Blazing Sevens in a morning at Keeneland before the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. (Coady Photography)
• Blazing Sevens Works Half-Mile In :48.60
• Kentucky Oaks Hopeful Affirmative Lady Breezes 5 Furlongs In 1:01
Keeneland Barn Notes
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Rodeo Creek Racing’s Blazing Sevens, third in the Toyota Blue Grass (G1) on April 8 in his most recent start, worked a half-mile on his own in :48.60 over a fast track Friday morning.
Regular exercise rider Peter Roman was aboard the Chad Brown trainee, who raced in blinkers for the first time in the Toyota Blue Grass and wore them for today’s breeze at 7:40 a.m. following the first track maintenance period.
Assistants Baldo Hernandez and Josh Flores wore matching smiles after the work by Blazing Sevens, who is scheduled to go to Churchill Downs Monday for a possible start in the Kentucky Derby (G1) Presented by Woodford Reserve.
“He breezed very well and we’re very happy with it,” Flores said. “That’s what you want to see from the first breeze back (after a race).”
Working at the same time as Blazing Sevens for Brown was First Row Partners and Team Hanley’s champion female sprinter Goodnight Olive.
Winner of the Madison (G1) here on April 8 in her 2023 debut, Goodnight Olive breezed a half-mile in :48.80 and is scheduled to ship to Churchill next week for a possible start in the $750,000 Derby City Distaff (G1) Presented by Kendall-Jackson Winery to be run May 6.
Kentucky Oaks Hopeful Affirmative Lady Breezes 5 Furlongs In 1:01
AMO Racing USA’s Affirmative Lady, winner of the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2) presented by FanDuel TV on April 1, returned to the work tab Friday morning by breezing 5 furlongs in 1:01 under regular exercise rider Kevin Lundie after the first morning track maintenance period.
Trained by Graham Motion, Affirmative Lady is being pointed to the $1.25 million Kentucky Oaks (G1) to be run May 5 at Churchill Downs.
“Kevin was very happy with her this morning,” Motion’s longtime assistant Alice Clapham said. “It was what we wanted.”
Affirmative Lady, a winner of her past two starts since donning blinkers, wore blinkers for the work this morning.
“When she works on her own, she has the blinkers,” Clapham said.
Motion is scheduled to arrive at Keeneland on Wednesday. Affirmative Lady is scheduled to have one more work prior to the Oaks, which could come here or at Churchill, according to Clapham.
