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The Kentucky HBPA again is producing select video interviews and b-roll of contenders on the run-up to the Kentucky Derby to help supplement horse-racing content for news outlets. These videos can be used for any media use, including in their entirety, soundbites, quotes for written content, and social media. Follow the Kentucky HBPA Youtube Channel and don’t miss any of our videos, which are produced by Kentucky HBPA communications’ Jennie Rees unless otherwise noted.
Today’s videos (Thursday April 23)
Cristian Torres: The 28-year-old jockey was in the Churchill Downs jocks’ room the past two years watching other guys ride the Kentucky Derby. Now he gets his chance with the Mark Casse-trained Silent Tactic, the Arkansas Derby runner-up. “I’ve been dreaming of this time since I was 10 or 11 years old,” said the Puerto Rico native. “Honestly, I still can’t believe I’m here right now.” Torres also will ride Search Party in the Kentucky Oaks for Casse.
Mark Casse: “What do you need to win the Derby? I haven’t figured that one out just yet?” So said trainer Mark Casse, who is hoping the answer is Arkansas Derby runner-up Silent Tactic. Casse chatted with the media after Silent Tactic worked a half-mile in 48 seconds, with his two Kentucky Oaks fillies (Search Party and Counting Stars) worked this morning (Thursday April 23) at Churchill Downs. Casse will be trying to give owner John Oxley a second Kentucky Derby to go with the John Ward-trained Monarchos in 2001. “Mr. Oxley is one of the reasons why you’re seeing us have such great success in the U.S.,” Casse said. “I was going along, quite happy being the leading trainer in Canada. My son Norman kind of pushed me to come back. To come back here, it takes some serious horse power, and Mr. Oxley provided that to us early on.”
B-roll of Silent Tactic and Casse’s Oaks contenders Counting Stars and Search Party: Mark Casse, a Hall of Famer in North America and Canada, started his morning early at Churchill Downs on Thursday April 23, sending out his Kentucky Oaks fillies Search Party and Counting Stars for workouts, followed by his Kentucky Derby contender Silent Tactic at the special 7:15-7:30 a.m. slot restricted to Kentucky Derby and Oaks horses. Video starts out with Tracy Farmer’s Search Party (second by 5 1/2 lengths behind victorious Counting Stars in Oaklawn Park’s G3 Fantasy in their last start). With jockey Cristian Torres aboard, Search Party worked a half-mile in 47 3/5 seconds after splits of 11 4/5, 23 1/5 and galloping out five-eighths of a mile in 1:00 2/5 and six furlongs in 1:13 4/5. That was followed by West Point Thoroughbreds’ Counting Stars, who went a half-mile in 48 3/5, with splits of 12 2/5, 24 3/5 and out five-eighths in 1:01 1/5 and six furlongs in 1:15. Silent Tactic, with Torres up, also work a half-mile, clocked in 48-flat with methodical splits of 12 and 24 and out in 1:01. Video that includes the stretch for all three works is courtesy Churchill Downs publicist Kevin Kerstein.
California-based (by way of the Pacific Northwest, hence his Seattle Seahawks gear) trainer Mark Glatt was at Churchill Downs Thursday morning to watch So Happy — his first Santa Anita Derby winner — train for the Kentucky Derby. “He was a horse that would lose a little bit of focus, maybe not pay attention,” Glatt said. “We kind of call it going through the motions in the morning. But we always saw a nice-strided horse that just did what he had to do. He didn’t ever wow you in the morning, prior to his first race.” So Happy now is 3 for 4.
Gustavo Delgado Jr., son of and assistant to The Puma’s trainer. The Florida Derby runner-up is in the same stall as the same team’s 2023 Kentucky Derby winner, Mage. Junior says the racing stable is now geared toward trying to win the Kentucky Derby after they did just that in 2023 with Mage. “Definitely. I think it’s a condition that we all want to have more… We’re all in sync, especially trying to get a horse to the Derby.” As with Mage, The Puma’s pursuit of the Kentucky Derby is a big story in the trainers’ and jockey Javier Castellano’s native Venezuela. “It would be good for us, for our country as well,” Junior said. “This being a year with challenges, the changes — and Venezuela winning the World Baseball Classic this year. That was good for the whole country and my people. If we could pull that off, that would be nice.”
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