By Dick Downey

After three months away from the races and the worktab, Motor City breezed Tuesday at Palm Meadows.

The Ian Wilkes trainee went four furlongs in :49.60 (16/31).

A gelding by 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Motor City put himself into the Derby picture with a rail-riding win under Calvin Borel in Churchill Downs' Grade III Iroquois Stakes on Oct. 30.

When it was announced in November that Borel would be moving his tack to Gulfstream Park for the winter, agent Jerry Hissam said, “The main reason we’re going is to ride horses for Ian. He’s got Motor City and several other babies that haven’t started yet. When you get a chance to ride a group of nice horses, you take it.”

Borel announced last week that he was leaving Gulfstream Park to ride at his traditional Winter base, Oaklawn Park, after he'd won only two races at Gulfstream since the meet opened in early December. Before leaving South Florida, on Saturday Borel rode Take Charge Indy to a second-place finish in a high-level allowance race won by El Padrino. Before departing Florida, Borel expressed hope that Take Charge Indy would be shipped to run in a stake at Oaklawn during the runup to the Derby.

Meanwhile, Motor City looks to be right on schedule after the long layoff. Wilkes said about a month ago that Motor City had recently begun training again. “I haven’t planned on anything for him yet, but he should be ready sometime around the end of February," Wilkes told DRF.com.