Enticed primed to make his ‘Run for the Roses’

Godolphin trainer Kiaran McLaughlin reported Enticed to have completed an outstanding gallop at Palm Meadows, Florida, as final preparations are made for the colt’s road trip to Louisville at the weekend.

McLaughlin, no stranger to big-race success at Churchill Downs, said he could not have been more pleased with the five-furlong training spin with a galloping companion on Thursday, which served as Enticed’s final serious work before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, 5 May.

He was timed at 60.20secs for five furlongs. “He worked very, very well,” McLaughlin said.

“It was one of his best pieces of work. He will ship to Louisville on Sunday, and after settling in, he will do a canter every day before the Saturday.

“He has been doing very well. It’s hard to compare him to the other Derby contenders. Some of them are very talented, but several also have question marks against their names,” he pointed out.

Enticed is already a winner at Churchill Downs, having won over a mile and one-sixteenth late last year.

“He’s ready to go,” McLaughlin declared.