Big Brown sizzles in workout this morning.

[Justpat]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/viewstory.asp?id=44783


Big Brown went 5/8 in 58 this morning at Palm Meadows this morning.

[two gun sid]

1. That is a good work...

he's ready. Now if his inexperience and his bad feet don't trip him up he should be good to go. Good Luck Big Brown.

[Justpat]

2. That is a really fast work for Palm Meadows. n/t

[two gun sid]

3. Cool Coal Man worked in :47.40...

with a work mate. Fractions of :11.60, :23.40, :35 flat and out in 1:02.6. Zito should be happy with that.

[a kennedy]

4. Nice looking horse, but I don't like his name......

are there any gray horses running??? I always root for the gray colored horses.....

[Awsi Dooger]

5. Yeah, we mentioned that in a recent horse racing thread

I'm rooting against him partially because he's a late arriving upstart, partially because he's undefeated, and primarily due to the name.

[Justpat]

6. Z Fortune is a gray. n/t

[two gun sid]

7. I think I've got an idea of what the pace will be in this race...

It looks to me like we've got 4 frontrunners/need the lead horses. Big Brown, Gayego, Recapturetheglory and Bob Black Jack. Big Brown's connections say he can rate because he once laid 1 length off the pace in a race against cheaper in a 5 horse field.

But the eye opener is: Bob Black Jack once went a 1/4 in :20.92 and a 1/2 in :42.46. That's blazing.

There should be plenty of pace.

A Colonel John/Pyro exacta.

*on edit* OB, Red just got her head handed back to her at Hazel. She made a break before the gate was away and finished a very distant last.

[Justpat]

8. Sorry about Red's finish.

We can't win them all, or we would quit our day jobs by now.

Next time.

Bob Black Jack is another that has done his exceptional racing on
artificial surface. But, man, that horse is fast.

I would love for BBJ to press Big Brown early. If Big Brown is the
superstar everyone thinks he is then he should be able to handle
pressure and shrug it off.

[two gun sid]

9. Red is strictly second tier...

I don't know why the trainer thinks so highly of her. It was about what I expected. She's a nice girl and will make some money this year as long as she stays with horses she's competitive with.

OK. KY Derby. Anak Nakal worked at Churchill yesterday in :46.60. That horse likes Churchill and has won there. Horse for course? Or just another badly named horse?

[aaronbees]

10. Gayego reportedly looked great in a workout today

on a sloppy Churchill Downs track. You can see it at the Kentuckyderby.com site. He moved real smooth over that track.

And speaking of smooth, it sounds like Smooth Air may not go due to a spiked fever; he's missed a couple days of work. That would likely get Bob Black Jack in.

I'm liking a Colonel John/Eight Belles exacta right now. Of course, that is subject to change. :)

[Justpat]

11. Pyro and Z Fortune workouts on video at KYderby site

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/2008

Z Fortune didn't look so great to me at the end of his work - switched leads and didn't
gallop out well.

Also Dennis of Cork has a workout on the video.

[aaronbees]

12. Colonel John on Sunday and Denis of Cork today

Two most impressive works I've seen. Eight Belles looked great too.

[Justpat]

13. How great is that when you can watch the works on video?

I had wanted to put Z Fortune in the third slot but now I don't think I will.
He didn't look comfortable at the end of his work.
I was just putting a wager on him because I have done work for his owner at
the yearling sales picking out yearlings in Sept. He has really put his
money into the game and is a good guy.

[bread_and_roses]

14. I've been fascinated by the works on video

I don't get any of the racing channels on TV, so it was always frustrating to read about them without having any visual. I'm hoping that finally I may be able to learn to spot a horse changing leads, and other arcana of which I only know the term from reading. Besides, it is a great pleasure to watch one beautiful horse moving, and have a pretty good view too.

[aaronbees]

16. I love watching them

and this year has given the best opportunity to see them online. I put big stock in the Derby-week works. Not that they have to be brilliant, but they should show a colt or filly is moving comfortably over the track. I'm moving Denis of Cork and Court Vision way up because of their works. Still love Colonel John. Big Brown looked fantastic and professional in his gallop.

[Justpat]

17. I thought BB looked great in his gallop.

He looks so happy and at ease with himself and his surroundings.
Maybe he really has the mind to be a good one.

[aaronbees]

18. BB's a character...

and looks so relaxed. Different trainer and I might root for him. Oh, well.

[aaronbees]

15. Haskin's "Early Thoughts"

Take heart, Big Brown fans, Haskin waxes poetic for ya.



Haskin's Derby Report: Early Thoughts

by Steve Haskin

Updated: April 29, 2008
Well, Big Brown finally is here and the racing world had its first look at the likely Kentucky Derby favorite and its first encounter with his colorful trainer Rick Dutrow. After watching the colt gallop once around, we can now give an initial assessment of him and the other Derby horses on the grounds.

If anyone wants to know what makes Big Brown so special it was evident Tuesday morning. First off, he exudes class in everything he does. Nothing rattles him in the slightest, and he paid little or no attention to the swarms of people following him to the track or the photographers dashing about all around him. He has a head that is full of character, a great eye, and big ears that flick out like antennae.

On the track, he was pure poetry as he glided around the Churchill oval for the first time with powerful, yet graceful strides that barely seemed to touch the ground. He was full of energy coming back and stood motionless with his ears pricked, posing for photographers, while being bathed.

In short, he’s everything you’d expect from a horse who has accomplished the extraordinary things he has in such a short period of time, just as Curlin did last year. We know this colt is different – a potential freak as they say. To what extent we’ll find out on Saturday. As Dutrow said, “I haven’t seen a horse with my own eyes I think can beat him.”

Link for the rest of the story: http://tcm.bloodhorse.com/article/44931.htm

[Jack from Charlotte]

19. Any Florida breds in the derby this year? (nfm)

*

[two gun sid]

20. Smooth Air and Denis Of Cork both FL breds...

Z Fortune and Big Truck NY breds, Bob Black Jack a CA bred and the rest are KY breds.