Saturday Soph Runners Exit Efforts Well

The major players from Saturday's GI Blue Grass S., GI TwinSpires.com Wood Memorial and GI Santa Anita Derby have all reportedly exited their efforts in fine shape as next month's GI Kentucky Derby looms. WinStar Farm and Stonestreet Stable's Blue Grass hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Carpe Diem (Giant's Causeway) came out of the race “great,” according to Todd Pletcher, and will remain with the conditioner's Keeneland-based string for the time being as he prepares for the May 2 “Run for the Roses.” Longshot runner-up Danzig Moon (Malibu Moon) is expected to ship to Churchill Downs Monday for trainer Mark Casse. 

Fellow 'Rising Star' Ocho Ocho Ocho (Street Sense), who currently sits at 19th in the Kentucky Derby points standings, is less definite to head to Churchill Downs off his third-place run in the Blue Grass. “He got pretty tired yesterday, but then he had a right to since he did not get much out of his first race of the year,” trainer Jim Cassidy said Sunday of last year's GIII Delta Jackpot hero, who was a troubled eight in Santa Anita's GII San Felipe S. Mar. 7. “I'd like to see him bounce back like Evening Jewel (Northern Afleet) did back in 2010. She was exhausted after she won the [GI] Ashland and I thought there was no way she would come back in four weeks in the [GI] Kentucky Oaks. But after three days, she was climbing over the webbing, so we came back for the Oaks.” Evening Jewel finished second by a nose to Blind Luck (Pollard's Vision) in the Kentucky Oaks. 

Sheikh Mohammed homebred Frosted (Tapit) was also doing well Sunday after his two-length score in the Wood Memorial. “It was such a special win yesterday,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin Sunday. “Having worked for Godolphin for 21 years and to have a 3-year-old for them, it worked out great.” Definitive plans for Frosted's Kentucky Derby preparations remain undecided. “We have to make a plan, and we have three options,” McLaughlin explained. “We could stay here, work once here, work twice here, and then go to Kentucky; we could go there and work twice there; or, we could go to Florida, like we've been training, fly in, work once–or not at all–and run. So we have to talk about it.”