagg, who saddled Funny Cide to win the 2003 Derby, said he did not want to do anything special with the son of Tale of the Cat considering how close it was to Derby Day.
“I just him to go a nice half-mile, nothing dramatic,” said the quiet Tagg. “He went fine.”
Tagg said he plans to stick to routine regimens for Tale of Ekati and Derby-bound stablemate Big Truck for the restd of the week. “You don’t change anything; you do the same old routine. There is nothing fancy about. It’s a horse race. You bring them up to it the best you can.”
Winner of the Futurity Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park as a 2-year-old, Tale of Ekati won the grade I Wood Memorial in his third start of 2008. He has won half of his lifetime starts for earnings of $667,200.
In the other workout of the day, Halo Najib went five furlongs on firm turf in 1:05 for trainer Dale Romans. The son of Halo’s Image woked by Zayat Stables goes into the Derby with two wins from eight starts.
Tale of Ekati worked at Churchill Downs April 29.
