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Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) winner Brody’s Cause signaled his readiness for the May 7th Kentucky Derby when he breezed five furlongs in a quick 1:00.20 seconds on April 30th at Churchill Downs.
Trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Tammy Fox, the two-time grade I winner posted fast fractions of :11.60, :23.40, :35.40, and :47.40 while under light urging throughout. He switched back to his left lead just before crossing the finish line, but galloped out well while staying close to the rail, getting six furlongs in 1:13.40 and seven furlongs in 1:28.20.
Video courtesy of Churchill Downs
“I think Brody’s Cause worked great,” trainer Dale Romans was quoted as saying in a Churchill Downs press release. “He came back great and looked like he had never done anything. It’s a great sign, he’s ready. All the heavy lifting is over. We just have to keep him happy and fresh until next weekend. This is what we were looking for this morning. He galloped out nice and relaxed and went fast even though he was relaxed and came back like he had never done anything.
“I’ve had a lot of good horses going into the Derby and they proved to be good horses even after the Derby, but no one has come into the race that really didn’t have any question marks,” Romans added. “We know that he likes the racetrack, we know he can get the distance, we know he’s been in big fields and we know he’s fit and doing well. If you went down your list of concerns, you can check every one of them off because they are not concerns.”
However, this also means that Romans is feeling a bit more pre-Derby pressure than usual.
“I’m a little more stressed,” Romans said. “The others weren’t as highly regarded, the others had something to be concerned about, this one doesn’t have any in my opinion, and that makes me more stressed because it doesn’t give me any excuse.”
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