Morton Fink’s Wise Dan made his first appearance Thursday morning on the
Santa Anita turf course since winning last year’s Mile in course-record time.
With regular exercise rider Damien Rock up, Wise Dan jogged around to the
finish line on the main track accompanied by a pony and then stood on the grass
course for several minutes as photographers snapped away.
“He’ll stand there as long he wants and he will let Damien know when it is
time to go,” trainer Charles LoPresti said.
Keeping well out from the middle of the course, Wise Dan galloped almost 1
1/8 miles.
“I kept him out wide and when he realized he wasn’t working, he relaxed a
little bit,” Rock said. “I was delighted with this morning. He is every bit as
good as he was last year.”
LoPresti also was pleased.
“Somebody had a watch on him and got him going the last quarter in :30, so he
two-minute licked in the lane well out in the middle of the track,” LoPresti
said. “He will school in the paddock with the first race this (Thursday)
afternoon and then jog on the dirt in the morning.”
LoPresti, who has 30 horses in his stable at Keeneland, is savoring the run
with Wise Dan that has produced more than $5 million in earnings and 18
victories in 26 starts.
“The run has been very, very good,” LoPresti said. “He is just amazing to
watch when he trains, when he runs. I see no difference from last year. I am not
getting off his bandwagon. He is the horse of a lifetime.”
In other Mile news, British champion jockey Richard Hughes was on board
Olympic Glory in his morning exercise as the three-year-old son of Choisir
cantered on the turf. The Queen Elizabeth II winner went well under Hughes and
the jockey reported that he was very happy with the horse.
“He went really well this morning and flew round the bend,” Hughes said of
the colt, whose turning proficiency had been under question. “He seemed to
handle the track and I am pleased at where we are. He has had a light campaign
this year and is a pretty hardy horse. But, you always need a bit of luck on
your side when coming here.”
Richard Hannon Jr., the trainer’s son and assistant, was also pleased with
Olympic Glory.
“He traveled over really well and is in great shape,” Hannon said. “He moved
really well out on the track today and I am very pleased with him.”
Presumptive Mile pacesetter Obviously galloped on Santa
Anita’s training track Thursday morning just after 7 a.m. (PDT).
Trainer Mike Mitchell has discovered that his speedster — who is less than
$30,000 shy of becoming a millionaire — settles nicely for training on the
inner course and has exercise rider Sherri Alexander give him long, steady
gallops there to prepare him for grass races.
“If they can catch us, then good for them,” Mitchell says. “IF they can catch
us.”
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