(Holly M. Smith caught this beautiful picture of the Kentucky Derby & Preakness Stakes winner Justify galloping before the Run for the Roses / Photo by Holly M. Smith)

Every day, we scour the work tabs at racetracks all over the country.  We are looking for workouts that may be of interest and helpful to you — as both race fans and handicappers.  Some of the horses we will be tracking, you will know.  Some of them, you may not know — as of yet.  We will keep a keen eye and stopwatch to see who may be working their best and ready for a key race.  Here is a look at today’s top works:

  1. Justify, the grand son of Scat Daddy who has captured the first two legs of this year’s Triple Crown and is now being expertly pointed to the final jewel in the Belmont Stakes by trainer Bob Baffert, worked brilliantly at Churchill Downs this morning. The big chestnut colt, who possesses an abundance of speed, flashed just a bit this morn when he went a half mile in :46.80, which was the bullet move out of 43 to go that distance under the majestic Twin Spires. This colt — who has already defied odds and history to become the first horse ever to win the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes without having made at least one start as a 2-year-old — appears to be knocking on the Triple Crown door with authority. Catch the Hall of Fame Trainer’s comments in our interview with Bob Baffert, caught by Holly M. Smith. Posted on the site.
  2. Crosswalk, who has carved out a record of two wins and three seconds in his first five career starts for trainer Neil Howard and owner W.S. Parish, tuned up for his next run with a 3-furlong move over the Churchill Downs main track this morning. He went the distance in :37.40, which was the fifth best time out of 11 to go the distance. Howard, one of the best people I have ever met in my life, told me last week that he was likely to enter the son of City Zip in the Woody Stephens Stakes on the undercard of the Belmont Day coming up in about two weeks.
  3. Ax Man, another brilliant 3YO in the barn of Bob Baffert, worked at Churchill Downs this morning, as well. The son of Misremembered, who is coming off an impressive run-away victory in the slop at Pimlico in the LARC Sir Barton Stakes, worked a half mile in :48.60, which was the 13th best time out of 43 to go that far this morning. This guy is brilliantly fast, and has 3 wins in four career starts. Like the grand Justify, he didn’t start racing until this year, too.
  4. Rayya, a 3YO filly trained by Team Baffert, worked a half mile at Churchill Downs this morning. She is entered in an allowance race at the Louisville track on Friday, and tuned-up with a brilliant blow out move of :47.60 for the half mile. That was the 6th best time out of 43. She didn’t like the slop in the Kentucky Oaks, and ran 13th out of 14 in the Grade 1 event. It was her first start in the United States after running a distant second against the colts and the majestic Mendelssohn in the UAE Derby. She will get significant class relief on Friday.
  5. Reride, once a Derby hopeful after winning the Mine That Bird Stakes at Sunland and before he ran a distant third behind Mendelssohn and Rayya in the UAE Derby, worked this morning at Churchill Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen. He covered the half mile in a leisurely :51.80, which was the 42nd best time out of the lot. It was his third published work since returning from Dubai. Look for him to crank it back up for some of the top summer races.
  6. Solomini, who was 10th in the sloppy Kentucky Derby after falling to the back of the pack in the early going, worked for Team Baffert this morning, as well. The son of Curlin, who had never been off the board in his first six starts before the Derby, is entered in an allowance race at Churchill Downs this Saturday night. He tuned up with a nice half mile breeze today, going easy in a time of :48 flat. That was the 10th best time. Look for the “old” Solomini — who was second to Good Magic in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile — to show up on Saturday night.
  7. Restoring Hope, who has been mentioned as another Baffert 3YO to start in the upcoming Belmont Stakes, worked an endurance move of 7 furlongs at Churchill Downs this morning in a time of 1:26 flat. That was the best and only time of the day at that distance. After hitting the board in each of his first four career starts — with a third in the G2 Wood Memorial immediately after he broke his maiden — Restoring Hope ran a non-competitive 12th in the G3 Pat Day Mile in the Derby Day slop. Obviously, he didn’t like that surface type, and is looking for a drier track the next time out. Will it be the Belmont? Listen in to Holly M. Smith’s interview with the HOF trainer this morning on our site.
  8. Storm Runner, a son of Get Stormy and 7th place finisher in both the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby for trainer Dale Romans, worked at Churchill Downs this morning. He went 5 furlongs in 1:02 flat. That was the 8th best time out of 11 to go that far. It was this colt’s first published workout since the Florida Derby. Look for several more works before this one cranks it back up.