Coady Photography
Kentucky Derby (gr. I) contender Brody’s Cause turned in his first workout since winning the Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) when he breezed five furlongs in 1:01.80 on April 23rd at Churchill Downs.
With exercise rider Tammy Fox in the saddle, Brody’s Cause worked solo and maintained a steady pace throughout while staying close to the rail. The colt posted fractions of :12.40, :24.60, :36.60, and :48.60 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:15.60.
“It’s just what we wanted,” trainer Dale Romans was quoted as saying in a Churchill Downs press release. “I know it sounds cliché, but you can’t hide these Derby horses, everybody’s watching them. We wanted to go with a nice easy work. It’s the first one back off of the race and he went around there perfect. Tammy [Fox] said he felt great.”
In 2015, Brody’s Cause broke his maiden at Churchill Downs before winning the Breeders’ Futurity (gr. I) and finishing third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I). His proven affinity for Churchill Downs could be valuable in the Kentucky Derby.
“It just takes one unknown out of the equation,” Romans said. “That’s important because this track is so different form a lot of others. Some horses don’t run well on this surface, so we know that’s not going to be a problem. We thought he was good from the time we got him.”
Since breaking his maiden, the only poor effort of Brody’s Cause’s career came in his 2016 debut, when he finished seventh in the Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II) behind fellow Derby contenders Destin and Outwork.
“I quit trying to figure that one out,” Romans said of the Tampa Bay Derby. “I just kept training him, stuck to the plan and ran in the Blue Grass and he did his job. Sometimes you’ll never figure it out. Everybody tries to look for reasons but I’ve found that it’s better to just come up with no reason than a false reason and try to change something.”
