High Limit Working Toward Blue Grass; Rush Bay Works

Edited press release
Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel said that Mary and Gary West's High Limit, winner of the Louisiana Derby (grade II), was doing well on the day after his first work at Churchill Downs and would make his next start in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland on April 16.

The unbeaten son of Maria's Mon breezed five furlongs over a "fast" track on Wednesday in 1:02.20, which was the sixth fastest move of 20 at the distance.

"He's a real nice horse," said Frankel. "He's just nice to be around. He's got no bad habits. It's just very unusual that you get a horse that is so kind and everything."

Frankel said that he has settled on the Blue Grass as the next start for High Limit after also considering the Wood Memorial (GI), which will be run a week earlier at Aqueduct.

"It'll be the easiest on him," Frankel said of short van ride on Interstate 64 between Louisville, Ky. and Lexington, Ky. "The object is to try to win the Derby, so I've got to do what I think will be the easiest on him. So we'll put in on the van and take him those 60 miles."

Frankel noted that the 1 1/8-mile race at the Lexington track is shaping up as perhaps the toughest of the Kentucky Derby preps.

"It's going to be the best race now that Bandini's going to run in there with Sun King and Consolidator," he said. "It's the best race."

Heading the Churchill Downs work tab on Thursday morning was Kentucky Jockey Club (gr. II) runner-up Rush Bay, who breezed six furlongs in 1:13.60 over a "fast" surface under jockey Robby Albarado.

The Tom Amoss-trained son of Cozzene won a recent allowance race at the Fair Grounds after a disappointing run in the Risen Star (gr. III) at the New Orleans track. Amoss said he was not sure about Rush Bay's next start, but he still hopes that the colt could prove himself worthy of a Kentucky Derby bid.

"I think we're going to try one of the preps scheduled a few weeks before the Derby," said Amoss. "We haven't made a decision yet." The move was the fastest of four at the distance.