Six Speed 'Ready to Go' After Final Maintenance Work

There are plenty of expectations surrounding Six Speed that he will be the first horse past the grandstand once the Kentucky Derby (G1) starting gate opens May 2, so many eyes were on him as he was one of the last horses to put in his final breeze over the Churchill Downs surface. In his first few mornings in Louisville, Ky., after arriving from England (and originally from Dubai), the Bhupat Seemar trainee appeared a tough horse to handle during his morning gallops. But during an April 27 breeze, he responded perfectly to everything jockey Declan Cannon asked of him while completing 4 furlongs in :48 4/5 and galloping out 5 furlongs in 1:01 3/5. After emerging from the quarantine area on the Churchill Downs backstretch, Six Speed trained alongside other Derby participants during the reserved training period for Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks (G1) participants from 7:15 -7:30 a.m. ET. Brian Hernandez Jr. will have the mount from post 17 Saturday, but Cannon has been acting as the Not This Time colt's regular exercise rider since his arrival last week. "It felt awesome, every day he's been a little better and he's settled into his surroundings here pretty good," Cannon said. "Very happy with his work this morning, very smooth. Just what I wanted. He didn't want to get aggressive with me and did it the right way. "That's what horses are supposed to be: full of life and on the engine. He's ready to go." Seemar was very pleased with the work, aiming for a maintenance move five days out from the race, given the UAE Derby (G2) runner-up had put in more serious work during his two weeks in Newmarket before flying across the ocean. "We didn't want to go too fast or too slow," Seemar said. "He's a fit horse; he just ran five weeks ago in the UAE Derby. This was just a maintenance work, that's exactly what we wanted." Seemar had his first Derby runner in 2022 with Summer Is Tomorrow, another pacesetter who set a Kentucky Derby record opening quarter-mile in :21.78 before yielding to finish last of 20 behind upsetter Rich Strike. Although Seemar expects Six Speed to be on the lead, he doesn't expect him to go that quickly. The Dubai-based trainer said that Six Speed is a much better traveler than Summer Is Tomorrow, and that the five-hour time difference between England and the United States may be a blessing in disguise rather than having to adjust to the eight-hour difference from Dubai in one shot. Six Speed kept that speed reined in with ease Monday, something both Cannon and Seemar attributed to him wearing a hood, which helps to drown out the noise and keeps the horse relaxed. "He is a horse who's a good-feeling horse, that's why he goes with a hood every morning just to cancel the noise a little bit and keep him relaxed," Seemar said. "If we wanted any faster, we would have taken the hood off. With the hood on, he's a bit more tractable." Six Speed was caught late by Wonder Dean (JPN) after setting the pace in the 1 3/16-mile UAE Derby. With a good trip, Seemar believes he will be able to see out the 1 1/4-mile distance of the Kentucky Derby. With the veteran Hernandez, winner of the 2024 Kentucky Derby on Mystik Dan, booked for the ride, one would think Six Speed will not run off the same way Summer Is Tomorrow did. Seemar said it was Jake Ballis of Black Type Thoroughbreds, who co-owns the colt with Brunetti Dugan Stables, Steve Adkisson, and Swinbank Stables, who recommended Hernandez to ride. "He's one of the top jockeys here in this country, and we're lucky to have him," Seemar said. "Everybody tells me he's got great hands. Every time I've seen him ride, he's one of those jockeys that doesn't make many mistakes. Derby-Winning Connections in The Puma's Corner Besides Six Speed, routine training was the order of the day for many Kentucky Derby entrants Monday. Most galloped, and others, such as Chief Wallabee, who breezed April 26, simply walked in their barns. With no workout planned for The Puma this week ahead of the Derby and with wet weather forecast for April 28, trainer Gustavo Delgado Sr. elected to allow The Puma to pick up his pace in the later stages of his Monday gallop. He races for many of the same connections as the 2023 Kentucky Derby winner, Mage. Delgado also has him bedded down in the same stall as he did Mage in Barn 42 on the Churchill Downs backstretch. OGMA Investments, JR Ranch, High Step Racing, TCC Stables, and Bruce Zoldan campaign The Puma, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and a nose runner-up to Commandment in the Florida Derby (G1). Javier Castellano, who rode Mage to victory for Delgado, rides The Puma. Michael and Jules Iavarone and Ira Rothblut's TCC Stables recently acquired an interest in The Puma, a son of Essential Quality, ahead of the Derby. The Iavarones prefer to purchase established racehorses. The Michael Iavarone-headed IEAH Stables notably bought an interest in Big Brown after the colt's debut win as a 2-year-old in 2007, and a year later, the colt won the 2008 Kentucky Derby (G1). Selling a portion of The Puma, "Takes some of the chips off the table," said assistant trainer and Delgado's son, Gustavo Delgado Jr. "More importantly, we have a good relationship with Mike. He's already jumped in on a couple of horses before with us, and he's always good and Jules, also." Japanese Continue Pursuit of Kentucky Derby Glory The two Japanese-based Derby contenders both galloped as their connections imagined what a Kentucky Derby crown would mean for Japan and its racing. Yoshinari Yamamoto's Wonder Dean enters after a win in the UAE Derby at 1 3/16 miles after a fourth in the 1-mile Saudi Derby (G3). "In my opinion, a mile is a bit short for him," said Yuto Kumagai, who is helping oversee the horse at Churchill Downs for trainer Daisuke Takayanagi. "... For sure, he can handle (a mile and a quarter), so it doesn't matter for him." Kumagai said Wonder Dean has recovered nicely from his most recent 6-furlong work April 24 at Churchill Downs. "Last Friday he had a breeze up, a quite strong breeze up, but after that he's not tired at all," Kumagai said. "So he's getting ready for the race." The recent success of Forever Young, including his close third-place finish in the 2024 Derby, "showed to America that a Japanese horse can do it," Kumagai said. If Wonder Dean became the first Japanese horse to win the Derby, Kumagai said he wouldn't be able to describe it. "If he won, it would be like changing history," he said. Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby invitee Danon Bourbon, as a Kentucky-born horse, has adjusted to his United States surroundings better than Satoshi Oshita, the assistant trainer for Manabu Ikezoe. "The hardest thing for him has been driving on the roads here because it's the opposite in Japan," translator Kate Hunter said. As an American-bred horse purchased at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Danox Co. Ltd.'s Danon Bourbon offers domestic and international appeal, Oshita said. "The success of Japanese horses over the past couple of years has given us more confidence in participating" in the Derby, Oshita said. "However, obviously, this horse is by Maxfield, and even though (Maxfield) didn't run in the Triple Crown, given the kind of buzz around him, we kind of feel like he's (Danon Bourbon) got a good opportunity to build from there and represent well, being from Kentucky." Danon Bourbon is scheduled for a "final tune-up" and visit to the starting gate Tuesday, Oshita said.