Todd Pletcher happy with fearsome foursome's final Kentucky Derby works

So, Todd Pletcher, after sending your four probable Kentucky Derby starters — not just starters, but possible favorites — to the track for their final works on Friday, are you relieved?

"Absolutely," said the trainer.

That's because Magnum Moon, Audible, Vino Rosso and Noble Indy all appeared to handle the surface well as they circled the Churchill Downs track on a sunny morning just eight days away from the May 5 race.

Arkansas Derby winner Magnum Moon went 4 furlongs in 47.4 seconds. Florida Derby winner Audible went 4 furlongs in :49.4. Wood Memorial winner Vino Rosso went 4 furlongs in :47.2. Louisiana Derby winner Noble Indy covered 5 furlongs in 1:01.47.

Yes, that's a lot of winners for Pletcher, who notched his second Kentucky Derby win last year with Always Dreaming. His first came in 2010 with Super Saver.

"First of all, I think the track was pretty quick this morning," said Pletcher after the work before he gave a quick rundown on each horse.

On Magnum Moon, who has blown away the competition as a 3-year-old after being unraced at 2:

"I thought Magnum Moon was very good, showed good energy, seemed to get over the track well and galloped out strongly. I was really happy with that."

On Audible, who has won his last four starts, including the Holy Bull and the Florida Derby:

"I thought Audible was also very good. Javier (Castellano, his jockey) was extremely pleased with the way he handled the surface."

On Vino Rosso, who won the Wood Memorial after perplexing his connections with less-than-stellar efforts in Florida.

"Vino Rosso, John (Velazquez, the jockey) was also very happy. All three of them were similar works. The first two were a little bit quicker — Vino Rosso and Magnum Moon were a quicker than Audible, but I thought Audible put in a big gallop out for him."

On Noble Indy, who won the Louisiana Derby at Fair Grounds after a third-place finish in the Risen Star.

"I thought Noble Indy did super. Florent (Geroux, the jockey) seemed to get along with him really well, executed the breeze nicely. He stayed focused once he got on his own and galloped out with good energy. Knock on wood it was all good."

Meanwhile, out in California, Justify turned in his final work. The Santa Anita Derby winner went 7 furlongs in 1:25 for trainer Bob Baffert. He is expected to ship to Churchill Downs early next week.

Pletcher's fearsome foursome arrived in Louisville this week.

"We've had a great spring," Pletcher said Friday. "We feel like all these horses are doing really well, shipped in great, good works this morning. We feel fortunate to be in this position. We feel good about our horses but also appreciate how difficult the race is to win."

This story was originally published April 27, 2018 at 11:44 AM with the headline "Todd Pletcher happy with fearsome foursome's final Kentucky Derby works."