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Lord Miles Breezes for Derby Start at Gulfstream
4/28/2023
G1 Wood Memorial Winner Ships to Churchill Saturday
HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – Vegso Racing Stable’s Lord Miles tuned up for a scheduled start in the May 6 Kentucky Derby (G1) Friday morning at Gulfstream Park, breezing five furlongs in 1:02.41.
The 3-year-old son of Curlin, who worked in company with stablemate Apocalypso, breezed for the second time since pulling off a 59-1 upset in the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct April 8, following up on a half-mile work in 47.05 last week. Exercise rider Andrew Thomas was aboard for the workout..
“We just wanted a steady five-eighths. We got what we wanted. He went well,” trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.
Lord Miles is scheduled to ship to Churchill Downs Saturday.
Lord Miles sits sixth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard based on qualifying points thanks to his victory in the Wood, in which he recovered quacking from bumping after the start to attain an outside stalking position before getting the better of favored Hit Show by a nose following a heated stretch run.
Paco Lopez, who was aboard for the Wood score, has the call for the Kentucky Derby.
“He’ll need to improve a lot to have a chance. Hopefully, he has a good week and runs the race of his life,” Joseph said.
Lord Miles debuted impressively in a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Nov. 19 and drawing away to a 5 ¾ victory. He came back to finish third in the one-turn mile Mucho Macho Man Jan. 1 with a late surge to miss second by a neck. The Kentucky-bred colt disappointed with a sixth-place finish in the Feb. 4 Holy Bull (G3) at 1 1/16 miles that was compromised by an awkward start. He encountered bumping at the start of the March 11 Tampa Bay Derby (G3) before finishing fifth.