Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Fierceness breezes for Derby
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. – It was back to work on Friday for Florida Derby winner and potential Kentucky Derby favorite Fierceness, who breezed an easy halfmile in 50.17 seconds in company with his Grade 2-winning stablemate Agate Road just after dawn at Palm Beach Downs.
Despite the fact the work was strictly maintenance by design, the importance of the drill in the overall scheme of things was not lost on trainer Todd Pletcher or Fierceness’ regular rider, John Velazquez, who flew in overnight from Keeneland to put the reigning 2-year-old champion male through his paces Friday.
“We thought about it, bringing Johnny all the way back here for this work, and just felt like we wanted to cover all the bases,” Pletcher explained.
Working over a track Pletcher felt was playing a second to a second and a half slower than normal due to dry and windy conditions this past week, Fierceness completed his opening quarter in 25.59 before finishing up strong while well within himself before galloping out slightly best of Agate Road in 1:03.32.
“We did exactly what we normally do for the first work back, an easy half-mile,” Pletcher said. “He was moving great, I couldn’t be happier with him. We’ll come back with a more solid work here next week and then polish it off with another maintenance move in his final work before the Derby.”
Just where that final work will take place is up in the air.
“He has to be there [at Churchill Downs] by 11 a.m. the Saturday before the Derby,” Pletcher said. “And there’s a good chance he’ll have his final breeze at Churchill Downs, although we’ll be leaving that window open, monitor the weather, and get ready to call an audible if need be.”
Velazquez said he was very pleased with Fierceness on Friday while confirming he plans to return to South Florida for the next work as well despite the difficult logistics involved in flying back to Keeneland in time to fulfill his riding engagements later that afternoon.
“He did it nicely, the track was a little slower than normal, but he did it so easily the way he got around there, which is exactly what we were looking for,” Velazquez said before hustling off to the airport minutes after the work to begin his arduous journey back to Kentucky.
Fiercesness and Agate Road, who is penciled in for the Grade 2 American Turf on Derby Day, were just two of more than a handful of Pletcher’s top 3-year-olds to work at Palm Beach Downs on Friday. They were followed a short while later by the team of sensational maiden winner Mindframe and Antiquarian, who finished sixth after breaking through the gate prior to the start of the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby in his last start. The pair completed a half-mile in 49.45 over the cuppy surface before galloping out with excellent energy, easing up after five-eighths in 1:02.10.
“I thought both horses looked very good,” said Pletcher who added that Mindframe remains a possibility for the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard while Antiquarian is likely headed for the Grade 3 Peter Pan on May 11 at Aqueduct.
Ralph Nicks retiring
Trainer Ralph Nicks will bring down the curtain on his 20-year training career following the conclusion of Sunday’s program at Gulfstream Park.
Nicks, 57, has saddled 722 winners, the most notable being Eclipse Award winner Caledonia Road, winner of the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. He also won the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs four years earlier with Aubby K.
Nicks learned the ropes from his father, trainer Morris Nicks, before eventually becoming an assistant for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, during which time he was the regular exercise rider for two-time Horse of the Year Cigar. Nicks began his training career in 2004 while campaigning in Kentucky and New York before settling in South Florida on a regular basis 10 year ago.
“It’s time, I’ve been here a long time. It’s just the way the business is going, with clients passing away,” said Nicks when asked why he made the decision to retire at this point in his life. “I’ve had a lot of years invested. I want to get away and do some things before I get too old and can’t.
“I’ve had a pretty good career. I’ve trained a champion and nine Florida Sire Stakes winners. I’ve had a good run, and maybe it’s time for a new chapter.”
Nicks, who said he’s planning on doing some traveling around the United States, did not rule out the possibility of returning to the racing business again some time down the road.
“I might want to get into some consulting, buying yearlings and things like that at some point,” Nicks said. “But for now, I’m going to clear the head and enjoy life a little bit.”
Noble Drama not done yet
At the age of 9, Noble Drama has seen better days, although the old pro is not ready to throw in the towel just yet.
Coming off his best effort in more than a year from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint, Noble Drama figures to be one of the major players in Sunday’s eighth race at Gulfstream Park, a $61,000 allowance/ optional-claiming event going a mile on the main track. The race is the afternoon’s co-feature along with a similarly conditioned six-furlong dash for 3-year-old fillies that lured a field of eight, including the very impressive debut maiden winner Candy Gray, who will make her first start of 2024.
Noble Drama, a 10-time multiple stakes winner of more than $864,000, rallied to finish a well-beaten second behind the very promising Arthur’s Ride under similar conditions March 16 for which he earned an 87 Beyer Figure. A repeat of that effort could put him back in the winner’s circle Sunday for the first time since November 2022.
Noble Drama will have to beat a couple of young rivals on the upswing, 4-year-olds Cacciatore and Bank Frenzy, the former having paired up 88 Beyers winning his last two starts by a combined margin of 13 3/4 lengths. Bank Frenzy will be returning to the races for the first time since dominating New York-breds by five lengths going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct last September.