Buddy Bled in Win, to Miss Training Time

(from track report)
Although he was running with Lasix, Buddy Gil did "bleed slightly" through the nostrils during his victory Saturday in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), trainer Jeff Mullins said.

It was the first time the horse has done so in a race, Mullins said.

According to California Horse Racing Board policy on bleeders, Buddy Gil cannot work for 14 days after a bleeding episode, then can be removed from the list by a CHRB veterinarian following a five-furlong workout in 1:03 or faster.

In his tack room on a glorious Sunday morning, Jeff Mullins was still basking in the glory of Buddy Gil's courageous head victory Indian Express in the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) on Saturday.

Mullins, who celebrated his 40th birthday on March 27, said he and his winning connections celebrated Buddy Gil's triumph with a party at the popular Derby Restaurant in Arcadia Saturday night.

Asked if he had plans to go on to the Kentucky Derby on May 3, Mullins dismissed the question with a slow smile. "I still got a hangover," the trainer said.

Buddy Gil, an Eastern Echo gelding, is unbeaten in three starts for Mullins, all with Gary Stevens aboard. He won the Baldwin Stakes (gr. IIT) at about 6 ½ furlongs on the turf, the San Felipe Stakes (gr. II) at 1 1/16 miles on the main track prior to the Santa Anita Derby.

"He's a runner," Mullins said matter-of-factly. "He's all heart. At the end of the day we'll have some kind of plan (to ship to Kentucky), but I haven't talked to the owners or anything yet. But he came out of the race good."

Asked his thoughts on Buddy Gil getting the mile and a quarter of the Kentucky Derby, Mullins said, "It's like I've told everybody from the beginning, the horse has an incredible mind and he's got some ability. All Gary's got to do is time it right, that's all."