John Oxley's Silent Tactic has been scratched from Kentucky Derby 152 because of a bruised foot.
Trained by Mark Casse, Silent Tactic jogged for 10 minutes in the mile chute under Dass Garcia at 7:30 (all times Eastern) Wednesday morning.
With the defection, Three Chimneys Farm and trainer John Ennis' Great White draws into the main body of the 20-horse field from the also eligible list.
Around 12:30 p.m., trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. scratched My Miss Mo out of Friday's Longines Kentucky Oaks.
KENTUCKY DERBY UPDATE
ALBUS/INCREDIBOLT - Pin Oak Stud's Albus and Incredibolt galloped a mile over a saturated surface shortly after the track opened for morning training.
"I pulled an audible," trainer Riley Mott said. "We were the first ones on the track because it didn't look like it was going to get any better."
Antonio Garcia was on Albus and Charlotte O'Connell partnered Incredibolt.
Both horses schooled in the paddock Tuesday afternoon with horses in the fifth race.
"I was happy with both of them," Mott said. "They may go over again with the rider on in the morning."
CHIEF WALLABEE - Mike and Kay Kay Ball's Chief Wallabee backtracked to the finish line and then galloped a mile and a half under Marvin Orantes at 7:30.
Trainer Bill Mott has two horses in his barn with Derby saddle towels. The other belongs to reigning Horse of the Year and 2025 Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty.
Mott does not keep the Derby towels.
"I think Godolphin had it," Mott said. "The owners usually have those."
COMMANDMENT/FULLEFFORT/FURTHER ADO - Trainer Brad Cox's Kentucky Derby trio of Wathnan Racing's Commandment, Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado and St. Elias Stable and Starlight Racing's Fulleffort all galloped Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs.
Commandment, with exercise rider Edvin Vargas aboard, galloped about 1 1/4 miles in company with a stablemate. About 45 minutes later, Further Ado and Fulleffort each galloped about 1 1/4 miles on their own.
"Commandment isn't the best horse in the morning," Cox said. "He trains a lot better with company, so we put him with another horse this morning for a more energetic gallop. He's different than Further Ado and Fulleffort, who both get a lot out of training on their own."
DANON BOURBON - Danox Co. Ltd.'s Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitee Danon Bourbon had a walk day Wednesday around Barn 17.
EMERGING MARKET - Klaravich Stable's Emerging Market stretched his legs during the special training session for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"He went a little easier today with the sloppy track," trainer Chad Brown said. "But he's moving well and doing great."
Emerging Market also schooled in the paddock Tuesday, displaying professionalism uncommon for a horse with only two career starts.
"He did great," Brown said. "He has such a wonderful mind and is so calm and collected."
GOLDEN TEMPO - Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable's Golden Tempo jogged over the sealed, muddy track Wednesday morning with trainer Cherie DeVaux overseeing.
"He's great," DeVaux said. "He just jogged this morning because of the track conditions."
Following training Golden Tempo schooled in the paddock.
"He's such a professional," Devaux said. "He knows exactly what to do and when to do it."
GREAT WHITE - Three Chimneys Farm and trainer John Ennis' Great White put in an energetic gallop during the special training session for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders at 7:30 a.m.
Great White is now in the main body of the Kentucky Derby field following Wednesday morning's announcement that Silent Tactic would scratch.
INTREPIDO - Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures' Intrepido continued on his path to the Kentucky Derby on a wet morning at Churchill Downs. The racy colt, who has been in the care of Alejandro Galindo as they await the arrival of trainer Jeff Mullins from California on Thursday, went trackside under Galindo during special training session for all Derby and Oaks horses.
"I stood him in the gate, then we went around there twice - some jogging, some galloping," Galindo said afterward back at Barn 41. "He's doing good."
The son of Maximus Mischief (who in turn is a son of super sire Into Mischief) will be handled Saturday by regular rider Hector Berrios. They'll get started for the mile and a quarter out of Post 3.
LITMUS TEST/POTENTE - Litmus Test, a son of 2016 Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, went to the racetrack at 7:30 under exercise rider Talia Viscusi and turned in a good gallop once around the the big oval during the special Derby/Oaks training period.
Trainer Bob Baffert looked on from the gap near the 5 1/2-furlong pole on the Churchill backside, just down from his Barn 33.
Litmus Test races for an extensive partnership headed by SF Racing and Starlight Racing. On Saturday he'll break from Post 4 under rider Martin Garcia.
During the same time that Litmus Test was getting his exercise, another Baffert charge, Speedway Stables' Potente, also went trackside for a strong gallop under exercise rider Humberto Gomez. The Into Mischief colt covered a mile and a quarter on the Churchill strip that was labeled "good" after a night of rain in the Louisville area.
Potente is drawn into gate 13 for the 152nd Kentucky Derby and will get the saddle services of ace California rider Juan Hernandez.
PAVLOVIAN - The California colt who seems to be getting better as he goes along en route to Derby 152, had another morning of solid exercise under topnotch exercise rider Tony Romero Wednesday at Churchill Downs.
The son of Pavel, who races in the silks of owner/breeder J. Paul Reddam, was out on the mile oval at 7:30 a.m. He went strongly for a gallop of a mile and a half on a damp surface that absorbed a night of rain.
"He's a sure-footed dude," said trainer Doug O'Neill, who watched the exercise from a perch on the frontside. "It won't bother him what kind of track we come up with on Saturday."
Pavlovian will be making the 11th start of his career Saturday, the most of any runner in the lineup for the Derby. He'll be handled by California veteran Edwin Maldonado as they break from Post 16.
O'Neill noted further that Reddam would make it into Louisville on Thursday as they shoot for their third Kentucky Derby triumph. The pair teamed up to capture the 2012 Run for the Roses with I'll Have Another, then came back to score once again in 2016 with Nyquist.
RENEGADE - The Kentucky Derby morning line favorite - Robert and Lawana Low and Repole Stable's Renegade - went to the racetrack at Churchill Wednesday morning with exercise rider Nora McCormack on his back during he special 7:15 to 7:30 training period for Derby and Oaks horses.
McCormack took the son of Into Mischief through a solid gallop of approximately a mile and a quarter on the wet track as trainer Todd Pletcher looked on through binoculars in the 5 1/2 furlong gap on the Churchill backside.
Pletcher had Renegade work a half mile in company in :50.94 for his final major Derby move on Thurday, April 23 at Palm Beach Downs in Delray Beach, Florida. The next morning the colt shipped to Churchill Downs via van and arrived early Saturday, April 25.
This isn't the first time the Hall of Fame conditioner has prepped horses for the Kentucky Derby away from Churchill. On six occasions the trainer's other horses who have turned in final preps in other locations:
2007 - Four horses drilled at Keeneland for subsequent Derby runs: Circular Quey, Any Given Saturday, Scat Daddy and Cowtown Cat.
2008 - Two horses at Keeneland: Cowboy Cal and Momba.
2009 - One horse at Palm Meadows in Boynton Beach, Florida: Dunkirk.
2012 - Two horses at Palm Meadows: Gemologist and El Padrino.
2015 - One horse at Keeneland: Carpe Diem.
2019 - Two horses at Palm Beach Downs: Cutting Humor and Spinoff.
Saturday at Churchill Downs the trainer's latest "away" worker - Renegade - will come out of Post 1 with champion jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on his back in quest of the gold and glory of Kentucky Derby 152.
RIGHT TO PARTY - Chester Broman Sr.'s Right to Party galloped 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning for trainer Kenny McPeek.
Jockey Christopher Elliott was scheduled to be aboard, but his flight was delayed and he was due to arrive in Louisville later Wednesday morning.
SILENT TACTIC - John Oxley's Silent Tactic jogged for 10 minutes in the mile chute under Dass Garcia at 7:30.
However, later in the morning trainer Mark Casse turned in a scratch card on Silent Tactic to the racing office because of a bruised foot.
SIX SPEED - Brunetti Dugan Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Steve Adkisson and Swinbank Stables' Six Speed galloped about one mile Wednesday morning with exercise rider Declan Cannon aboard for trainer Bhupat Seemar before schooling in the Kentucky Derby starting gate.
The UAE Derby (GII) runner-up also has schooled multiple days in the paddock as preparations continue for Kentucky Derby 152.
SO HAPPY - Norman Stables and Saints or Sinners' So Happy got in some light training during the special session for Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m.
"He showed good energy," trainer Mark Glatt said. "I chose to keep him a little light today since we got some rain, but he seemed like himself."
THE PUMA - Florida Derby (GI) runner-up The Puma, owned by OGMA Investments, JR Ranch and High Step Racing, galloped about 1 1/2 miles Wednesday morning for trainer Gustavo Delgado.
WONDER DEAN (JPN) - Yoshinari Yamamoto's Wonder Dean (JPN) had a walk day Wednesday around Barn 17 following his final serious move Tuesday morning.
THE $5 MILLION KENTUCKY DERBY PRESENTED BY WOODFORD RESERVE (GI) - Here's the field for Kentucky Derby 152 in post position order (with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds): Renegade (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 4-1); Albus (Manny Franco, Riley Mott, 30-1); Intrepido (Hector Berrios, Jeff Mullins, 50-1); Litmus Test (Martin Garcia, Bob Baffert, 30-1); Right to Party (Chris Elliott, Kenny McPeek, 30-1); Commandment (Luis Saez, Brad Cox, 6-1); Danon Bourbon (Atsuya Nishimura, Manabu Ikezoe, 20-1); So Happy (Mike Smith, Mark Glatt, 15-1); The Puma (Javier Castellano, Gustavo Delgado, 10-1); Wonder Dean (JPN) (Ryusei Sakai, Daisuke Takayanagi, 30-1); Incredibolt (Jaime Torres, Riley Mott, 20-1); Chief Wallabee (Junior Alvarado, Bill Mott, 8-1); Silent Tactic (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse, 20-1); Potente (Juan Hernandez, Bob Baffert, 20-1); Emerging Market (Flavien Prat, Chad Brown, 15-1); Pavlovian (Edwin Maldonado, Doug O'Neill, 30-1); Six Speed (Brian Hernandez Jr., Bhupat Seemar, 50-1); Further Ado (John Velazquez, Brad Cox, 6-1); Golden Tempo (Jose Ortiz, Cherie DeVaux, 30-1); Fulleffort (Tyler Gaffalione, Brad Cox, 20-1); Great White (Alex Achard, John Ennis, 50-1). Also Eligibles: Ocelli (Joe Ramos, Whit Beckman, 50-1); Robusta (Emisael Jaramillo, Doug O'Neill, 50-1); Corona de Oro (Brian Hernandez Jr., Dallas Stewart, 50-1).
LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS UPDATE
ALWAYS A RUNNER - Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm's Always a Runner appeared to enjoy the moisture in the track Wednesday morning for trainer Chad Brown.
"She had high energy and her ears were pricked this morning," Brown said. "She is happy and healthy."
Always a Runner also schooled in the paddock Tuesday and, according to Brown, "handled it the right way."
BELLA BALLERINA - Godolphin's Bella Ballerina trained over the muddy-turned-sloppy Churchill Downs surface Wednesday morning with Erin Campbell aboard and trainer Brendan Walsh accompanying on the pony.
The Longines Kentucky Oaks contender also schooled in the paddock Tuesday during the third race.
BROOKLYN BLONDE/MEANING - Trainer Michael McCarthy had exercise rider Juanito Alverez steer the Gun Runner filly Meaning trackside at 5:30 a.m. for a solid gallop of a mile and a quarter as she takes another step closer to her date in Friday's Grade I Kentucky Oaks.
The bay lassie, who is owned by the partnership of Bridlewood Farm and Eclipse Thoroughbreds, is a winner of three of her four starts, the most recent being the Grade II Santa Anita Oaks on April 4. Come Kentucky Oaks Day, the 13th and final race on the card with a scheduled start time of 8:40 p.m., top California rider Juan Hernandez will be up on Meaning's back with a plan to break her out of Post 5 in the 14-horse field.
Stablemate Brooklyn Blonde had the services of Alverez as well for her Wednesday exercise, which also went for a mile and a quarter during the 7:15 to 7:30 special Derby/Oaks training period.
Come Friday, "Brooklyn," who races for the partnership of Sun-Kissed Stable and Bobby Flay, will head toward a start in Post 14 under west coast rider Kazushi Kimura.
COUNTING STARS/SEARCH PARTY - Trainer Mark Casse's two Kentucky Oaks hopefuls jogged for 15 minutes in the mile chute after coming on the track at 7:30.
Froylan Garcia was on West Point Thoroughbreds' Counting Stars and Elver Vargas partnered Tracy Farmer's Search Party.
There is a slight chance of showers Friday that could impact the Oaks which has an 8:40 p.m. post time. Neither filly has raced on an off track.
Does Casse have any concerns about his runners' ability to handle less than fast conditions?
"Nope."
DAZZLING DAME - Respect the Valleys, Medallion Racing and Madaket Stables' Dazzling Dame was on the track at 7:30 with Emma Wolfe aboard for trainer Brittany Russell.
Dazzling Dame jogged to the five-eighths pole and then back to the mile chute and schooling session at the starting gate before galloping a mile.
Russell, who is saddling her first Oaks runner, was asked what the best possible scenario would be for Dazzling Dame, who will exit post 7 under two-time Oaks-winning rider Luis Saez.
"I'd like to see her get away clean and get in a comfortable spot," Russell said. "She doesn't have to be on the lead and we are not going to be hellbent to get on the lead."
EXPLORA - The dark-hued daughter of Blame, who races for the western trio of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman out of the barn of trainer Bob Baffert, headed down to the racetrack Wednesday morning under exercise rider Humberto Gomez right at the end of the special training period for Derby and Oaks horses that runs from 7:15 to 7:30 each morning.
Gomez took his charge to stand in the starting gate, then gave her a good gallop of approximately a mile and a quarter on the moist Churchill Downs oval.
Explora, a winner of four of her seven starts (with second-place finishes in the other three), is already a millionaire ($1,053,000) as she heads toward her date in the nine-furlong, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks.
She'll break from Post 1 Friday with riding star Flavien Prat in the irons.
LOVELY GREY - Go Go Grey Stable's Lovely Grey was one of the first horses on the track Wednesday morning and trained over the muddy surface at Churchill Downs.
Owner Dave Portnoy also posted Tuesday on X that she was the No. 2 globally trending topic.
MY MISS MO - Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. has scratched My Miss Mo out of Friday's Longines Kentucky Oaks putting Nycon into the race.
PASHMINA - Red White and Blue Racing's Pashmina was on the track at 7:30 where she jogged a mile under Jesse Sauter and then stood in the starting gate in the mile chute.
Trained by Rob Atras, Pashmina will exit post 12 in the Oaks under Ramon Vazquez who was aboard the Constitution filly for the first time in the Gazelle (GIII) in which she ran second.
"Rob has ridden him a lot of times," said Brittany Atras, assistant to her husband. "He is strong and smart and he knows he is going to get a smart ride out of him."
PERCY'S BAR - Hat Creek Racing's Percy's Bar was on the track at 7:30 with Rene Morales in the saddle for trainer Ben Colebrook.
Percy's Bar galloped and then schooled at the starting gate under Morales, who has been the filly's morning partner for her career. Percy's Bar was scheduled to school in the paddock with horses in Wednesday afternoon's sixth race.
Colebrook plans to jog Percy's Bar in the morning and "I may do something Friday morning because it is a long day and the race is so late (8:40)."
Colebrook maintains a barn at Keeneland and has been going back and forth to Lexington this week.
"I am going to spend the night here tonight and then go back to Lexington and train my horses at Keeneland Friday morning," Colebrook said.
Is it worth the hassle of the daily commutes?
"For sure," Colebrook said.
PROM QUEEN - Gary and Mary West's Prom Queen galloped late Wednesday morning for trainer Brad Cox.
"She's training really well and doing everything the right way," Cox said. "She handled the paddock schooling well and seems very comfortable with everything we've asked of her."
ZANY - Repole Stable's Zany, a daughter of Triple Crown champ American Pharoah, continued on the road to Kentucky Oaks 152 this Friday with a solid gallop Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs at 7:30 a.m.
The chestnut miss, who has been hung the 4-1 favorite for the Run for the Lillies, was handled by exercise rider Wilmer Hernandez for her morning exercise.
Come Oaks Day, trainer Todd Pletcher will give rider Irad Ortiz Jr. a leg up on Zany and send them trackside to begin their nine-furlong run from Post 2.
The $5 MILLION LONGINES KENTUCKY OAKS - Here's the field for the $1.5 million Longines Kentucky Oaks (GI) in post position order, with jockey, trainer and morning-line odds: Explora (Flavien Prat, Bob Baffert, 6-1); Zany (Irad Ortiz Jr., Todd Pletcher, 4-1); Search Party (Cristian Torres, Mark Casse, 30-1); Counting Stars (Francisco Arrieta, Mark Casse, 8-1); Meaning (Juan Hernandez, Michael McCarthy, 5-1); My Miss Mo (Micah Husbands, Saffie Joseph Jr., 20-1); Dazzling Dame (Luis Saez, Brittany Russell, 30-1); Bottle of Rouge (Mike Smith, Bob Baffert, 20-1); Always a Runner (Jose Ortiz, Chad Brown, 10-1); Prom Queen (Javier Castellano, Brad Cox, 8-1); Percy's Bar (Luan Machado, Ben Colebrook, 6-1); Bella Ballerina (Tyler Gaffalione, Brendan Walsh, 10-1); Pashmina (Ramon Vazquez, Rob Atras, 30-1); Brooklyn Blonde (Kazushi Kimura, Michael McCarthy, 30-1); Lovely Grey (Dylan Davis, 30-1). Also Eligibles: Nycon (Jaime Torres, 50-1); Resist (Brian Hernandez Jr., 50-1).
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