Kentucky Derby Contender Adriano Has Five-Furlong Work

[I Heart Gambling Online]

Exercise rider Xavier Aizpura was aboard Adriano as he tuned up at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby on May 3rd. Adriano worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5, running factions of :12 1/5,:24 2/5 and :36 3/5.

Adriano is trained by Graham Motion and when asked about his times Motion said, "I didn't clock him because I couldn't see a darn thing, but they told me he went a minute and change. I did catch him in the last quarter in: 24 or maybe a little bit better which I'm very pleased with. I wanted to see him finish up like that."

This is Adriano's third workout on Churchill Downs main track, in two previous workouts he ran five furlongs in 1:01 4/4 and went a half mile in: 50. He has not started since his win on the Polytrack surface at Turfway Park in the Lanes's End Stakes (gr. II) on March 22nd. In his only start on a dirt surface, he finished 9th out a field of 12 in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II) on February 24th.

"He's trained on dirt all winter," Motion said. "He did a lot of his works on the grass at Palm Meadows, which is what I do with my horses there anyway, but he breezed over the dirt during the winter. Aizpuru has been riding him all winter so I was glad he was able to work him today and compare his work on other surfaces and he said he felt like he handled today as good as, or maybe better, than he's handled the surfaces all winter."

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