Future plans call for increased activity, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Resilience, the Wood Memorial (G2) victor, and 2023's champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I competed in their respective Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep races almost two weeks prior, and on April 18, they recorded their first Churchill Downs workouts of the spring.
When the renovation break ended at 7:30 a.m. ET, the two easily covered a half mile together. Designed to serve as a baseline for the following sixteen days, Resilience recorded a time of :50 1/5 and Just F Y I a time of :50.
Future plans call for increased activity, according to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Just F Y I was a handful as the two got closer to the 5/8ths pole, but resilience got a head start. As the breeze picked up, she settled in.
"(Just F Y I) was a little anxious early on in the work," Mott stated. "She needed to breeze."
Before she finished second in the Ashland Stakes (G1) on April 5 at Keeneland, Mott remarked he wished he had one or two more breezes in her. The filly is now headed for the Kentucky Oaks after winning the race. One day before the May 4 Kentucky Derby is the May 3 Kentucky Oaks.
Watching his champion homebred filly compete, owner George Krikorian observed that she appeared "pretty strong."
Plans for training could be affected by rain. For other competitors, April 19 is the predicted date, as it is expected in the Louisville, Kentucky, area Thursday night and early Friday morning. A special training session for Derby and Oaks candidates only begins on April 20 from 7:30 to 7:45 a.m.