AT THE POST

THURSDAY’S POST TIME 1:05 p.m. (No spectators allowed)

READY FOR OAKLAWN HANDICAP

Improbable completed major preparations for the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap for older horses at 11/8 miles on Saturday with a 5-furlong workout over a fast track Sunday morning at Oaklawn for trainer Bob Baffert. Later in the day, Improbable drew post 14 of 14 for the race, the second consecutive race where he’s drawn the far outside.

Improbable breezed after the first surface renovation break under Martin Garcia, covering the distance in

1:00.20. Clockers caught the flashy chestnut in :37 for his opening 3 furlongs and galloping out in 6 furlongs in

1:12.60 and 7 furlongs in 1:26.20.

Improbable is seeking his first career victory at Oaklawn after three runner-up finishes – first division of the $750,000 Rebel Stakes and $1 million Arkansas Derby last year, and the $150,000 Oaklawn Mile on April 11 in his 4-year-old debut. Improbable has been under the care of Jimmy Barnes,

Baffert’s traveling assistant, for all three races.

In the Oaklawn Mile, Improbable was beaten three-quarters of a length by millionaire Grade I winner Tom’s d’Etat

after acting up in the starting gate and breaking from the extreme outside, post 11, under Drayden Van Dyke.

“He ran a winning race,” Baffert said. “Got beat by a really good horse. His gate issues, I don’t know why … you take him in the morning and you could set a bomb off in the gate and he won’t move. He knows. He’s smart. That’s the reason I left him there. That gate crew is getting to know him really well, and I think that’s going to help. Jimmy said the starter has been working with things on him, and they’re going to figure him out. We’ll see what happens.”

BY THE NUMBERS

After 11 career starts, trainer Juan Carlos Avila said he’s figured out that Trophy Chaser’s best races are routes. The 4-year-old son of Twirling Candy will get another chance to shine around two turns in the Oaklawn Handicap.

“I made a mistake for six months,”

Baffert