Commandment Works for Belmont; Further Ado to Matt Winn

Two leading 3-year-olds trained by Brad Cox, Florida Derby (G1) winner Commandment and Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Further Ado, breezed separately May 22 at Churchill Downs. Their planned racing itineraries will keep them separated for the next races, as well. The two Kentucky Derby (G1) participants—Wathnan Racing's Commandment ran seventh in the May 2 race at Churchill Downs, ahead of Spendthrift Farm's Further Ado in 11th—are respectively pointed to the $2 million Belmont Stakes (G1) June 6 at Saratoga Race Course and the $500,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) the following day at Churchill. The Belmont Stakes, taking place this year for the third consecutive time at Saratoga during Belmont Park's reconstruction, is at 1 1/4 miles. The Matt Winn is shorter at 1 1/16 miles, a distance over which Further Ado won the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs last fall. Commandment was steady paced after a slow start and a wide trip under Luis Saez in finishing 5 1/4 lengths behind victorious Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby, while Further Ado weakened to lose by 7 3/4 lengths after threatening on the second turn under John Velazquez. Cox said he hopes to use the Matt Winn to propel Further Ado into the 1 1/8-mile Haskell Stakes (G1) July 18 at Monmouth Park. "He reminds me a little bit of Cyberknife," Cox said of the Gun Runner colt he trained to win the 2022 Matt Winn and Haskell after an 18th-place finish in the Derby. Further Ado, the beaten favorite in the Kentucky Derby, is also by the standout Three Chimneys Farm stallion and Hall of Fame racehorse. Quick-working Further Ado was clocked covering 5 furlongs by himself Friday on a fast track at Churchill Downs in a bullet :59 3/5. Commandment, who took the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) and Mucho Macho Man Stakes earlier in the year before winning the Florida Derby, covered the same distance in 1:00 4/5 while in company with 5-year-old Dragoon Guard, a grade 3 winner in 2024. "He kind of got away from (Dragoon Guard) a little bit on the gallop out, so that was encouraging for him," Cox said of the Into Mischief colt, who is not known for extending himself beyond what is required during workouts. Cox said he chose to move up their breezes by a day because of a wet weather forecast. As rain fell throughout Friday, the Churchill Downs surface became sloppy for afternoon racing. Irad Ortiz Jr. will have the mount aboard Further Ado in the Matt Winn, while the Belmont Stakes mount on Commandment "looks like it's gonna be Johnny Velazquez," Cox said. Golden Tempo and Commandment are among a cast of about a half dozen Kentucky Derby participants who could return in the Belmont Stakes. This group skipped the May 16 Preakness Stakes (G1), the second leg of the Triple Crown. Another Derby runner, Speedway Stables' Potente, also worked Friday at Churchill, breezing a maintenance half-mile in :50 1/5 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, who has kept a division at Churchill Downs this spring under the oversight of assistant trainer Dan Ward. The San Felipe Stakes (G2) winner and Santa Anita Derby (G1) runner-up tired to 12th in the Kentucky Derby, beaten 8 1/4 lengths. The Cherie DeVaux-trained Golden Tempo, who last breezed May 15, did not work Friday at his Keeneland base, where the track was sloppy Friday morning. Rain is forecast to persist across much of the Bluegrass State through the morning of May 23.