Photo:

Gary Johnson / Eclipse Sportswire

Ferocious, twice Grade 1-placed as a 2-year-old, continues to work forwardly at Gulfstream Park for his highly anticipated sophomore debut.

Ferocious worked four furlongs in 48.15 seconds Thursday over Gulfstream’s main track, fifth-fastest of 27 horses. Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano was up for the breeze, the Flatter colt’s second since running fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

“The horse is doing good,” assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado Jr. said. “He started about four (or) five weeks ago galloping and getting ready to roll again. He looks good. Everybody was happy with him.”

Purchased for $1.3 million as a 2-year-old in training last March, Ferocious was a popular 7 3/4-length winner of his unveiling Aug. 3 at Saratoga, where he returned to finish second behind Eclipse Award finalist Chancer McPatrick in the Grade 1 Hopeful.

Before his run in the Breeders’ Cup, Ferocious was second to East Avenue in the Oct. 5 Breeders’ Futurity (G1) as the favorite after being fractious at the gate and encountering early trouble.

Ferocious’s season opener has yet to be decided, but the Holy Bull (G3) on Feb. 1 is a possibility. The 1 1/16-mile Holy Bull is the next step on Gulfstream’s road to the Florida Derby (G1) on March 29.

“We’re not really sure if we’re going to make the race on Feb. 1. It will all depend on a breeze that is scheduled for next Thursday. If we are happy with what we see we will decide then, but we are not in a rush with him,” Delgado said.

“We are of the opinion that we need maybe two or three weeks more, but he did so good today that he might make it. It will all depend on how he breezes back,” he added. “He did pretty nice today.”

Unlike Thursday, Ferocious will have a workmate for next week’s scheduled breeze.

“Today he was going solo. We want to see him in company next week and we’ll take it from there,” Delgado said. “He’s a nice horse. You can recognize him on the track. His stride and he way he goes, few horses do that.”

Ferocious is 30-1 on the morning line for the Kentucky Derby Future Wager pool 3, which opens Friday. He also was at 30-1 in Caesars Sportsbook of Nevada futures for the Kentucky Derby on Sunday.

Another horse in the Derby futures also worked Thursday. He’s Not Joking worked five furlongs in 1:00.4 at Palm Meadows Training Center. It was the fastest of four works at the distance. Trained by Josie Carroll, he was 2-for-4 at Woodbine, including a win in the Grey Stakes (G3), before a eighth-place finish in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2).

The Practical Joke colt was at 45-1 in Vegas futures and was not included as an individual choice in the KDFW.