First Samurai drills half-mile in final Blue Grass prep

First Samurai worked a half-mile with Rafael Bejarano aboard Monday morning  (Michael J. Marten/Horsephotos.com)

Multiple Grade 1 winner FIRST SAMURAI (Giant’s Causeway) completed his final
workout on Monday in preparation for Saturday’s $750,000 Blue
Grass S. (G1) at Keeneland. The Bruce Lunsford and Lansdon Robbins III-owned chestnut
covered four furlongs in :48 1/5 under Rafael Bejarano on a fast track at
Churchill Downs.

The Frank Brothers trainee worked in company with a stablemate and broke
off behind his workmate at the half-mile pole, blowing past his partner in the
stretch and galloping out five furlongs in 1:00 4/5. First Samurai went the first quarter-mile in :24 4/5 before
running the final quarter in :23 2/5.
His move was the fourth quickest of 26 moves at the distance.

“The only reason I did that today is that I wanted to get him slowed down the
first part of it there,” said Brothers, who watched the workout aboard his pony,
on his working First Samurai in company. “He’s a good work horse, but I wanted
Rafael to see that he could sit behind a horse and to make sure that he was
slowed down. I told him to let him finish up down the lane. He’s a lot better
with another horse — especially if you don’t know him.

“I knew he went pretty good the last three-sixteenths and he galloped out
strong,” the trainer continued. “That was the most important thing.”

This was Bejarano’s first time in the saddle aboard First Samurai. On
Saturday, the 23-year-old rider booted home six winners at Santa Anita, becoming only the
12th jockey to accomplish the feat.

“He went really good — really, really good,” Bejarano said. “He was well in
hand. He was really comfortable, switched leads on the turn and felt really,
really relaxed. He worked very easy.”