Filly’s Derby Status Still Up in Air

The decision about Excellent Meeting running in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby has been put off until 8 a.m. today, trainer Bob Baffert said Thursday.

“We have to make up our minds, because if she’s going in the Derby, we would train her accordingly [this morning],” Baffert said.

The other option for Baffert and Excellent Meeting’s owners, John and Betty Mabee, is to run her today in the Kentucky Oaks, the filly version of the Derby. Baffert would like to run her in the Derby and the Mabees, who already have their gelding, General Challenge, in the Derby, seem to prefer the Oaks for Excellent Meeting. Baffert is running Silverbulletday in the Oaks and has another horse, Prime Timber, entered for the Derby.

“Excellent Meeting has been training well here,” Baffert said. “She didn’t train that well last year here, when she was second to Silverbulletday [in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies]. Excellent Meeting would have a really good chance if she ran in the Derby. She would only carry 121 pounds, five less than the colts.”

If Excellent Meeting scratches out of the Derby, the Mabees will forfeit their $15,000 entry fee.

Three days of rain were followed by sunshine at Churchill Downs on Thursday. Temperatures in the 60s and 70s are forecast for today and Saturday, with no rain expected.

At Churchill Downs on Thursday, the Dubai-based Derby horses had their final workouts on a drying-out track. Both colts went five furlongs, with Worldly Manner clocked in 1:02 and Aljabr in 1:02 3/5.