I’ll Have Another advanced to jogging after light walking at Pimlico
The winner of the 138th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby, I’ll Have Another, graced the Pimlico race track for the first time after winning the Churchill Downs main event on 5 May, 2012.
Though, trainer Doug O’Neill is missing in action, mainly because he had to fly down to Santa Anita to tend to his stable there, assistant trainer Jack Sisterson is at Baltimore to make sure that the winner is fine and doing what he is supposed to do before
the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness Stakes on 19 May, 2012.
“His energy level is fantastic, something that we want to see his first time back on the track,” Sisterson said. “You wouldn’t want to see him with his head down going along there.”
The most important thing to decipher for the Sisterson and crew, was to recognise any signals of fatigue that I’ll Have Another gave out, but in the 3 days that he arrived at Pimlico, the Flower Alley colt has looked fantastic with great fitness levels.
This is exactly what everyone wants to see in a Kentucky Derby winner going for the kill in the second leg of the Triple Crown.
J. Paul Reddam’s I’ll Have Another was limited to walking, but yesterday under exercise rider, Johnny Garcia, right after the renovation break took the colt for a jog around the course along with a lead pony, and when he done, I’ll Have Another retired to
his barn for a bath to cool down and back in his stall.
Sisterson also pointed put the colt’s ability to adapt to whatever is thrown at him, as he said:
“It’s the way he takes it all in,” he said. “We shipped him into Kentucky and it was like he was stabled his whole life there. He came out of the race as if he never ran. He shipped great. He went out to the track fantastic this morning.
“If after he won the Santa Anita Derby we got a pen out and wrote down what we would like to see, he’s showing us that.”
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