Trainer Speak

[miff]

What a difference a race makes. From glowing statements all winter to this. Kiaran told anyone who would listen about this other worldly colt,Mohaymen. Now he hope this physically unimposing colt eats better and is given a jolt by the cooler weather. Guessing all who tapped out at 4-5 wished they knew this going into Sat\'s race.

Courier Journal:

Mohaymen to arrive early for Derby

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin doesn\'t like to make excuses, but Mohaymen appears to have two of them in regard to a Florida Derby performance that left him 8 1/2 lengths short of winner Nyquist in both horses\' final Kentucky Derby preps.

First, the Tapit colt never quite found position breaking from the No. 9 post in a field of 10. Trakus data shows Mohaymen ran 54 feet farther than his chief rival on his way to a fourth-place finish.
Second, the race was the first for McLaughlin\'s horse on a wet track, one rated \"good\" after rains doused Gulfstream Park\'s dirt earlier in the card.


The Lexington native reported Sunday that Mohaymen \"came out of the race in good shape\" and is on pace to ship to Churchill Downs in time to work out twice under the Twin Spires.

That\'s in contrast to how McLaughlin handled last year\'s fourth-place Derby finisher, Frosted, a late arrival to the Downs off his win in the Grade I Wood Memorial.
\"The reason we would do it is because of the weather,\" the trainer said. \"It\'s like a vitamin shot going into cooler weather after being down here for four months. Hopefully that would help Mohaymen in general – not necessarily with liking the track or anything but maybe stimulate his appetite. I always feel like he\'s a little light.\"
McLaughlin didn\'t have a firm date but said he will consult with owner Shadwell Stables\' general manger, Rick Nichols.
Jockey Junior Alvarado guided Mohaymen through a wide, but yet clear trip. The colt pulled alongside of Nyquist leaving the turn, but as the champion drilled outward, Mohaymen faded, allowing by runner-up Majesto and closing third Fellowship.

“This time he wasn’t pulling me,” Alvarado said.
McLaughlin said he won\'t order changes to Mohaymen\'s training plan in the run up to the Derby.
\"Most importantly, I\'d like to congratulate Nyquist,\" he said. \"It was a great buildup, and Nyquist had to run over the same sloppy track and in the heat and they won this race.
\"There was a big buildup, and they deserve a pat on the back and congratulations. Hopefully we can turn the tables on May 7.\"

[jbelfior]

Does anyone trust this guy in a big race with everyone watching? There are trainers I will not go near in the Derby. Pletcher, Kiaran, Asmussen to name a few.

Good Luck,
Joe B

[FrankD.]

Mike,

An old Italian saying;
Anyone who tapped out at 4/5 from post 9 going 2 turns at Gulf on a horse without enough speed to clear before the turn deserves to be broke!

Not that I\'m far behind after batting 100% on Saturday, every move I made was the wrong one as well as losing a place photo with Sandiva for a huge exacta and triple play and Wake Forest not getting up for a triple and pending pick 3 with Nyquist. Thank God for the Villanova Wildcats!!!!

[miff]

Joe B,

Mo ran too poorly,relative to his prior races,to not think:

1.The wet track took him completely out of his game, notwithstanding strong wet track pedigree.

2.He regressed off a big effort perhaps indicating a lack of resiliency or necessary physicality for a TC run.

3.He\'s over the top and cycling out.

4.He was trained way too short going in.


As far as trusting trainers, me thinks they are mostly like apples in a barrel, their reputation slaving off the ability of their stock.

[miff]

Frank,

Agree, stood with Nyquist for several reasons. Heads up, all else equal, believed Mohaymen was marginally faster going in, but dynamics looked bad. Bet Mo in his maiden win and noted he was scrubbed and hustled all the way... No gate quick in any race, figured he was likely to get parked wide for sure.

Onward looking west as Baffy magic appearing with Cupid and Mor Spirit,rather suddenly,training lights out......hmmmm!

Mike

[Silver Charm]

I\'m curious if the 2 works he mentions are it for the nest 5 weeks? If so then this one is a toss. People need to go back to the Charlie Whittingham school of how to get a horse ready to run the race of his life off his training.

He brought Sunday Silence to Louisville right out the Santa Anita Derby and promptly gave him 3 progressively longer and stout works at 4f, 5f, 7f. When he blew him out in the last at 4f in 46 and 4 I knew Easy Goer was in trouble. When Bob Baffert shipped in Silver Charm early and basically copied the pattern it was obvious he was ready. Carpe Diem was kid gloved last year and never ran again after the Derby.

[TGJB]

I\'m thinking people should look at whatever Chip Wooley did to get MTB to run the race of his life.

[FrankD.]

O\'Neill on Byk show this morning said 4 planned works for Nyquist all at Keeneland, 3 solo last one in company. Going to Churchill 5 or 6 days before the Derby to jog, gate, paddock school etc.


The conversation started about do the west coast trainers push their horses a bit more than their east coast counterparts. O\'Neill did not necessarily agree to that but did say So Cal weather was a big training advantage in that the never miss a day of training.

[miff]

Kiaran today:

Was never as high on any 3yr old he ever trained as MO going into Fl derby

MO never trained on wet track, there was water standing on GP surface during Fl Derby

On Sat Mo was not travelling anything like his two prior races

Putting a line thru the Fl Derby

[miff]

\"I\'m thinking people should look at whatever Chip Wooley did to get MTB to run the race of his life\"


Wolley was from the Rocky Graziano school of thought,he pondered the situation and it hit him!

[magicnight]

\"I\'m thinking people should look at whatever Chip Wooley did to get MTB to run the race of his life.\"

This does look a little like 2009, doesn\'t it? I remember that year had two fast horses in the preps (I Want Revenge and another I can\'t recall), but when they both failed to make the Derby it opened the door for one of the many slower ones to jump up 3 or 4 points and win it with a not-too-fast number. That what you are thinking?

[FrankD.]

Who is this mystery person?
My My the TC does bring them ALL back!

Hey Bob, I hope all is well and will this be the year the turf club is completed?
Richiebee is hoping to MC the grand opening.

[magicnight]

Hey, Frank. Figured I\'d squeeze my return in between Covello\'s and HP\'s.

Turf Club project starting to resemble the 2nd Avenue subway. Not much time these days. Had to shovel some damn snow today!!!

[TGJB]

Nah, I was just saying Saint Wittingham is not the only guy to get big efforts on the day. Baffert\'s done okay, too.

[Fairmount1]

Recent years of Kiaran trainer speak and quotes on Derby contenders with some similarities.  One common theme not completely set out here is that he continually likes the idea of two works prior to the Derby.


1/21/11, GP, Soldat, Alw, 1st (off the turf), TG neg 1
2/2/11,  GP, Soldat, FOY, 1st, TG 1
4/3/11,  GP, Soldat, FlaDerby, 5th, TG 8
5/7/11,  CD, Soldat, KyDerby, 11th, TG 4

SOLDAT:  “I cut him back to only two works and slowed down his gallops to try to put a little weight on him, and I feel he’s put on a few pounds since the Florida Derby,” said McLaughlin. “I’m also glad we were able to keep him down here this late. The track has a great surface, and it certainly proved to be the right call considering the way the weather has been in Louisville.”

McLaughlin is also looking forward to getting Soldat, who washed out during the post parade before the Florida Derby, into the cooler climate at Churchill Downs.

“It was very hot at Gulfstream Park on Florida Derby day, but cool weather is like a vitamin shot for a horse and should especially be a big plus for us,” said McLaughlin. “He couldn’t be doing better and right now it’s more about the post position than anything else. Obviously he’ll be forwardly placed no matter what, but he could be first or fifth during the early stages of the race depending upon how we draw and how we break.”
_________________________________________

1/25/14, GP, Cairo Prince, Holy Bull, 1st, TG ?
3/29/14, GP, Cairo Prince, FlaDerby, 4th, TG ?
Cairo Prince--DNR in Ky Derby, Injured

CAIRO PRINCE:  \"There\'s no question he\'s the best one,\" McLaughlin said of Cairo Prince, who is owned by Harvey Clarke, Craig Robertson, Paul Braverman and Namcook Stable.

\"We haven\'t been in this position before, ever. The most important thing is he doesn\'t have to improve. He doesn\'t have to do anything but stay the way he is, and that\'s all we hope for is for him to stay healthy and happy.\"

\"Maybe it was the layoff. I\'ll take the responsibility that maybe he needed to run,\" McLaughlin said. \"He got caught wide. Wicked Strong   went to New York after the same thing and won the Wood (gr. I). But it doesn\'t really matter now.\"

Now able to concentrate on the Triple Crown, McLaughlin is happy with his original plan for Cairo Prince.

\"Now we have a chance to win the Kentucky Derby, not just run in it,\" McLaughlin said.
______________________________________________

1/24/15, GP, Frosted, Holy Bull, 2nd, TG 3
2/21/15, GP, Frosted, FOY, 4th, TG 4 bo
4/4/15, Aqu, Frosted, Wood, 1st, TG neg 2
5/2/15, CD, Frosted, KyDerby, 4th, TG neg 1

FROSTED:  Frosted looked like a romping winner at the top of the stretch in Gulfstream Park\'s Fountain of Youth in late February but braked suddenly late in the race and finished fourth. Kiaran McLaughlin, who watched the race by himself, was stunned -- and confused.

\"We don\'t have horses stop like that,\" Kiaran said. \"It was very disappointing. That\'s when we went to scratching our head.\"

\"We had to figure him out -- and he had to figure it out, too,\" Neal said. \"He was one of those horses who had the talent but he didn\'t know what to do with it. We didn\'t know how to get the most out of him.\"

_______________________________________

1/30/16, GP, Mohaymen, Holy Bull, 1st, TG ....(proprietary info)
2/27/16, GP, Mohaymen, FOY, 1st, TG.....(proprietary info but improved one point)
4/2/16, GP, Mohaymen,FlaDerby, 4th, TG ?


MOHAYMEN: \"He came out of the race in good shape. He\'s happy,\" McLaughlin said of the colt, as he overlooked Mohaymen\'s stall just outside his barn office at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream\'s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.
           
\"He\'s never been beat and we thought he was invincible going in so, yeah, we\'re a little down about the result and thought he could overcome everything,\" McLaughlin said. \"But, we\'re moving forward. We\'re happy that he\'s happy this morning and we can move forward to the Kentucky Derby (gr. I).\"

\"We probably will go to Churchill and be there for two works. He\'s fit and doesn\'t need a lot of works. He needs to put on a few pounds, so hopefully we can do that up there with the cooler weather. This track is great and we love it here. It was weird how hot it\'s been and muggy the last few days, but we\'ll go that way and train for the Derby.\"