Trainer Steve Asmussen worked both Pyro and Z Humor early this morning, as they breezed four furlongs 49.8 and 50 seconds respectively. The horses did not work in company, although the rumor that they might floated around the backstretch and press box yesterday.
"The track was in excellent shape this morning, and they seemed to come out of it in good shape," Asmussen said to a a large group of media that gathered around his barn at 8 a.m.
"I feel good about how they're both doing physically, that being said we know how much fortune will have to go our way for either one of them to have success," he said.
"Both horses are a different personality, Z Fortune is a very laid back horse I think he went over the track well and went through the stretch nicely. Pyro is a much keener individual and a lot more playful when he went on the racetrack and everything, he went over the track well," he said.
He said after Pyro's first timed workout over the Churchill surface he is looking for the horse to be comfortable and have a good state of mind.
Pyro worked four furlongs in :49 4/5, with fractions of :13 1/5, :25 3/5, and a five furlong gallop out in 1:03 2/5.
Asmussen said the fact that no Derby winner has coming out of a bad race in the in a final prep is something that speaks for itself. Pyro is coming out of a up-the-track performance in the Blue Grass Stakes over Keeneland's Polytrack and Asmussen said the surface is a clear reason the horse didn't perform well.
"I'm not looking to run him on a synthetic track again," Asmussen said.
Z Fortune also worked in 51 with split times of 13 3/5, 26 1/5 and 38 4/5. There was no gallop out timed..
"I'm very pleased with (Z Fortune)," he said. "My concern with him, as we've stated all along, is how hard he ran in the Arkansas Derby from the wide draw, coming off his lifetime best race, we wanted to put a little bit back in him, and have him at his best for the Derby, not for the week, not for the work, for the Derby."
Overall he said his goal is the same for both horses: focus.
"You want their focus to be were it needs to be, " he said. "You want them to be confident enough and relaxed enough to get the job done. It's not going to surprise them, they know the lights are on, and they're race horses and it's their time. Our goal with both of them is to run their lifetime best race when it matters most. This is it."
Trainer Steve Asmussen speaks to the
media Monday after Z Fortune and Pyro .
2 comments:
Who were you most impressed with this morning?
yes, I'm interested to know too.
plus I read this as meaning no BC for Pyro: "I'm not looking to run him on a synthetic track again".
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