Blended Citizen, winner of the Jeff Ruby at Turfway Park in his most recent outing, worked Saturday morning at Keeneland as he prepares for next weekend's Blue Grass, in which he will attempt to definitively punch his ticket to the Kentucky Derby.
The Proud Citizen colt went five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 in company with new stablemate Arawak, a move that left jockey Kyle Frey "ecstatic."
"It was great, beautiful. He handles the dirt good, especially this surface."
Keeneland clockers caught the two colts galloping out six furlongs in 1:14 3/5, and trainer Doug O'Neill, in town for the work, said he had his pair going the mile in 1:45. O'Neill said that Arawak, transferred to his barn following a third-place effort in the Ruby, is possible for either the Blue Grass or the Lexington the following week.
"I thought both horses worked really well," said O'Neill, who is looking to win the Blue Grass in back-to-back years. "Just a nice, strong, maintenance move, and both of them were very competitive."
Blended Citizen currently has 22 points in the system used to determine the Kentucky Derby field, which put him 19th on the leaderboard as of the morning of March 31 - prior to the UAE Derby. With a high point cutoff looming, especially thanks to increased European interest in the classics this year, he would likely need to finish third or better in the Blue Grass to ensure his starting position. The field for the race, which is expected to be headed by champion juvenile Good Magic, will be drawn Tuesday.