Win Win Win arrives at Churchill for final Derby preparations

Win Win Win. Photo provided by Maryland Jockey Club.

Live Oak Plantation’s record-setting homebred stakes winner Win Win Win arrived early Thursday morning at Churchill Downs following an 11-hour van ride from his base at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.

Mike Trombetta, leading trainer at Laurel Park’s current spring meet, said during training hours Thursday that his Kentucky Derby (G1) contender had an uneventful trip to Kentucky.

“He left at 6 o’clock last night,” Trombetta said. “They said the trip went well. He was there by 5 o’clock this morning. It was straight on through.”

Trombetta said he shipped another of his horses to Kentucky to train with Win Win Win at Churchill where he’ll breeze this weekend with Laurel jockey Julian Pimentel, who owns three wins and a second in four tries on the Hat Trick colt and will ride back in the Derby.

“Weather permitting, he’ll gallop tomorrow and Saturday and he’ll get his final breeze on Sunday,” he said. “Julian will breeze him, to let the horse and the rider both get familiar with the environment.”

Trombetta, who has four horses entered on Thursday’s nine-race program at Laurel, will leave for Kentucky on Friday. Win Win Win will be his second Derby starter; Sweetnorthernsaint was seventh as the post-time favorite in 2006.

Win Win Win made his first three career starts at Laurel, breaking his maiden at first asking and taking an optional claiming allowance second time out before running second behind Preakness (G1)-bound Alwaysmining in the Heft Stakes to cap his juvenile season.

This year, Win Win Win set Tampa Bay Downs’ track record for seven furlongs on the dirt (1:20.89) while winning the Pasco Stakes in his sophomore debut, then finished third in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) and second in the Blue Grass (G2) to punch his ticket to Louisville.

“It starts to get very real when you put them on the truck,” Trombetta said. “When you load them up to go, it’s on. We’re excited.”