![]() “We’re going there on short notice, a little unprepared I feel. Velazquez readily acknowledges that he would have planned things differently if events had unfolded in a customary manner. Umberto Rispoli, who lost an opportunity aboard rousing Santa Anita Derby winner when he was bumped by Joel Rosario, will fly in from the West Coast to snag the unexpected shot at redemption. A sign of the skepticism surrounding the 3-year-old is that Manny Franco, who had the mount in the Wood, declined the Derby ride. Plans call for him to gallop Thursday and Friday. He will have only two days to familiarize himself with the Churchill Downs surface. The bay gelding left Parx for Louisville the same day he worked. Brooklyn Strong was all in after he covered five furlongs in 1:00.92 at Parx this past Monday. Trainer Brad Cox removed Arkansas Derby runner-up Caddo River from consideration after some unsatisfactory bloodwork. A week later, the circumstances had dramatically changed. “Let’s work him,” Remidieo said, “because you never know.”īrooklyn Strong covered four furlongs in a ho-hum 49.55 seconds at Parx, ranking seventh of eight, on April 19. ![]() His assistant, Maria Remidieo, had been paying attention to the unusually large number of horses being withdrawn from Derby consideration due to illness, injury or lackluster training. He was so committed to that he was leaning against working Brooklyn Strong until late April. Once he digested the Wood disappointment, Velazquez eliminated the Derby from his thoughts and ultimately decided to train up to the May 15 Preakness. He said he knows much more about the perilous Road to the Derby now after Brooklyn Strong ran a lackluster fifth in the Wood to Todd Pletcher stablemates Bourbonic and Dynamic One. The young but promising trainer perhaps showed his inexperience when he essentially predicted victory in the Wood Memorial despite entering that Grade 2 contest with little foundation. That timing left Velazquez to target only one prep in a desperate attempt to add to the 10 Derby qualifying points they owned via their Remsen success. Then ice and snow contributed to poor conditions at his Parx home base in Bensalem, Pa., and he did not return to the work tab until Feb. He became ill after the race and lost a significant amount of weight. 5 Remsen Stakes on a muddy, sealed track at Aqueduct. The youngster has seemingly had everything go wrong since he eked out a neck victory in the Dec. In assessing everything that the son of Wicked Strong must overcome, there is no telling how high his odds might climb by the time he makes his improbable appearance in the Churchill Downs starting gate. Schwartz and Velazquez can talk the talk all they want.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |