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Topped by an early-morning appearance from unbeaten juvenile champion Essential Quality five horses breezed April 24 at Churchill Downs toward the May 1 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve.
Working outside workmate Godolphin's homebred Essential Quality covered five furlongs in galloping out six furlongs in while working soon after the track opened in the pre-dawn hours. Also working during that period in the morning was stablemate and fellow Brad Cox trainee Mandaloun who breezed in company with Joe Frazier and went five furlongs in 1:00 under Florent Geroux before an additional furlong gallop-out in a sparkling The latter races for owner/breeder Juddmonte Farms.
Other workers Saturday at Churchill Downs included the Steve Asmussen-trained Super Stock who went five furlongs in in company with older horse and graded stakes winner Max Player the Chad Brown-trained Highly Motivated hard held in finishing five-eighths in with workmate Southern District and the Kenny McPeek-trained King Fury who worked on his own over the same distance in galloping out in without encouragement from jockey Brian Hernandez Jr.
All five horses worked over a fast track in advance of rain that rolled into the Louisville, Ky., area later on Saturday.
Essential Quality's final pre-Derby work in which he began alongside Spa City's flank, finished on near-even terms at the finish, and then was eased back after not catching the workmate on the gallop out—drew mild critique from some observers.