Photo: Churchill Downs
Decisive
Moment, the runner-up to Animal Kingdom in Saturday’s Grade III, $500,000
Vinery Racing Spiral at Turfway Park, was the first Kentucky Derby 137 contender
to arrive at Churchill Downs when his van pulled through stable gate Monday
morning – 40 days in advance of the $2 million Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum!
Brands.
Decisive
Moment made the 93-mile trek from Turfway
Park in Florence, Ky.
by van and was accompanied by his groom. They arrived at 8:30 a.m. and were
bedded down in Barn 41, Stall 12. Florida-based trainer Juan Arias was expected
to arrive in Louisville
later this week to check on his stable star.
Owned by
Ruben Sierra’s Just for Fun Stable, Decisive Moment (8-2-2-3—$527,330) has
banked $301,000 in graded stakes money through runner-up efforts in last
November’s Delta Jackpot and Saturday’s Vinery Racing Spiral. He also was fifth
in the Grade II Risen Star in February. Those earnings should firmly place the
Florida-bred son of With Distinction in the Derby field on Saturday, May, 7.
His
3-year-old campaign was successfully launched at Delta Downs in January with a
3 ½-length triumph in the $250,000 Jean Lafitte over one mile.
Eight
Kentucky Derby winners have hailed from Barn 41 since 1976: Bold Forbes (1976),
Affirmed (1978), Gato Del Sol (1982), Sunny's Halo (1983), Swale (1984),
Ferdinand (1986), Sunday Silence (1989) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000).
The
Churchill Downs barn area reopened Friday, March 11. There are approximately
250 horses on the grounds, and the population will grow in coming weeks as
horses from winter meets in Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida and
elsewhere migrate to Kentucky
for the spring. The stable area stall capacity is 1,424.