KENTUCKY DERBY NOTEBOOK | Sovereignty returns to Churchill, expected storms alter works | Derby News

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On a quiet Wednesday morning at Churchill Downs, last year's Kentucky Derby winner, Sovereignty, was back in his old stall in trainer Bill Mott's barn, and back on the track during the special training window reserved for Derby and Oaks horses.

And afterward, for a few minutes, he shared space with someone who had spent a lifetime just outside this world.

Former Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport was at the track, horse halter in hand, which Mott had agreed to let Sovereignty wear before it will be auctioned off at the annual Bellarmine Basketball Managers benefit this week.

That's how Davenport, who grew up along Central Avenue himself, wound up holding the reins of a Derby winner for a few moments in Mott's barn.

"Almost impossible to believe," he said of being with the Derby winner. "... For someone like Bill Mott to do something like this to help others shows the kind of class person he is."

CALIFORNIA ARRIVALS

A trio of West Coast contenders made their first appearance on the Churchill track after arriving late Tuesday.

Santa Anita Derby winner So Happy jogged a mile during the 7:15 training window, while Pavlovian and Intrepido also stretched their legs as they begin to settle into new surroundings.

Pavlovian, trained by Doug O'Neill, is set to work Sunday morning. So Happy's trainer, Mark Glatt, was due to arrive in Louisville on Wednesday afternoon and is expected to work Friday morning. Intrepido, one spot out of the Derby but expected to be in the field, jogged two miles for trainer Jeff Mullins.

WEATHER WATCH

The forecast is already shaping the schedule.

With storms expected Friday afternoon, several trainers are adjusting work plans. Bill Mott indicated he may move a planned breeze for Chief Wallabee up to Friday morning or push it back to Sunday.

Chad Brown's Emerging Market galloped a mile and a half Wednesday morning.

"He got around there beautifully," Brown said. "… With the weather that looks like it is coming in late Friday, it looks like I will have to move the final work up to Friday morning."

It's the quiet calculus of Derby week: not just how fast, but when.

ON THE BUBBLE

For a handful of horses, every gallop comes with a little uncertainty.

Great White sits 23rd on the Derby leaderboard and needs three defections to draw in. Intrepido is one spot away. Litmus Test, trained by Bob Baffert needs two.

Great White worked a half-mile in 52.20 seconds at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington for trainer John Ennis Wednesday morning. Litmus Test galloped a mile and a half and is scheduled to work on Friday.

Even on the bubble, they'll train as if they're in the field. They have to.

NO FINAL CALL ON CHIP HONCHO

Steve Asmussen is going to take all the time he can in making a call on whether to enter Chip Honcho in the Derby. The colt is in on points, but Asmussen wants to make sure he's making the right decision on the Leland Ackerland Racing colt, who is winless at 3 and coming off a fifth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby. He galloped at Churchill Wednesday morning.

"We've timed it to where we plan on working him on Saturday morning, which is entry morning," Asmussen said. "We need all the information you can possibly have, and we'll obviously wait to make a final decision after his last work."

Mike McCarthy-trained Stark Contrast, who has run just one of his six career races on dirt, is expected not to enter the Derby and run in the Grade 1 American Turf on Derby Day instead. If does wind up being McCarthy's decision, Intrepido would enter the Derby field.

MOTT, PAST AND PRESENT

There was a layered moment on the track Wednesday.

Mott's Derby hopeful Chief Wallabee galloped during the training window, followed by Sovereignty, last year's winner, circling behind him. Chief Wallabee vaulted into Derby contender status with an impressive workout on Monday.

Nearby, Mott's son Riley is preparing to saddle his first Derby starters, a reminder that the race doesn't just produce champions. It hands the stage to the next group waiting to step into it.

Both Albus and Incredibolt galloped a mile and a half for the younger Mott Wednesday morning. Mott expects to move planned Saturday works for the pair to Friday morning or perhaps Sunday, because of expected weather.

Mott grew up around the race that his Hall of Fame father has now won twice.

"The first Derby I saw here, I think it was Smarty Jones in 2004," Riley said. "I was a big Smarty Jones fan and (runner-up) Lion Heart too."

LOGISTICS AND LONG SHOTS

Not every contender has even arrived yet.

Japan Road invitee Danon Bourbon landed in Chicago and must complete a 42-hour quarantine before shipping to Louisville.

Potente, Bob Baffert's Santa Anita Derby runner-up, was expected to arrive at Churchill Downs Monday after working in California on Monday.

Renegade, Todd Pletcher's Arkansas Derby winner, is scheduled to have his final pre-Derby work at Palm Beach Downs in Florida on Thursday morning, before shipping to Louisville late Friday for an early Friday morning arrival.

All Derby entries are required to be on the Churchill Downs premises by 11 a.m. Saturday. The draw for the race is set for 2 p.m.

WORKOUTS OPEN TO PUBLIC THURSDAY

Starting Thursday through Wednesday, April 29, Churchill Downs will once again open its gates to the public for Dawn at the Downs, offering fans a free chance to watch Kentucky Derby and Oaks contenders train each morning from 6:45 to 10 a.m.

Horses are on the track daily beginning at 5:15 a.m., but the most anticipated window comes from 7:15 to 7:30 a.m., when only Derby and Oaks entrants are allowed on the surface following the morning renovation break. Those horses are easy to spot — Derby runners wear yellow saddle towels with their names, while Oaks contenders carry pink.

Parking is free in the Yellow and Turquoise lots off Longfield Avenue, with entry through the Clubhouse Gate. Guests will be directed to Sections 114 through 117 for a clear view of the morning workouts, and all vehicles must be cleared from the lots by 10:30 a.m.