Jockey Edgar Prado, who rode Lael Stable’s legendary
Barbaro to victory in the 2006 Kentucky Derby and was named North
America’s Eclipse Award-winning jockey that season, flew up from
South Florida to New Orleans Sunday night to
work Courtland Farm’s Machen for trainer Neil Howard Monday
morning in advance of Saturday’s $1 million Louisiana
Derby.
The Peruvian-born Prado, of course, will be returning to
Fair Grounds on Saturday morning to ride Machen in the 98th Louisiana Derby,
always the centerpiece race of the local season and an event which will become
the richest race ever run in New
Orleans with Saturday’s
renewal. Machen is the 7-2 second choice in the morning line for this weekend’s
Grade II Louisiana Derby.
“He’s a very nice horse,” said Prado, who was aboard Machen
for the first time in Monday’s half-mile move that was clocked in :48. “He’s a
very athletic horse and he galloped out real nice for me (five furlongs in
1:02.20). It’s always good to get on a horse before you ride him in a race to
learn any little thing you can about the horse, like if he tries to
duck in or get out on you, but I had no problems with this horse.
“It’s always nice to come to New Orleans
to ride in the Louisiana Derby because it’s the biggest race there is down
here,” Prado said. “It’s been especially nice for me, because I was lucky to
win it with (Edmund Gann’s) Peace Rules in 2003. I’d love to win it
again for Neil and Mr. (Courtlandt owner Donald) Adam. I rode
(Courtlandt’s) Adriano for Mr. Adam and won the (Grade II) Lane’s End
at Turfway with that horse.”
WILKINSON WORKS FOR LOUISIANA
DERBY EARLIER
MONDAY MORNING
Trainer Neil Howard breezed Gaillardia Racing’s Wilkinson
a half-mile Monday morning shortly after the track opened for training in
advance of Saturday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby.
Wilkinson, who won the Grade III Lecomte Stakes here
Jan. 22 as the first leg of Fair Grounds’ three-race series for sophomores,
breezed the four furlongs in 48.20 and galloped out five in 1:01.20 with
exercise rider Dane Noel aboard while working in company with Dogwood
Stable’s Mine Train.
A son of 1999 Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid,
Wilkinson, who broke his maiden here on Dec. 10 in his last start as a
2-year-old, is the 8-1 fourth choice in the morning line for the Grade II
Louisiana Derby.
“I’m pleased with both of them and the way they are coming
up to the (Louisiana Derby),” said Howard later in the morning, speaking after
Wilkinson and Courtlandt Farm’s Machen also worked after the track’s
mid-morning renovation. “They both went nice and both worked about the same. We
didn’t want to ship them anywhere. It’s nice to be able to stay in your own
backyard and when they made this race a mile and an eighth last year they did
me a big favor.
“Machen is a nice, laid back kind of horse and nothing
seems to bother him,” said Howard, “but Wilkinson – I think he likes to
lay awake at night thinking, ‘What can I do tomorrow to mess things up for
myself?’
“You have to train these horses physically hard, but you
also have to train them mentally to be prepared to get knocked around in a
race,” Howard said, “so I’m glad Edgar Prado was able to be here to help
us with Machen this morning. Believe me when I say these horses know when they
have a jock on their back. Edgar seemed to be pleased, and I think Machen got a
lot out of his last race (a fourth-place finish in the Grade II Risen Star
Stakes here on Feb. 19). He hadn’t really been battle-tested until that
race, so I think he got the benefit of two or three races worth of experience
all wrapped up into one.”
Other Louisiana Derby candidates going a half-mile on the
work tab Monday morning at Fair Grounds included Gallant Stable’s Majestic
Harbor (50.80), Team Block’s Mavericking (48.60) and Thomas Amenta
and Tom Amenta II’s Liondrive (48.80).
Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence’s Populist
Politics, entered in the Louisiana Derby as well as Friday’s $75,000 Crescent City Derby,
went five furlongs in 1:00.20.