GREAT HUNTER LOOKING GOOD
By MIKE WELSCH,
Taken from the DRF website
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Kentucky Derby will be run at Churchill
Downs for the 133rd time on May 5. But nearly all of the important
pre-Derby activities this past week took place at Keeneland where
the majority of the prospective starters will put in their final
major preps through Sunday.
Trainer Doug O'Neill was in the spotlight on Friday morning,
working all three of his Derby starters and his Kentucky Oaks
hopeful Mistical Plan over Keeneland's fast Polytrack surface. All
four worked six furlongs under cloudy skies with exercise rider
Tony Romero aboard.
Work of the day
Great Hunter (APTITUDE) (six
furlongs in 1:13.04): Working in blinkers and wearing a tongue tie,
Great Hunter was the slowest but visually most impressive of
O'Neill's trio of Derby workers. As was the case with each of the
others, Romero was very aggressive right from the outset, riding
Great Hunter relatively hard even in the run down the backstretch.
Under some urging, Great Hunter posted opening fractions of 12.70
seconds, 24.65, and 36.81, at which point Romero reached around and
took the whip out of his back pocket. After angling about four wide
entering the stretch, Great Hunter switched leads nicely and
finished with interest while being shown the stick briefly inside
the eighth pole. He galloped out a solid final eighth, finishing up
seven furlongs in 1:25.72, and was striding out willingly jogging
back home following the end of the drill.
Date:
01 May 2007