Went The Day Well, a unique find for Team Valor’s Barry Irwin
Team Valor International, ownership group headed by Barry Irwin, who won the last year Kentucky Derby with, Animal Kingdom, have another surprise inclusion for the Derby, Went The Day Well, who more or less followed the same Derby trail as Animal Kingdom did last year, but the reporters have been critical of Irwin, on how he managed to unearth a New York bred in England who has all the tools required for the Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby on 5 May, 2012, at Churchill Downs.
And this is what the Team Valor International site had to say about all the commotion regarding Went The Day Well, which was self promoting and self important to the Irwin’s public image.
“Incredulous reporters want to know if it is luck or skill, and how Irwin landed upon a New York-bred in England that had the tools to make it into the Kentucky Derby . . . .“
Back in 2010 at Fair Hill training center in Maryland, Team Valor took out the whole barn and gave Graham Motion training rights, and since then he has saddled 30 winners out of 120 starters.
Motion is not only keeping the prep race identical to last year, he has arranged jockey John Velazquez for Went The Day Well as well, who rode Animal Kingdom to victory last year, but history shows that it will be doubly difficult for Team Valor to win it again back to back, and only Riva Ridge were the lucky connections who did it back in 1972 and 1973 with, Secretariat.
“The field is tougher this year, but I really think this horse is coming into the race better than Animal Kingdom,” Irwin said.
The 3-year-old Proud Citizen colt, Went The Day Well is lightly seasoned, but ever since he was introduced to racing, he has done nothing but impress.
Breaking his maiden at second asking on dirt at Gulfstream Park going 1 1/16 miles, and then stretching out to 9 furlongs, he downed the all important prep race called the Grade 3 Spiral Stakes which Animal Kingdom did too on the way to winning the Kentucky Derby.
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