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| October 29: Breeders' Cup Day is
Saturday - Read The Final Roundup of All 92 Entrants
(October 29, 2004)- $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge Azeri – Azeri completed her preparations for the biggest challenge of her 24-race career with an early morning gallop under exercise rider C.T. Lang. “Nothing has changed, just a routine gallop,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said of the 6yo mare, who will tackle males for the second time in her career in the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic – Powered by Dodge. “I am more than satisfied with how the week has gone. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place.” Azeri, who will be ridden by four-time Classic winner Pat Day and break from post three, arrived at Lone Star on Tuesday morning and has galloped three mornings over the track. Lukas, who counts the 1999 Classic with Cat Thief among his record 17 Breeders’ Cup wins, was asked what he would like to see from Azeri on Saturday. “I just want to break on top and just get better every step. I just want them to win,” Lukas said. “I don’t care about scenarios that we have no control over. I just want a clean trip. I think we have enough talent and if they give us a chance to win it, I think we can.” Birdstone – Marylou Whitney visited her homebred Classic contender Birdstone Friday morning at Barn B3 on the Lone Star Park backstretch. The prominent thoroughbred owner-breeder said the excitement of winning this year’s Belmont Stakes and Travers Stakes with the son of Grindstone-Dear Birdie would not be diminished should he not prevail in the Classic Saturday. “He’s given me more pleasure than I’ve had in my life. He doesn’t owe me anything,” said Whitney, who campaigns Birdstone with her husband John Hendrickson. “He’s already given me everything.” Whitney credits her husband for the success of both Birdstone and his sister, Bird Town, the winner of the 2003 Kentucky Oaks. Hendrickson has assumed a strong role in choosing the stallions that are bred to their broodmares. “My late husband ‘Sonny’ Whitney had so many great horses and so many Grade I winners. I went dry for a long time, until John came around and arranged the breeding of my mares,” she said. Before leaving the backstretch, Whitney stopped by the diminutive Birdstone’s stall. “Oh my goodness, he’s so small, and all those other
horses are so big,’’ she said. “They look like
elephants next to him. He’s awfully small, but he’s
got such a big heart.” Bowman’s Band – “Thirty-two hours from now and it will be history,” said Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens after his Classic entry galloped 1 1/4 miles Friday morning at Lone Star Park. “All the work is done, now you just have to bring them over there and hope you get the job done.” According to Jerkens, Bowman's Band will have to run the race of his life to at least get a piece of the Classic. Winning it would end a 12-race losing streak for the 6yo Dixieland Band horse. “He’s a solid, hard-working professional,” Jerkens said. "The problem is that, in New York, you face two or three tough ones every race. Here, you find seven or eight tough ones.” Jockey Cornelio Velasquez has the mount on Bowman’s Band in the Classic. Dynever – Trainer Christophe Clement has been stoic throughout the preparations of last year’s Classic third-place finisher, and he continued that attitude Friday morning arriving to find the 4yo colt ready to go for this year’s renewal. “There is not much we can do now,” said Clement. “On the day before the race, it is out of our hands. I will not worry at this point.” Assistant trainer and exercise rider Christopher Lorieul galloped Dynever 1 1⁄4 miles on the main track Friday. Dynever entered last year’s race largely unheralded and was sent off at 15-1 odds before finishing 2 1⁄2 lengths behind Pleasantly Perfect. Big things were expected this season, but he has yet to live up to expectations and has gone winless in four starts since the San Bernardino. He was second in the Meadowlands Breeders’ Cup Oct. 8 – the same way he came into the Classic in 2003. “I don’t know about confidence, but we come into the race the same way as last year,” said Clement. “This is the same tough race. There is the same winner (Pleasantly Perfect). We will send him there and try our best. He’s very happy and we’re very happy.” Fantasticat — Super Derby winner Fantasticat galloped 1 1⁄4 miles Friday morning at 6:30. “I wish we were running today,” said trainer Bobby Barnett. Fantasticat was purchased by Russ and Shelly Sherrod of Louisiana after his first two starts in Ireland. It took the Storm Cat colt seven starts to break his maiden, which he did this February at Fair Grounds Race Course. It was minutes after that race that Barnett found out he would be getting Fantasticat to train. “The owners wanted him to race at Churchill Downs and that is where I’m based. They asked me right after he won the race,” said Barnett. “We started him one more time at Fair Grounds on the turf. He didn’t do badly. “But then we sent him to Churchill and he got sick. We got him back running and he won. The race on July 2, it was real hot that day. (fourth in allowance) The only bad race he’s had was the West Virginia Derby (fifth on Aug. 7).” Fantasticat is the first Breeders’ Cup starter for the Sherrods, who own and operate the Louisiana Stallion Farm, formerly owned by the late John Franks. Barnett has had three Breeders’ Cup starters, including Answer Lively, winner of the 1998 Juvenile (bred and owned by Franks). Fantasticat is his first starter in the Classic. Freefourinternet – The 50-1 outsider, 2-for-2 since he was transferred to the barn of former Wayne Lukas assistant Mike Maker, galloped 1 1⁄2 miles at Lone Star Park Friday. Maker said there was “no reason” to school the 6yo horse in the paddock. “He’s just so laid back in the paddock,” he said. The trainer said he was neither surprised nor insulted by the long odds on Freefourinternet, who is owned by Equirace.Com LLC. “It’s a deep, competitive field,” he said. “His prior form until the last two races doesn’t warrant much respect, and the caliber of horses he raced at Mountaineer (in the Labor Day Handicap) wasn’t what it is here. At the (Hawthorne) Gold Cup, they were struggling to get horses other than for having Perfect Drift. It worked out well for us. “It’s nice to win two races of that caliber and know he’s on top of his game going into the biggest race he’s ever run.” Funny Cide – At about 9:30 on Friday morning, assistant trainer Robin Smullen put on her game face. “I had to chase a lot of people out of here,” she said. “I’ve tried to be good about it, but there were so many reporters and photographers here that I had to chase them away. Now we have to concentrate on the Classic.” It is understandable that the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner has drawn so much attention. He displayed courage in winning the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park this month, and he has visually impressed everyone who has seen him since that race. “He absolutely is doing better than he ever has,” said Smullen, who was aboard Funny Cide as local trainer Dallas Keen ponyied him to the main track Friday, where he jogged and cantered in the chute. “He had never been mature mentally or physically before, but now it looks like he is getting it all together. Hopefully, he is doing it at the right time.” Jockey Jose Santos will ride Funny Cide in the Classic. Trainer Barclay Tagg was expected to arrive from New York at about 1 p.m. Friday. Ghostzapper – Stronach Stables’ Ghostzapper, one of the favorites for Saturday’s $4 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, put in his final serious leg-stretching for the 1 1⁄4-miles centerpiece just after 7 a.m. Friday at Lone Star Park. Trainer Robert Frankel merely wanted an uneventful 1 1/2 mile gallop, but that was not to be. The bay colt, winner of three graded stakes in three starts this year, went trackside with a pony and exercise rider Nuno Santos aboard. They came out at the same time the trainer had Breeders’ Cup Mile candidate Nothing to Lose and exercise rider Humberto Gomez hit the oval with some similar galloping in mind. Frankel’s instruction to both riders was to backtrack to the eighth pole, then turn and gallop all the way around and finish at the five-eighths pole, a journey of 1 1⁄2 miles. That wasn’t a problem with Nothing to Lose, who accomplished his trip in good order. But when the trainer looked for Ghostzapper the second time around, he couldn’t find him.Finally, he saw Santos walking back toward the six-furlong gap with the pony. Frankel quickly realized what had happened – the rider had misunderstood him and only galloped the horse to the five-eighths, failing to navigate the second tour of the track. Adapting, he had Santos turn go back to galloping, adding a full tour of the strip, which the 4yo did in fine style and pulled up the second time looking sharp and fit. The rider offered apologies and Frankel offered a shrug. “What are you going to do,” the Hall of Fame conditioner said. “You’ve got to adapt to how it all happens. He’s OK. He came back nice and loose. We got done what we needed to get done. So what we did today was interval training. If he wins tomorrow, we’ll have to train him like that all the time.” And to be sure, Frankel believes that Ghostzapper will win Saturday. The trainer has had dozen and dozens of exceptional horses in his remarkable career and he thinks that his Awesome Again colt ranks right up there with the best of them. “You look at him, he doesn’t look like much,” the trainer offered. “He’s just a bay; nothing flashy at all. But his pedigree is terrific and he’s got those things that the good horses have – he’s got that big engine and the big heart. I think people will see tomorrow just how much horse he really is.” Frankel repeated that he believes the 13-horse Classic is – in his mind – a three-horse race. Besides Ghostzapper, he also gives serious chances to defending champion Pleasantly Perfect and the up-and-coming runner Roses in May. “In a race like this,” he noted, “with good horses running at each other, sometimes it’s the horse who handles the track the best who comes away the winner. You need some luck, of course, and you need your horse to run his best. I think my horse is ready. It should be a helluva race.” Newfoundland – A maintenance gallop this morning was on the agenda for trainer Todd Pletcher’s Classic entry Friday morning. Having stood at the gate Thursday and having visited the paddock, Newfoundland’s Friday routine was limited to a 1 1/4-miles gallop. “He’s our longshot,” said trainer Todd Pletcher. “But he earned his way here by doing so well in the Suburban and Jockey Club Gold Cup. He'll need to get lucky, but he can get the job done.” Perfect Drift – The 5yo gelding jogged alongside a pony Friday morning as he has done the previous two mornings in preparation for a run in Saturday’s Classic. Perfect Drift was schooled in the paddock Thursday afternoon. “He’s acting like he’s really happy here,” groom Richard Anderson said. Perfect Drift, who has finished off the board in his two previous starts in the Classic, will be ridden by Kent Desormeaux. Personal Rush – Tomiro Fukami’s 3yo was out for a canter on the main track Friday morning with jockey Frankie Dettori aboard for the first time. “He’s fine and fresh,” Dettori said. “In fact he nearly dropped me he’s so fresh.” A Kentucky-bred son of Wild Rush, Personal Rush never has started outside Japan. He’s won his last two starts, including the Derby Grand Prix last out on Sept. 20 by nine lengths as the 4-5 favorite. Trainer Kenji Yamauchi has had the Breeders’ Cup Classic as his main goal for some time, Dettori said. “They booked me two months ago,” the jockey said. “They
were very keen to go. And, of course, they knew what they were doing
booking me,” he added with a smile. “It was just a short canter,” he said, “but he felt good, very sharp. All my Breeders’ Cup horses are outsiders … but outsiders with a chance.” Pleasantly Perfect — The defending champion and morning line favorite galloped on the main track under exercise rider Crystal Brown. “It was an uneventful mile and a half,” said trainer Richard Mandella. “I wish we could just take him over there right now and get it over with.” Owner Gerald Ford, a Dallas banker who races under the nom de course Diamond A Racing Corporation, visited the stable area with several friends. “Nervous,” said Ford, wearing a purple Breeders’ Cup baseball cap with the words Pleasantly Perfect on the front, when asked how he felt. “I was not as nervous last year. That was because we weren’t expected to do as much. If this was a beauty contest, I would feel very comfortable.” Roses in May – Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s
Roses in May galloped 1 1⁄2 miles after the renovation break
on the main track under exercise rider Faustino Orantes. “We have a lot of speed to the inside of us,” Romans said. “I think John is in a perfect position to dictate what he wants to do. We will let him decide when the gate opens.” An early arrival for the Classic, Roses in May has been at Lone Star since Oct. 19 and had a work over the track. “I think it did,” Romans said when asked if he thought the early arrival played in his favor. “Everything has gone perfect since we have been here. I couldn’t ask for any better.” $2 million John Deere Breeders’ Cup Turf Better Talk Now – If things go according
to plan, Better Talk Now won’t be grabbing anyone’s
attention during the early running of the John Deere Breeders’
Cup Turf. Late-running horses like Better Talk Now are susceptible to traffic as well as pace, but Motion is hopeful that jockey Ramon Dominguez won’t find it too difficult in an eight-horse field to get a good trip aboard the Sword Dancer Invitational victor. Motion, who also will saddle Dance Away Capote (Juvenile Fillies) and Film Maker (Filly & Mare Turf) Saturday, will be making his first appearance on the Breeders’ Cup stage. “Obviously, it’s a big thrill to be here with three horses I think have shown that they belong here. Having done all this, I hope they all run respectable races,” said Motion, a successful trainer at East Coast tracks. “We didn’t just come here for the beer.” Kitten’s Joy – Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s morning line Turf favorite galloped 1 1⁄2 miles on the grass and stood in the gate Friday morning at Lone Star with exercise rider Faustino Orantes up. Kitten’s Joy and Classic stablemate Roses in May are scheduled to school in the paddock with the horses for Friday afternoon’s first race. Kitten’s Joy, who will represent trainer Dale Romans’ first Breeders Cup starter, will break from post four under John Velazquez. “He will do whatever you want him to do,” Romans said of Kitten’s Joy. “I just want Johnny to be able to be comfortable with him and kind of leave it up to him. “If they are going real slow, we will try to be closer. If they are going real fast, he will sit way back. It is going to be important for Johnny to realize what the pace is.” Velazquez has ridden Kitten’s Joy only once, a dominating victory in his previous start in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. Magistretti – The Patrick Biancone trainee, on the board in each of his three starts since he left Europe for the United States, galloped 1 1⁄2 miles and visited the paddock at Lone Star Park Friday. “They look great,” assistant trainer Cyril Desplanques said, referring to Magistretti and Juvenile Fillies starter Sense of Style. Mustanfar – Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin worked for D. Wayne Lukas as an assistant for seven years and learned all about winning by jetting into town just before a big race. He will try to emulate his former boss when he sends the winner of the Sycamore Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland into the Turf. Mustanfar galloped 1 1⁄4 miles Friday morning on his second day in Texas. McLaughlin was on hand for the first time in his first visit to Lone Star. “He looks great and the facility looks great,” said McLaughlin. “So far the trip has gone just as we planned by coming in right on top of a race which I think was the right move with all the rain this week. Working for Wayne Lukas for all those years. He was always successful coming in just before.” The son of Unbridled’s trip has been uneventful so far, but not his 3yo campaign which included a see-what-we’ve-got start in the Palm Beach Stakes on the turf at Gulfstream Park that featured Saturday’s race favorite Kitten’s Joy. He went back to the main track and took steps toward the Triple Crown series after finishing second in the Tampa Bay Derby and fourth in the Blue Grass Stakes. In his last start on dirt – an allowance race at Belmont - May 14, he ended up running against eventual Massachusetts Handicap winner Offlee Wild. From there he went back on the turf, but the run of poor racing luck continued. “He’s been really unlucky all year,” said McLaughlin. “He was five wide in the Palm Beach and the jock lost the stick at the eighth pole, but only got beat three lengths to Kitten’s Joy. He’s run very well all year, but it’s just been one thing or another, but he’s never really run a bad race.” Powerscourt — Coolmore supremo John Magnier, whose wife, Susan, will send five horses into Saturday’ Breeders’ Cup, three of them in partnership with Michael Tabor, one in partnership with Mrs. Richard Henry, and her own Powerscourt, was on track Friday morning. “I’m here to listen to Aidan (trainer O’Brien), and he thinks our best chance of a winner is Powerscourt,” Magnier said. “He’s a serious horse. With the rest of them we’re just hoping. It’s not the kind of year where we’d be disappointed if we didn’t win. If it happens, it happens. “The course is good … it’s like a modern golf course where you can pour rain on it and the water just goes down and through.” Powerscourt cantered on the turf course Friday morning under stable jockey Jamie Spencer, who will ride the son of Sadler’s Wells on Saturday. Request for Parole – After three straight losses over yielding turf courses, trainer Stan Hough will be closely following weather reports in the hours before his Grade I winner starts in the Turf. “We’re just hoping we get a firm course,” said Hough on his first morning at Lone Star. “We’re kind of up against it against some of those horses, but maybe if we can get a firm course we can move up on some of those European horses and get ourselves a chance against a horse like Kitten’s Joy.” The 5yo’s Friday regimen included a 1 1⁄2-mile gallop and a paddock schooling session prior to the first race on the Lone Star card. Star Over the Bay — Members of G Racing, which co-owns the 6yo gelding with two other California owners, were out in force to watch him gallop 1 1/8 miles on turf under exercise rider Jorge Alvarez. About 15 members of the 45-member syndicate were visible in the stable’s red and black colors. “I couldn’t get credentials for all of them,” said stable founder Sean Gerson. “The other 30 will be watching Saturday in groups from California to Las Vegas.” Gerson formed the stable in January by selling 100 shares for $3,000 each. He is the largest shareholder with 25 shares. One member wore a T-shirt with the words on the back: “Star Over the Bay’s To Do List.” Below it in order were the names Sunset Handicap, Del Mar Handicap and Clement Hirsch Stakes, all followed with a checked rectangular box. Below the three was the name Breeders’ Cup Turf, followed by an unchecked rectangular box. It is the horse’s last order of business following victories in the aforementioned trio. “We’ll be clear coming for home,” predicted Gerson of the front-running horse. “They’re going to have to come catch us. “Mike (trainer Mike Mitchell) couldn’t have the horse in better shape,” said Gerson of his first Breeders’ Cup starter. “This is a dream come true for me, but I can’t imagine how emotional Carl (co-owner Carl VanBurger) might get. He’s been in the business 45 years.” Strut the Stage – The 6yo son of Theatrical, who will make his first Breeders’ Cup appearance Saturday, galloped 1 1⁄4 miles on the main track at Lone Star Park Friday morning. The Sam-Son Farm runner has started just three times this year, winning the Niagara Handicap at Woodbine in September before finishing last of seven in the Sky Classic Handicap on Oct. 2. Trainer Mark Frostad will change riders for the Turf, naming Corey Nakatani to take over for the big race. “Corey has ridden here, so he knows the track,” Frostad said. “He’s an aggressive rider, which will help, and he’s won on this horse before.” Nakatani rode Strut the Stage to victory in an allowance race at Keeneland in 2001. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff – Presented by Nextel Ashado – It was a quiet morning for Ashado who galloped 1 1/4 miles. Second in the Juvenile Fillies last year, she will be trainer Todd Pletcher’s first chance to end his 0-for-12 Breeders’ Cup losing streak when she goes to post in the Breeders' Cup Distaff, presented by Nextel. John Velazquez will ride. Bare Necessities – Iron County Farm’s homebred jogged a mile the wrong way and then galloped a mile the right way at Lone Star Park Friday. She was scheduled to visit the paddock during the first race. “I’m very pleased,” said trainer Frank Kirby. “She’s sharp. She feels good. She’s training really well. We’re hoping.” Kirby’s brother Lonnie, general manager of Iron County Farm in Arcadia, Mo., was at the barn and said that the farm still owns the 5yo’s mother Shrewd Vixen. He also said Bare Necessities would be bred in 2005, but did not know if the Breeders’ Cup Distaff would be her last race. Elloluv – The 2003 Distaff runner-up galloped 1 1/8 miles Friday morning under the watchful eye of trainer Craig Dollase, who was making his first appearance at Lone Star, following arrival in Texas Thursday evening. As for the defection of 2002 Distaff winner Azeri from the Distaff to the Classic, Dollase said, “I like our chances that much better. He already had confidence in his 4yo daughter of Gilded Time as she trained up to the race. “She has taken well to the track and she’s training well,” he said. “That’s the most you can ask for.” He expects to see her forwardly placed in the field as it travels over its 1 1/8 miles course to the finish line. He’s hopeful that she’ll be considerably forward when she passes the finish line. Hollywood Story – Following the filly’s second outing on the Lone Star main track, trainer John Shirreffs, making his first appearance following arrival Thursday from his Hollywood Park base, expressed satisfaction with her training Friday morning. Reporting on her activity, Shirreffs said, “She jogged a mile, galloped a mile and,” he added with a chuckle, “she’ll probably graze a mile.” On a more serious note, Shirreffs said the Distaff was not exactly part of the plan when Hollywood Story returned from a break following her third-place finish in Hollywood Park’s American Oaks on July 3. “When she started back after the break, we wondered where we might run. She began training so well, that this race came to mind as a possibility.” Her past two workouts have been bullet efforts at 7f at her Hollywood Park base, and Shirreffs believes that puts her right on target for a big effort in Saturday’s Distaff. “When you go 1:24 and change and 1:23 and change, you’re only going 12 [seconds] per eighth [mile], and that’s what they have to do to be effective,” Shirreffs said. “You have to get that pace thing going, so they have an idea of what the pace scenario is going to be.” Shirreffs sees a Distaff without Azeri as “a little bit of a different race, obviously. Azeri is one of the best fillies ever to run. Take her out and it’s a different race. It doesn’t change it a lot for us, except it opens another slot.” As for how Hollywood Story might find herself as the race progresses, Shirreffs said, “I think with her being a little fresh, she’ll be close to the pace. We don’t want her to be too far back. We want her to get a good position.” Shirreffs has trained the 3yo daughter of Wild Rush, owned by George Krikorian, for her entire 10-race career, which started with being graded stakes-placed twice and fourth in the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies before breaking her maiden in the Hollywood Starlet. The race continues to be her only victory, while continuing to race at the highest levels and finishing off the board only once. “She’s very tough mentally,” Shirreffs said. “Nothing upsets her. When she runs, win or lose, she’s the same horse out of each race and into each race.” Indy Groove – Trainer Tom Proctor sends out Glen Hill Farm’s 4yo filly Indy Groove in the Breeders' Cup Distaff as a 20-to-1 chance on the morning line. Asked Friday morning how he viewed the decision to run Azeri in the Classic, he responded: “I’ve done my homework and the way I see it, she (Indy Groove) only has to beat eight Grade I winners instead of nine. My father (Willard) always said, ‘nobody remembers who finished second,’ but I guess it would be a pretty good day to finish third and a great day to be second, if she can’t win it.” Island Fashion – The husky roan filly Island Fashion was a picture at Lone Star Park Friday morning going through her final major preparations for her start in Saturday’s $2 million Distaff. The homebred daughter of Petionville went trackside under exercise rider Jenny Jonson shortly after the 8 a.m. renovation break and galloped 1 1⁄4 miles as trainer Marcelo Polanco looked on. The conditioner said he’d finish up his filly’s activities by schooling her in the paddock after workouts, but before racing began at the North Texas track Friday afternoon. The trainer, who came to the United States from Chile as a teenager, is an extremely low-key individual, but his quiet confidence in his charge’s chances in the 11-horse Distaff are hard to disguise. Island Fashion is listed as the 5-1 third choice in the 9f test that will be the first Breeders’ Cup race of the day. “You know, we almost lost this filly,” Polanco said, recalling a severe sickness his filly endured this past summer. “When we got back from Japan (she ran unplaced there in June), we found out she had pneumonia. We took her to a horse hospital near Santa Anita and they found out she had an abscess on her lung. One of the doctors thought she might have had it for a long time; maybe even before she ran in the Santa Anita Handicap (against males on March 6, which she finished second to Southern Image). “The doctors said we were lucky we caught it when we did. They treated her with all sorts of antibiotics and we basically shut her down for two months. We sent her up to the farm the Tommy Town Thoroughbreds people have up north of Santa Barbara. That’s a great spot and it turned out to be good for her. She came back and she’s been doing good ever since. She put her weight back on and she’s eating really well. She’s back to her old self again and that’s pretty good. “Her comeback race (a win Oct. 3 in the Lady’s Secret
at Santa Anita) was very good and I think it set her up right for
this race. I’m very hopeful and I think she’ll run well.”
Nebraska Tornado – The 4yo daughter of Storm Cat, who makes her main track debut in the Distaff Saturday, galloped a mile on the dirt Friday morning. The Kentucky-bred, owned by Khalid Abdullah and trained by Andre Fabre, is winless in four starts this season after taking four of her five starts last year. She was entered in both the Distaff and Filly & Mare Turf for the Breeders’ Cup, and will start in the Distaff. “She won two Group 1 races on the turf last year,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for Khalid Abdullah. “It would have been a pity to retire her without trying her on the dirt.” Nebraska Tornado was expected to be retired after the Breeders’ Cup, but if she does well on the main track, she could be sent to trainer Bobby Frankel for another season of racing in the U.S. Just like Arcangues – Fabre’s huge upset winner of the 1993 Classic – Nebraska Tornado has been prepping on the dirt track near the trainer’s yard in Chantilly. “She trained on the All Along gallop,” Grimthorpe said. “Andre was pleased with her. She worked left-handed and went really well. He was encouraged to give this race a try. “Of course, we know what we’re up against,” Grimthorpe said, “but she deserves a chance.” Society Selection – Her sire, Coronado's Quest, was a talented horse that, earlier in his career gained a reputation as a head case. After a breathing problem was corrected, he settled down somewhat and won races like the Haskell and the Travers. “That was a good horse and his race in the Travers was remarkable,” said Hall of Fame trainer Allen Jerkens. “The filly has her moments, but she is pretty hickory.” Society Selection is out to break Jerkens 0-for-6 Breeders' Cup slump. “We clipped her and Bowman's Band (for the Classic) when we got here because it was too hot for them,” Jerkens said. “We’ve done all that we could and they seem to have responded. “But this race is so tough. Everybody has a shot. You just hope that she will fire her best one. That's really what it comes down to.” Stellar Jayne – Dual Grade I winner Stellar Jayne galloped early Friday morning over the main track at Lone Star under exercise rider C.T. Lang. Robby Albarado, who will be seeking his first Breeders’ Cup victory, has the call on Stellar Jayne, who will break from the outside post, No. 11. “That is not a good deal at all,” trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. “It’s a bad post, but we will deal with it off the break and make the best of it.” The 11-post has not been kind to Stellar Jayne. Her last off-the-board finish was a seventh in the two-turn Kentucky Oaks in an 11-horse field. The worst finish on her 17-race career chart was an eighth in last year’s Golden Rod at Churchill Downs – another two-turn race in which she broke from the 11 hole in an 11-post field. Storm Flag Flying – The daughter of 1995 Juvenile Fillies champion My Flag and grand daughter of 1988 Distaff winner Personal Ensign galloped 1 1/8 miles Friday morning in preparation for her start in the Distaff. Storm Flag Flying, who enjoyed her own Breeders’ Cup success in the 2002 Juvenile Fillies, will have the services of jockey Jerry Bailey for the first time. “Bailey’s the type of rider who will get in position by the time they get to the head of the stretch that, if she’s good enough, she’ll have a chance to win,’’ said McGaughey, who expects his 4yo filly will be better suited to the two-turn 1 1/8 miles at Lone Star than the one-turn 1 1/8 miles at Belmont Park. McGaughey, who has trained all three generations of Breeders’ Cup winners, will long remember Personal Ensign’s historic victory over Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors in the Distaff on a dark, rainy day at Churchill Downs. Yet, he rarely sits down to watch a replay to relive the race that capped Personal Ensign’s undefeated career. “I only relive it in my mind to think about how she won to retire undefeated and what it meant, not only to me, but the whole racing industry,’’ McGaughey said. Tamweel – Turf Express Inc. and Darrell and Evelyn Yates’ Tamweel jogged a half-mile and galloped a half-mile with a pony Friday morning after the renovation break under exercise rider Jose Hurst. Trainer Wayne Catalano has had the 4yo Gulch mare under his care for four races, all on fast tracks. The 48-year-old conditioner was asked if he had any worries if the track came up wet early Saturday afternoon. “I’m not concerned about it,” said Catalano, who will be saddling his first Breeders’ Cup starter. “I’m sure they will have the track in the best possible shape they can have it.” Rene Douglas, who has ridden Tamweel in her past four starts, has the call in the Distaff and will break from post three in the 11-horse field. Catalano has a blueprint for Tamweel’s Distaff run. “The way I see the race, we’ll be on the lead by a couple lengths, and then on the far turn we will open up about three; 4 1⁄2 in midstretch, and it will be all over from there,” Catalano said. “They have to go over where we have been.” So, Darrell Yates, your thoughts on that blueprint? “I like the way that man thinks,” Yates said. $1.5 million NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile Antonius Pius — Pat Lillas took Michael Tabor and Susan Magnier’s Mile hope to the turf course Friday morning for a canter. The 3yo son of Danzig, when clear and an apparent winner of the Poule d’Eassai des Poulains (French 1,000 Guineas), ducked into the rail and finished fifth. Magnier’s husband, Coolmore boss John Magnier, was at Lone Star Park on Friday and didn’t underplay Antonius Pius’s quirkiness. “He’s a tricky horse and you have to be brave riding him,” he said. “But there’s no pressure on him (jockey Jamie Spencer) because he’s 30-1 or something.” Artie Schiller – Trainer Jimmy Jerkens is not quite sure what to expect in the Mile, but he knows that his 3yo El Prado colt will run his best. “You have to figure that he might get a little rattled in the paddock with so many people (51,000 expected),” said Jerkens, after jockey Shannon Uske galloped him 1 1/4 miles at Lone Star Park on Friday morning. “But that's true for everybody. We're all in the same boat. “He’s a long-striding horse, and it is possible that he might get a little bottled up out there, breaking from post 6. But he's a solid horse and he's won five of seven starts this year. Everything is the way it should be; now, it's up to him and if we can get lucky.” Jockey Richard Migliore, who is slated to ride Artie Schiller, took off his mounts at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, N.Y. on Friday afternoon in order to catch a flight to Dallas, where he will compete in the Breeders’ Cup. Migliore escaped serious injury Thursday afternoon, when his mount, Pavlina, unseated him at the gate prior to the start of Aqueduct's fourth race. X-rays were taken on Migliore's right arm and came back negative. “It was the same arm I broke before, and I landed right on the steel plate, which caused me a lot of pain,” Migliore said Friday morning. “Plus, that filly beat me up pretty good. She got me in the ribs, my jaw; one side of my face is swollen. But all the x-rays were negative. I was going to ride today, but decided I would rest and feel better so I can feel even better tomorrow (Saturday).” Migliore is 0-for-10 in the Breeders' Cup and Saturday he will try to break the losing streak with Artie Schiller and Bwana Charlie in the Sprint. “I had a lengthy talk with Jimmy (Jerkens),” Migliore said. “I got hurt once before when I had to ride this horse, and I came back the next day and we won the Woodlawn at Pimlico (May 15, 2004). Jimmy and I know each other very well, and he knows that if I felt I wasn't able to give his horse a decent ride, I would take off the mount. And I know that I couldn't live with myself if I felt that, in any way, I would compromise a horse's chances.” Blackdoun/Special Ring — “I’m feeling very nervous,” said trainer Julio Canani, a two-time winner of the Mile. “The horses are quiet, but I’m nervous. I don’t want to think about the turf course. I hope it’s windy and it dries out.” Both horses galloped on the main track under exercise rider Jose Dominguez. Prestonwood Farm owner Jack Preston of Houston visited the stable to see Special Ring, a 7yo gelding. “He looks as good as he’s ever looked,” said Preston. “I think he will like the configuration. It’s sort of like Del Mar, and I’d like to see the same result as the Eddie Read.” (Special Ring won the last two runnings of the Eddie Read Handicap on the Del Mar turf.). “It means a lot being a Texan now to win one of these races,” said Preston, who has lived in Houston for 24 years. “It would be a great thrill. I’ve won the Mile twice with Da Hoss (in 1996 and 1998) but those were in Canada and Kentucky.” Canani, who won the Mile with Silic in 1999 and Val Royal in 2001,
and Preston have accounted for victories in four of the last eight
runnings of the Mile between them. Diamond Green – The 3yo colt cantered a mile on the main track Friday morning with exercise rider Pascal Bodin aboard. The French-bred son of Green Desert is trained by Andre Fabre, whose wife, Elisabeth, is on hand to saddle the colt Saturday. Diamond Green will be looking for his first victory of the season in the Mile. He’s run second four times in six starts this year. Frankie Dettori will be aboard Diamond Green for the first time in Saturday’s race. Domestic Dispute – Trainer Patrick Gallagher, making his first trek to the track following his arrival from Southern California Thursday, expressed enthusiasm for the way his 4yo son of Unbridled’s Song is progressing toward Saturday’s Mile. He finished his work with a 1 1⁄2 miles gallop over the main track Friday. “He’s doing real good,” the native of Ireland said. “He breezed good over the turf [Monday] and he looks good today. His color’s good and he looks healthy.” With the possibility of rain still a threat, Gallagher addressed the matter of the potential for a soft turf course. “I’d prefer, and I think he would prefer, a firm turf course, but there’s nothing we can do about it.” Mr O’Brien — Mr O’Brien jogged and galloped one mile at Lone Star with trainer Robin Graham in the saddle on Friday morning. The Irish-bred gelding was a winner last out in the Kelso Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Belmont with jockey Eibar Coa aboard for the first time. He has the mount again Saturday. The 33-year-old native of Venezuela has competed in the Breeders’ Cup only once before, finishing sixth aboard Delaware Township in the 2001 Sprint. Through Oct. 28, he was won 170 races this year. Mr O’Brien will walk the shedrow on the morning of the race. “He won’t go to the track I don’t want him to get wound up and silly,” said Graham. Musical Chimes – Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum’s Musical Chimes, one of two fillies who’ll tackle colts in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Mile at Lone Star Park, went for a gallop of about 9f Friday morning on the Texas oval in her final major exercise leading up to the turf test. Exercise rider Debra Biggs handled the daughter of In Excess for trainer Neil Drysdale in the leg stretching accomplished at approximately 9:30. Running fillies against colts is not a usual occurrence, especially in the United States. But it is certainly not unprecedented. The other filly who’ll take on the males in the Mile Saturday is Six Perfections, and she beat all the boys in the same race as a 3yo last year. Additionally, Drysdale is bringing Musical Chimes into the race off a score over males in the Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita on Oct. 9. The trainer, a member of racing’s Hall of Fame, was asked what was the determining factor in running a female against male foes. “What you really want to have is a good horse,” the conditioner deadpanned. “If you’ve got a horse that’s better than the others, it helps quite a bit.” Musical Chimes will break from post No. 9 in the 14-horse field for the Mile. She’ll have regular rider Kent Desormeaux, also a Hall of Famer, attached. Nothing to Lose – Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s good-looking 4yo Nothing to Lose went trackside Friday just after 7 a.m. The homebred Sky Classic colt, a lukewarm 7-2 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Mile field of 14, had exercise rider Humberto Gomez up and Hall of Fame trainer Robert Frankel looking on as he completed his final serious leg-stretching prior to Saturday. Gomez backtracked Nothing to Lose from the 6f gap to the eighth pole on the one-mile oval, then turned him back, shifted him to the middle of the track and put him through a strong gallop of 1 1⁄2 miles. As the rider came back off following the exercise, he gave the trainer a positive nod. His horse had accomplished his move in fine style and all concerned could tell it. Later in the morning, back at the Frankel barn, the Ramseys, along with a contingent of friends, paid a visit. The trainer assured them that their horse had done well earlier and that he expected him to do well Saturday. “I’ll put him on the track for a short jog tomorrow morning,” Frankel said. “He’s all ready to go.” Silver Tree – A 12-1 shot on the Mile morning line, Silver Tree arrived at Lone Star Park from Louisville via a flight from Lexington about noon Thursday and got his first look at the oval Friday morning. With assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy aboard, Silver Tree jogged 3f and then galloped a mile. Asked how he thought the race would shape up, McCarthy said, “I imagine there will be a pretty good pace, and that should allow him to lay close without him having to do too much.” McCarthy noted that Silver Tree beat 7-2 early favorite Nothing to Lose in the Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga and then finished second to him in the Fourstardave Handicap at the same track. Silver Tree then was third behind Nothing to Lose in the Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland last time out. Silver Tree was scheduled to get “a little look” at the paddock later Friday. “He’s run so much it’s no big deal, but you’d hate to take him over on race day and be nervous because you didn’t take him over before,” McCarthy said. Singletary — Taking a cue from the Boston Red Sox’s dramatic and emotional World Series victory, Little Red Feather Racing majority owner Billy Koch wore a Singletary T-shirt Friday with the words, “Why Not Us?” Why not, indeed? The 15-to-1 shot in the morning line in a wide-open 14-horse field galloped on the turf Friday with exercise rider David Meah. “He takes hold of the track very well,” said Meah. “He’s enjoying it here.” Seemingly as pumped up as namesake linebacker Mike Singletary for the Super Bowl, the 4yo colt aggressively attacked the feed tub brought to him by groom Jose Garcia and tried to bite trainer Don Chatlos Jr., and Koch. Koch hopes the 4yo colt will behave like more of a gentleman Saturday. “He breaks between the two girls,” said Koch, noting he will be surrounded in post 10 by fillies Musical Chimes and defending champion Six Perfections. Six Perfections – Last year’s Mile
winner had a busy morning Friday as she breezed 3f on the turf course
and then took a walking tour of the Lone Star stable area. Last year, Six Perfections came into the Breeders’ Cup off a victory in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville. This year, she’s winless in three starts, and was second to Whipper (another Mile starter) in the Deauville race. “She’s had nearly the same preparation as last year,” said Alan Cooper, the racing manager for the Niarchos family, which owns the filly. “The difference is that last year, she was being trained for the classics, and started her season in April. This season she was not started until the end of May. “Physically, I think she’s stronger than she was last year,” Cooper said, “and mentally she’s in very good shape. She ran a very good race against Whipper, and she’s in very good form.” Jerry Bailey, who rode Six Perfections to victory last year, has the mount again as the filly bids to become the fourth dual winner of the Mile. Soaring Free – The Sam-Son Farm 5yo stretched his legs with a 1 1⁄4-miles gallop on the main track Friday morning. The son of Smart Strike, trained by Mark Frostad, comes into Saturday’s Mile off five straight victories, including the Atto Mile at Woodbine last out on Sept. 19. “He’s a very streaky horse, but in a good way,” Frostad said. “Last year he won five in a row before he was second in the Atto Mile.” Frostad booked Todd Kabel, Soaring Free’s regular rider this year, for the Breeders’ Cup mount. In last year’s Mile at Santa Anita, John Velazquez was aboard when Soaring Free finished fifth. “Todd’s been doing a great job with him,” Frostad said, “and he’s staying with the horse.” This will be Kabel’s sixth Breeders’ Cup mount and first since 1998, when he finished eighth aboard Kirby’s Song in the Distaff. His best finish was a second aboard Dawson’s Legacy in the 1997 Juvenile. Whipper — Trainer Robert Collet sent out Last Tycoon to win the 1986 Mile and pay $73.80. He has had only two Breeders’ Cup runners, both unplaced in 1994, in the intervening years. The Frenchman is back with Whipper, who went to the track at 8:30 Friday morning to canter on the dirt under Julien Auge. “He is very well and is proven on soft ground,” Collet said. “He can get sweaty at the start, but it doesn’t bother him. He should run well.” $1.5 million Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Afleet Alex – Upon returning Afleet Alex to his stall in Barn B3, trainer Tim Ritchey was the picture of comfort as he reclined in a lounge chair in the tack room, his legs stretched out and his hands raised to support his head. “I’m just enjoying the experience,” said Ritchey, clearly relaxed about his 2yo colt’s preparedness for the Bessemer Trust Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Afleet Alex, who will seek the third stakes victory of his young career in the Juvenile, is also able to take it easy when it comes to training. “He’s a very mild, easy going colt,” said Ritchey, who sent the son of Northern Afleet to the track for a mile gallop Friday morning. “It helps him, not just as a racehorse, but it will help him in his career.” Ritchey said he has not mapped out plans for next year’s campaign yet. “I always take it one race at a time,” said Ritchey, a prominent Mid-Atlantic trainer who will saddle his first Breeders’ Cup starter tomorrow. “After the Breeders’ Cup, we’ll figure it out and go from there.” Consolidator – Bob and Beverly Lewis’ Consolidator completed preparations for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with an early-morning gallop under exercise rider C.T. Lang. Rafael Bejarano, who rode Consolidator to victory in the Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland in his previous start, has the call Saturday and will break from post four in the eight-horse field. Trainer D. Wayne Lukas was asked how much Consolidator would have to improve off the Breeders’ Futurity to win Saturday. “Maybe not at all,” said Lukas, who has won a record 17 Breeders’ Cup races. “If he runs that same race back, I will be happy. No matter where that lands him on the leader board, I’ll be happy.” Proud Accolade – Exercise rider Judy Krajewski,
trainer Todd Pletcher’s right arm, saved her riding for Friday
morning, as she galloped the Juvenile contender 1 1/4 miles. “I went to Fort Worth for the press party (at Billy Bob's), and I was almost tempted to ride the mechanical bull,” she said. “But I saw that someone almost broke his hand, and I thought better of it. “I told Todd (Pletcher, trainer) that I didn't go on, and he said, ‘Good girl.’ Then I said, ‘What would you have done if I had come in here with a cast on my arm?’ Todd gave that look and said, ‘I would have killed you myself.’ ” Roman Ruler – A relaxed, easy-going Bob Baffert showed enthusiasm and confidence for his Juvenile runner, the probable favorite, following the colt’s 1 1⁄2 miles gallop on the main track, his second since arriving Wednesday. Eschewing the chance to brag on his two-time graded stakes winner, Baffert said calmly, “He’s a very nice horse. I don’t like to brag on my horses anymore. I don’t want to jinx them. One race at a time, that’s all you can do. I thought Vindication and Point Given were the ones, but it didn’t happen. So now I enjoy them while they’re great.” Greatness does seem possible for the son of Fusaichi Pegasus owned by David Shimmon’s and William Bianco’s Fog City Stable since he is a mere neck away from being unbeaten in four races. He lost to Declan’s Moon in the 7f Del Mar Futurity, but came back to post his third career win in Santa Anita’s Norfolk Stakes as his final step toward Saturday’s Juvenile. “We’re really enjoying this horse. He’s doing great. He’s a very talented horse, and the older he gets the better he’s going to be,” said Baffert who seems always to have the Kentucky Derby in his sights, with three victories to show for it. “I’m really excited about him,” Baffert continued. “He has a little bit of a mind of his own, but he’s getting better; he’s behaving better. I think he’s handling things pretty well. The only thing I worry about is his antics in the post parade. “I think he’s really matured in the last 30 days. We take him out with a lip chain, and that’s pretty severe for him, but he’s getting to the point where I don’t think he’s going to need that anymore. We were more worried about his antics than his racing, and now that we have that under control, we can treat him like a horse.” As for his general behavior, Baffert said, “We don’t let him get away with anything. He was spoiled at first, like a little child, but, unfortunately you can’t give a horse ‘time out.’ So we just work with him and let him know that he can be the boss when he’s running, but he’s not going to be the boss when he’s doing his morning exercises.” Baffert continues to worry just a bit about how the colt will bound out of the gate, knowing that if he repeats some of his Del Mar starts he could be in trouble. “The break is very important,” Baffert said. “He wasn’t breaking well at Del Mar, and I think a lot of that was Corey (rider Corey Nakatani). He was taking a lot of hold of him getting away from the gate, trying to get him to relax. He was riding him with a little too much confidence, and that’s what gets some of the good horses beat.” Scandinavia — John Magnier, head of Ireland’s potent Coolmore operation which will send five horses into Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup, was on the backstretch Friday morning with trainer Aidan O’Brien. “With the two-year-olds (Mona Lisa in the Juvenile Fillies) we’re taking a shot in the dark,” he said. “Scandinavia is dirt-bred, but when we came here with Johannesburg (won 2001 Juvenile), he had won a lot of Group Is and there’s no substitute for that. “We like to come here because our season is over in Europe and it didn’t get any better than winning with Johannesburg. It’s like a man who likes a drink … he needs more and more to get the same buzz.” Scandinavia broke his maiden in his third outing, then finished second in the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot in late September with another Juvenile entrant, Wilko, immediately behind him. Sun King – Trainer Nick Zito’s mood was subdued Friday morning. “I’m probably still bummed out about the filly,’’
said Zito, who was forced to declare In the Gold from the Juvenile
Fillies after she developed a fever Wednesday afternoon. “You have so many good things happening, you can’t let the disappointments bother you too much,’’ said Zito, who has enjoyed a career year this season. A couple of good things could be in store for Zito on Saturday, when he saddles Birdstone for the Classic and Sun King in the Juvenile. Sun King galloped 1 1/4 miles on a refreshingly cool Friday morning. The 2yo son of Charismatic, who will be ridden by Edgar Prado for the first time, finished a strong third in the Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park after pressing the pace throughout the 1 1/16 miles. “He’s an improving colt. The way he’s developing, he’s growing stronger every day,” said Zito. Twice Unbridled – The maiden son of Unbridled’s Song walked the shedrow Friday morning following his arrival from Southern California Thursday morning. Trainer Dan Jensen kept a close eye on the smallish colt as he made his turns around Barn E3. Of Twice Unbridled’s chances as a maiden against tested and stakes-running males in the Juvenile, Jensen said, “He’s got a lot of run in him. I’ve handled hundreds of babies over the years, and this colt has a kick that is just out of this world.” Jensen said he knew that the colt’s first race at 5 1/2 furlongs at Del Mar was not really a good distance for him, but he decided to put him in the race. “Just as I thought, he came running like gang-busters at the end. In his next race [a mile at Santa Anita], he was slammed two times after leaving the gate but still came running at the end. “If there’s a good pace in this race, they all better look out,” the trainer warned. Wilko — “He just galloped a mile and one-half on the dirt this morning,” said trainer Jeremy Noseda of his hope for the Juvenile. “He doesn’t really switch on until race day, so everything he has done here has been real easy. “He’s a good, solid, hard-knocking horse. He’s by Awesome Again so we came here to take a chance that he’ll take to the dirt. He’ll run a solid race and if he suddenly takes to the dirt, maybe he can move up and get a piece of it (the purse). “He’s run against some of the best two-year-olds in Europe and clearly on turf in England he’s seven to 10 pounds behind the top two-year-old. So you would expect he’s going to be seven to 10 pounds behind the top American two-year-old. We’re realistic about it.” Wilko, who finished third behind Perfectperformance and Juvenile entrant Scandinavia in his most recent outing in Ascot’s Royal Lodge Stakes, will go on to California after the Breeders’ Cup to be trained by Craig Dollase. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint Abbondanza – Owner Michael Ueltzen and trainer Tim Tullock termed Friday’s exercises by the Sprint longshot “saving energy.” The two-time stakes winner from the mid-Atlantic region jogged a mile on the Lone Star main track and strolled back in the shedrow. “He’s been getting better every day since we got here,” said Tullock. “His best two days have been his last two, and hopefully he can do even better (Saturday) and give those horses a run.” Ueltzen races under the nom de course Germania Farms and was eager to send over the biggest star in his family’s 27-year racing history. “When we picked this horse out it was actually a rare unanimous decision for Tim and I,” said Ueltzen. “He didn’t go all that fast at the sale, but we both agreed this horse just had a wonderful way of moving. His action was just so perfect. I’ve had some pretty good horses, but none as good as him. He’s the thrill-maker.” Bwana Charlie—Exercise rider Carmen Rosas schooled Bwana Charlie in the starting gate Friday morning and then galloped him for a half mile. “He was upset that he didn’t get to break from the gate,” said Rosas. “But he’s doing fine.” Bwana Charlie is to be ridden by jockey Richard Migliore, who was taken to North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. after being unseated from his mount prior to the fourth race at Aqueduct. Fortunately, he was not injured and is due to arrive in Dallas today. (For more info on Migliore, see Artie Schiller in Mile) Trainer Steve Asmussen expressed little concern over the issue, saying, “Everything seems to be good.” Migliore has ridden in 10 Breeders’ Cup races over the years, but has yet to win one of the Championship events. The jockey rode Bwana Charlie once, a third-place effort at Saratoga in July 2003. Asmussen said that Bwana Charlie will jog on the morning of the race. “He is a very physical horse. He needs to do a little something (exercise) so he doesn’t hurt himself in the stall.” Cajun Beat – Padua Stables and Joe and John Iracane’s Cajun Beat, the defending champ in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, turned in his final bit of serious exercise for this year’s renewal of the 6f race Friday morning at approximately 6:35 under the spotlights at Lone Star Park. The husky Grand Slam gelding, who was an upstart 3yo when he won last year’s edition of the Sprint at Santa Anita by 2 1⁄4 lengths, had exercise rider Humberto Gomez up and stablemate Midas Eyes – also a Sprint entrant – at his flank as he headed through the 6f gap to begin his drill. Looking on was his trainer – Hall of Famer Robert Frankel, who had taken up a spot on the backside right next to the gap – and one of his owners, Padua owner Satish Sanan, who watched from the frontside near the finish line. Gomez backtracked Cajun Beat to the five-eighths pole, then turned him and shifted to the middle of the track to begin a 10-furlong gallop. The Kentucky-bred sprint specialist accomplished his maneuver with enthusiasm and drew a positive report upon his return. “He went well and changed leads perfectly,” Gomez noted for Frankel as he headed back to the barn. Frankel noted that the Cajun Beat would have a short jog on race morning to keep him loose. Cornelio Velasquez rides, coming out of post No. 11 in the 13-horse field. Champali—Exercise rider Bryan Theall took Champali on a 45-minute tour of the Lone Star stable area, a practice known as “hacking.” The “Champ” noticeably enjoyed the exercise, getting a break from his usual gallops in preparation for the Sprint. He will simply walk the shedrow on the morning of the Breeders’ Cup. “We’re just looking for a good break, a good spot and a clean trip,” said trainer Greg Foley of what is always a very competitive race. Champali is named after boxing legend Muhammad Ali, a native of Louisville, Ky. Co-owner Tim Sweeney explained that one of the partners in the Lloyd Madison Farms IV LLC, Fred Schwartz, named the son of Glitterman. “It was right when that movie ‘Ali’ was in the theaters. Muhammed is aware that this horse is named for him. He’s been invited to races when he runs, but the Parkinson’s (disease) keeps him from doing so. But his people tell us that he is aware of and follows the horse.” The owners have named another racehorse after a Louisville native. She is an unraced 2yo filly named Jennierees, whose namesake, Jennie Rees, is the turf writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal. Clock Stopper—The Dallas Stewart-trained gelding schooled in the paddock and galloped on Friday morning, his final preparations for the Sprint. The off-the-pace runner will be looking for his first win since June, although he’s been ever-so-close in his last four starts. “Sometimes the leaders just don’t stop,” said Stewart. For sure, Clock Stopper will be running fast late; it will just be a question of whether he can catch the frontrunners just before the finish line. Lit de Justice (1996) and Elmhurst (1997) were two come-from-behind runners that have won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. It is indeed a challenge for a horse with that running style to win at six furlongs. Riding Clock Stopper will be Pat Day, the leading Breeders’ Cup jockey by money won with $22,913,360 in purses. He has won 12 Breeders’ Cup races, but has never won the Sprint. He is the only jockey to have participated in every Breeders’ Cup since the championship day’s inception in 1984. According to Equibase, through Oct. 24, Day has won 8,752 races for earnings of $294,855,257. That makes him the all-time leader for money won and third in the all-time wins category, behind Laffit Pincay Jr. (retired) and the late Bill Shoemaker. Day has five mounts on Breeders’ Cup day, including the call on Azeri in the Classic. Cuvee — Named after a fine champagne, Cuvee was sparkling in his one-mile gallop at Lone Star on Friday morning. “He is so easy to train,” said exercise rider Carmen Rosas, who has been getting on Cuvee for three days since the colt’s arrival from Kentucky on Tuesday. “I’ve never been on such a nice horse. He’s all business. Steve (trainer Steve Asmussen) told me before he got here, ‘Just wait until you get on Cuvee, you won’t like Bwana Charlie as much anymore.’ ” Not to say that Bwana Charlie isn’t a nice horse, explained Rosas. “They are simply different. They have completely different styles.” The Sprint will be Cuvee’s second appearance in the Breeders’ Cup. He was the favorite in the 2003 Juvenile, but finished last. Soon afterward, he had surgery to remove a chip in his knee. He has raced twice since then, both times finishing second in Kentucky stakes at the 6f distance. He will be ridden by Robby Albarado, who has participated in the Breeders’ Cup four times. His best finish was in the 2002 Juvenile Fillies aboard Westerly Breeze, a sixth-place effort. Gold Storm – After two days walking trainer Bubba Cascio’s shedrow, the local longshot in the Sprint was coiled like a spring when back on the track Friday morning for a mile-long gallop. “He got out there and turned and kicked like a two-year-old and nearly dropped me,” said exercise rider Dewey Smith. “That son of a gun is on tilt. Those horses in there better pack a lunch.” Smith was able to stay in the saddle and report back to Cascio, who continues to host a steady stream of well-wishers as the veteran of Quarter Horse racing’s biggest events takes a swing at the biggest thoroughbred race of his long career. “I’m thankful that were going to get to run in the Breeders’ Cup,” said Cascio. “I wanted to say we’re lucky to be here, but that’s not right. This horse has earned the right to be here.” Kela — Trainer Mike Mitchell has not said a word to Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey, who will climb aboard Kela for the first time Saturday. And he doesn’t plan to give him many last-minute instructions. “A couple of years ago, I saw that Bailey was coming to ride a stake at Santa Anita, and called his agent, Ron Anderson, to ask if he could ride in an earlier race for me,” said Mitchell. Anderson took the call. “I was so surprised,” said Mitchell of their first meeting just before the race. “He had it all figured out. He said exactly what I was going to tell him. He had read the Form. He does his homework. I will have little to say to him before the Sprint.” Kela jogged two miles under exercise rider Jorge Alvarez on Friday and will school Saturday at 10:30, according to Mitchell. Kela, who came from well off the pace to sweep the Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien handicaps at Del Mar in his last two starts, is expected to be near the back of the pack in the early going. “If speed is sticking, the jocks on the speed horses will send even more,” said Mitchell, not worried about the race being stolen. “Five or six horses have speed, and the scenario could set up for a horse coming out of it no matter what the speed bias is.” Midas Eyes – Edmund Gann’s colt Midas Eyes moved through the dark at 6:35 Friday morning, heading from Barn B2 to the Lone Star racetrack with some leg-stretching on his agenda. The 4yo son of Touch Gold has an appointment in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint, a 6f spin that has drawn 13 runners, including his Bobby Frankel-trained stablemate Cajun Beat. Cajun Beat joined Midas Eyes for the Friday exercise, each with their regular exercise riders aboard– Nuno Santos on Midas Eyes and Humberto Gomez on Cajun Beat. Frankel joined the pair to observe as they eased through the six-furlong gap and began their drills. Midas Eyes backtracked all the way around to the five-eighths pole, then turned and shifted to the middle of the strip to commence a robust gallop of 10 furlongs. Santos had a good hold on the Florida-bred bay and a good report for Frankel as he came off the track: “He liked it, Bobby; he liked the track,” the exercise rider said. Frankel said Midas Eyes, winner of the Forego Handicap at Saratoga in his most recent start, would go for a short jog Saturday morning prior to his start in the Sprint. The horse has drawn the outside No.13 post and will be handled by Edgar Prado. My Cousin Matt – A two-mile jog was the Friday morning prescription for the veteran sprinter representing owner Richard Englander. John Martin, a trainer at Bay Meadows, is deputizing for regular trainer Jeff Mullins, who is in the midst of moving his family into a new home in Southern California. Martin trains a half-dozen Englander horses in Northern California. Our New Recruit — The 5yo horse galloped 1 1/8 miles on the main track under exercise rider Jose Lopez Alferez. “He’s very low key until it’s time to perform,” said trainer John Sadler. The blocky chestnut, nicknamed “Gordo” in the barn, is a son of Alphabet Soup, winner of the 1996 Classic. Jockey Tyler Baze, who turned 22 on Oct. 19, seeks to become the youngest jockey to win a Breeders’ Cup race. Walter Guerra was also 22, but slightly older, when he won the 1984 Juvenile Fillies on Outstandingly. Pt’s Grey Eagle – “He’s coming into this race really well,” said trainer Craig Dollase, regarding his winner of Santa Anita’s Ancient Title Breeders’ Cup Handicap. The 3yo son of Pleasant Tap galloped 1 1/8 miles Friday morning on the main track as he moved one step closer to his Saturday date in the 6f Sprint. “I’m hoping for a brisk pace, because my horse comes from off the pace,” the trainer said. “It looks like Speightstown is committed to go to the lead from the inside post. Maybe that will get the pace going.” Speightstown – Like the others in trainer Todd Pletcher's barn, the Sprint contender did little more than gallop on the main track Friday. “He’s breaking from post 2, which is not my preference, because it might force him to go early,” Pletcher said. “It's a tough race, but he is a tough horse and he fits with all of these.” $1 million VO5 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf Aubonne – The well-traveled filly was out on the main track for a one-mile canter Friday morning with exercise rider Emmanuel Poirier aboard. Gary Tanaka owns the German-bred daughter of Monsun, who has raced in Germany, Italy, France and the U.S. during her 12-race career. In her most recent start, Aubonne finished fifth after a troubled trip in the Flower Bowl Invitational at Belmont on Oct. 2. “She’s fresh coming into this race because of that,” said trainer Eric Libaud. “The jockey (Jose Santos) was never able to ask her for anything. He had to take back twice in the stretch and never saw an opening to drive her through.” Aubonne won the La Coupe at Longchamp in June before shipping to the U.S. for the Beverly D at Arlington in August. She finished sixth after setting much of the pace. “She is usually taken back after the start,” Libaud said, “but she broke so well that day that the jockey (Edgar Prado) kept her in front. It was out of character for her, and she tired at the end.” For Aubonne’s third U.S. start, Libaud has chosen Jerry Bailey to ride. Film Maker – After her campaign was interrupted by a bout with colic during the summer, Film Maker will be making her third start Saturday since returning to action in September. “She gives me every indication that she’ll be at her best in her third start back,’’ said trainer Graham Motion, whose 4yo filly finished third in the Glens Falls Handicap at Saratoga and a close fourth in the Flower Bowl at Belmont Park in her two most recent starts in which she was beaten by a length or less. John Velazquez will ride Film Maker for the first time in the Filly & Mare Turf, which has boosted Motion’s optimism concerning his filly’s chance to pull off an upset Saturday. “John Velazquez is a phenomenal grass rider and, obviously, a big-race jockey,’’ said Motion, who collected his first career Grade I success with Film Maker in last year’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Keeneland. Katdogawn/Moscow Burning — Trainer Jim Cassidy was on the scene with the 4yo fillies for the first morning after arriving Thursday afternoon from England following several days at the Tattersalls Sale. Katdogawn galloped on the turf course and Moscow Burning on the dirt, both with exercise rider Nick Esler. “If the girls run their races, they’ll show themselves very well,” said Cassidy. “Of course, at a mile and three-eighths, anything can happen.” Cassidy, in his first Breeders’ Cup, will start two of the biggest bargains on the card. Katdogawn was purchased for $16,000 at the Tattersalls Sale two years ago. Moscow Burning was claimed for $25,000 in August 2003. Moscow Burning, the only California-bred entered on the Breeders’ Cup card, seeks to join two-time Classic winner Tiznow as the only Cal-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race. Cassidy was joined by Deron Pearson, a co-owner of Katdogawn who accompanied him to England with another partner, Jim Ford. Cassidy bought seven horses at Tattersalls for nearly $1 million for the Ford-Pearson partnership, including sale topper Moth Ball, a 2yo colt who could make his United States debut in the Generous Stakes at Hollywood Park on Nov. 27. Light Jig – Juddmonte Farms’ Light Jig, a winner of four of six starts in California this year, took her final major exercise Friday morning for her date in Saturday’s Filly & Mare Turf at Lone Star Park in Breeders’ Cup No. 21. The daughter of super sire Danehill went trackside under exercise rider Humberto Gomez shortly after the track reopened following the 8 a.m. renovation break. Her trainer, Robert Frankel, stood trackside by the 6f gap to observe her going through her business. As instructed, Gomez backtracked the 4yo filly to the eighth pole,
then turned her and shifted to the middle of the track for a full
tour of the strip and then some that ended at the five-eighths pole.
The 1 1⁄2-mile move drew a positive response from rider to
trainer as he returned his horse to the barn. “She’s
ready, Bobby” Gomez stated. “She’s been a pleasant surprise,” Frankel stated. “She didn’t do all that much over in Europe (one win in seven starts), but she’s responded well here. She’s got that good breeding – like most of the Juddmontes do – and she came to me sound. She’s just gotten better as the year has gone along and she should run a good race tomorrow.” The trainer indicated he’ll jog Light Jig lightly Saturday morning. The filly will have Rene Douglas in the saddle for the 11-furlong Filly & Mare Turf. They’ll start from post position No. 7 in the 12-horse field. Megahertz – Michael Bello’s Megahertz, the little mare with the big late run, did some galloping at Lone Star Park Friday just prior to 9 a.m. in her final preparations for her start Saturday in the Filly & Mare Turf at 11 furlongs. The chestnut daughter of the English sire Pivotal took exercise rider Humberto Gomez on a 1 1⁄2 mile of the Texas oval, starting at the eighth pole and finishing at the five-eighths the second time around. The 12-panel spin drew the comment “She’s happy” from Gomez to Frankel as he walked her off, holding tight to the bouncing chestnut who obviously was enjoying being back at the racetrack following an extended break. “She might be my surprise horse tomorrow,” Frankel said. “I’ve been known to do some good with horses coming back off layoffs. It (the layoff) is really not that big a deal. She needed it and she ran in May (May 31), which is not that long (of a layoff) for a horse of mine. I’ve kept them away a lot longer than that and had them come back and win. She has class and she fits with this kind. She could run big.” The trainer said that – unlike his other five Breeders’ Cup starters, who will all turn in short gallops Saturday morning – Megahertz would merely walk the shedrow. “She gets a little cranked up if you put her on the track race day,” he noted. Corey Nakatani will ride Megahertz for the first time Saturday as they break from post No. 10 in the 12-horse field. Ouija Board — Lord Derby’s homebred went to the turf Friday morning under her Saturday rider, Kieren Fallon, where the dogs were up. She cantered around the turn to the delight of her owner. “Kieren said one word, ‘great,’ and that one word is good enough for me,” Lord Derby said. “The track has obviously dried out a lot in the last 24 hours. Fillies can go in their coats at this time of year but she’s still looking fantastic. Kieren has ridden her so well all season and we’re delighted to have him back on her. “When she broke her maiden exactly a year ago - it was on our (wedding) anniversary - we had no idea we would be standing in Texas 12 months later with a dual classic winner. “The course is spongier than we’re used to in Europe and is cut a lot shorter, but it’s a bad workman that blames his tools. The ground is good and it’s a fair piece of turf for everyone.” Fallon noted that Ouija had “jinked” a little when cantering. “It was only because the course was dolled (dogs) out too far and you couldn’t get around them,” he said. “There wasn’t much room. The important thing is she’s very relaxed.” Riskaverse – Trainer Pat Kelly’s Flower Bowl winner galloped riderless with a pony once around the Lone Star Park oval Friday morning. “She had a nice little hack. Had a look around, checked things out,” Kelly said. “Everything’s on schedule at this point.” Before she went to the track, Riskaverse played around in her stall, nipping at groom Rosando Lopez, who has been with the 5yo mare since she was 2. A couple weeks ago, she bit him hard, and he’s still wearing a Band-Aid on the wound. “She has to have attention all the time,” Lopez said. When Lopez walked away from the webbing for a minute, she stuck her nose and one foot outside the stall and got down low enough to grab a bit of hay that she wasn’t supposed to have until later. “That’s a good sign,” Kelly said. “She’s hungry.” Shaconage – The gray 4yo filly spent Friday morning in busy Barn B3 walking the shedrow after getting a feel for the turf course Thursday. Trainer Mitch Shirota planned the easy morning ahead of time and might let her jog Saturday if she needs to blow off some steam ahead of her date in the Filly & Mare Turf. Super Brand – The runner-up in the WinStar Galaxy at Keeneland Oct. 10 galloped 11⁄4 miles under the flood lights early Friday morning ahead of the Filly & Mare Turf. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin was looking forward to seeing the South African-bred mare work from the rail in the 1 3/8-miles turf contest under Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day. “She has some speed and going that distance she’ll show more speed,” said McLaughlin. “She drew very well so hopefully she’ll be able to follow one or two, but that’s why you employ the best riders you can and Pat Day will work out a good trip. At least we’re on the rail.” Wonder Again—Joan and John Phillips’ 5yo mare Wonder Again galloped 1 1⁄4 miles at Lone Star on Friday morning. She will jog on Saturday morning, an attempt to “keep her loose, because she can get a little cranky,” according to trainer Jimmy Toner. “She has really matured, though,” added Toner. “As a 3yo, she didn’t handle things as well and she’s gotten that reputation for being nervous. But she’s been doing beautifully since she’s been here.” The trainer walked the Lone Star turf course for himself on Thursday. “It’s not hard at all, in fact it’s a little spongy and has some give to it,” he said, sounding pleased. Wonder Again has won two major stakes over courses listed as yielding or soft. Toner currently trains a couple other horses for the Phillips, who operate the famed Darby Dan Farm in Lexington, Ky. “They have a lot of nice horses,” said Toner of the Phillips. “You couldn’t go to the sales and buy horses like that, they have that back Darby Dan breeding. I feel very fortunate to have a relationship with them.” As for the running of the Filly & Mare Turf, Toner expects jockey Edgar Prado to, “take a hold into the first turn and to settle in. The 1 3/8 miles here, with three turns, will be a more compact race than, say, at Belmont. The whole thing is saving as much ground as you can. And you better be in position when turning down the lane.” As for what can get Wonder Again defeated on Saturday, Toner replied, “I got post 12 and Ouija Board (8-5 morning line favorite). What else could you ask for?” Yesterday — Aidan O’Brien thinks Ballydoyle’s
best chance for a winner on Saturday is Powerscourt (Turf), according
to Coolmore boss John Magnier. Yesterday, who galloped on the turf under Keith Dalton Friday morning, finished third in the Filly & Mare Turf last year. The last two winners of the Filly & Mare Turf, Islington and Starine, both won the race at their second attempt. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Balletto – The Frizette winner, 5-1 third choice on the morning line for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, galloped 1 1⁄4 miles at Lone Star Park Friday. “It’s going to be the most difficult place to be,” trainer Tom Albertrani said, referring to the strength and balance of the field. “We’re facing the best tomorrow. “We’re doing good and I’m pretty confident she’s going to run her race. We just need a little racing luck. “Sense of Style and Sweet Catomine are the two main players and we ran second to Sense of Style (in the Matron at Belmont Park). Our filly ran very well. She lost ground at the quarter pole, she had problems getting through. When she did get through and changed leads, she was gaining some ground late.” Culinary – Jack H. Smith III Thoroughbreds’ Culinary galloped 1 1⁄4 miles and visited the paddock before the renovation break Friday morning under exercise rider Rolando Rodriguez. The undefeated El Amante filly will break from post five in the 13-horse Juvenile Fillies field under Carlos Marquez Jr. Michael Stidham, who will be saddling his first Breeders’ Cup starter, was asked how he would like to see the race develop for Culinary. “I’d like to see her get some decent position and not get shoved out the backdoor to where she is not able to make up ground and get discouraged,” Stidham said. “Hopefully she can maintain a little bit of position without being rushed and get a good trip. “Then we will just see if she is good enough. To this point, there are three or four horses that are just faster than she is. She’s got to step up to see if she is good enough to run with these.” Culture Clash – Everest Stables’ Culture Clash, the 2yo who will be making the third start of her career in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, turned in her final major leg-stretching for the Friday morning when she went trackside at 7:30 and galloped a 1 3/8 miles. The homebred daughter of Petionville was led through her exercises by her regular a.m. pilot, Jenny Jonson, as her trainer, Marcelo Polanco, looked on. “She went good,” Jonson said. “I’m going to school her in the paddock after the works and before the races today,” Polanco added. Kerwin John will ride Culture Clash Saturday breaking from post No. 11. Dance Away Capote – Trainer Graham Motion schooled the 2yo daughter of Capote in the paddock before sending her to the track for a 1 5/8-miles gallop in preparation for the Juvenile Fillies. “She can be a bit of a handful in the paddock,’’ Motion said. “My big concern is how she’ll handle the paddock and how wound up she’ll get on a day when there are so many people and so much activity.’’ Yet, Motion takes comfort in Dance Away Capote’s ability to settle down when it comes time to get serious on the track. “She’s probably mature beyond her age the way she handles training,’’ he said. “She’s mature mentally, if not physically. In this particular race, it’s an advantage to have had two two-turn races,’’ said Motion, whose filly broke her maiden by 12 lengths in the one-mile Irish Sonnet Stakes at Delaware and finished a close fourth from an outside post in the Alcibiades at Keeneland. “It’s the first time she’s had a good post position,’’ said Motion, noting that his filly will be inside Sweet Catomine (No. 10) and Sense of Style (No. 9), the top two fillies in the morning line, respectively. Higher World – The daughter of Peaks and Valleys had an easy morning as she took a bath and then walked under the shedrow in Barn C3. Although the filly is one of the longest shots in the field at 30-1 on the morning line, trainer Mark Casse has high hopes. “I may be hunting bear with a switch,” the trainer said, “but I don’t think so. From what I’ve seen, she can run. That last race (a victory in the Mazarine Stakes) was slow, but all the races that day were slow. I could be wrong and she could run last, but I’m expecting a good effort.” Higher World has a crazy quilt roan coat with red, gray, black and white hairs arranged in haphazard fashion. “She gets that from Holy Bull (sire of her dam Sarah’s World),” Casse said. “I think he’s going to be a great broodmare sire.” The filly is owned by Sal and Colleen Simeone, who have a software business in New York. They have owned horses for just 14 months, and this is their first Breeders’ Cup starter. Patrick Husbands, who has been aboard in all of her races, has the mount. Mona Lisa — Giant’s Causeway finished second in the 2000 Classic for trainer Aidan O’Brien and is the sire of Mona Lisa, who he hopes will become the first European runner to win the Juvenile Fillies. Mona Lisa cantered on the dirt Friday morning under exercise rider Seamus Brady. Coolmore boss John Magnier was on the backstretch Friday morning and admitted it was a big ask. “With the two-year-olds (Scandinavia in the Juvenile) we’re taking a shot in the dark,” he said. “The filly is just a maiden but she ran well at Ascot (Fillies Mile) and could have finished closer.” Play With Fire – The Mark Hennig trainee, 15-1 on the morning line, galloped once around the Lone Star Park track Friday morning. “She’s doing great. She’s sharp. She seems to have adjusted very well,” Hennig said. The former Wayne Lukas assistant is trying to look at the bright side of drawing the extreme outside post in the field of 13. “Obviously it’s not ideal, but I’d rather be way outside than way in. And I’ve got a great jockey (Pat Day) to handle that position.” Hennig did not plan to school Play With Fire in the paddock. “I’ve never schooled her before,” he said. “It’s not a problem. She handled Saratoga on opening day and that was the first time we ever ran her.” Play With Fire won that maiden special weight by 2 1⁄4 lengths. Runway Model – With exercise rider Georgia
Jackson up, Runway Model galloped two miles and schooled in the
paddock before the renovation break. “I’d like to get a real fast pace and manage to get to the point where we can get clear somewhere down the lane,” Flint said. Rafael Bejarano, who was aboard Runway Model for the first time when she won the Oct. 8 Alcibiades at Keeneland, has the call Saturday and will break from post four in the 13-horse field. “The best horse won that day,” Flint said of the Alcibiades. “I know (Patrick) Biancone said his horse (Sense of Style) had trouble in the race, but so did we. Saturday, the proof will be in the pudding. “I look for my filly to run well. I have never seen the horse that won the Alcibiades be 12-to-1 coming into the Breeders’ Cup. It amazes me. The odds on her are unbelievable. We’ve got the experience. We’ve got the best prep. I think we’ve got a sound horse and I think we got a great chance of winning it.” Sense of Style – The 7-2 second choice on the morning line for the Juvenile Fillies jogged 1 1⁄2 miles and visited the Lone Star Park paddock with trainer Patrick Biancone Friday. “Like usual,” said assistant trainer Cyril Desplanques. “They look great,” Desplanques said, referring to Sense of Style and Turf starter Magistretti. Sharp Lisa – Though making only her third career start and second for trainer Doug O’Neill, the 2yo Dixieland Band filly has a solid runner-up performance in Keeneland’s Alcibiades Stakes and crisp training up to Saturday’s Juvenile Fillies date. She galloped 1 1⁄2 miles Friday under regular exercise rider Juan Martinez as her work came to an end for the race. Her performance in the Alcibiades, which followed a 6 1/2-length maiden victory at Calder Race Course Sept. 12, earned her a ticket to the Juvenile Fillies. She was bought by J. Paul Reddam and Suarez Racing following the maiden win and was shipped to O’Neill’s Hollywood Park headquarters. O’Neill, whose wife delivered the family’s second child on Tuesday, will not be at Lone Star to saddle Sharp Lisa, turning that duty over to his assistant, Leandro Mora, who is scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon. Sis City – The Juvenile Fillies hopeful continues to be a very quiet and cool customer after two trips to the Lone Star Park main track including Friday’s easy gallop and gate schooling session. Assistant trainer Ricardo Rosas sent the daughter of Slew City Slew to gallop a mile then jog back to the finish wire before checking in with the starter. Through it all, Sis City has been very calm and easy going but alert. “She was a little tired yesterday after her trip, but today she’s come right back,” said Rosas, who has worked for trainer Richard Dutrow for six years. “She’s a very calm filly.” Dutrow and the owners of Sis City, Sandy Goldfarb, New York Yankees manager Joe Torre and Michael Dubb, will start the veteran mare Childress in a race at Aqueduct Friday afternoon. Beyond that, travel plans had not been finalized, although Goldfarb will very likely be on hand. Torre’s plans were not clear. Dutrow may stay behind in New York, in which case his friend Bobby Frankel will saddle the filly on Saturday. Sweet Catomine — In midsummer at Hollywood Park, owner-breeder Marty Wygod had high hopes for a first champion. In July, he raved about the training of a 2yo filly about to make her debut. But her name was Proposed, not Sweet Catomine. The precocious Proposed grabbed the stable attention while the later-developing Sweet Catomine, bred and built for longer distances, was just getting warmed up at the end of short works. A new stable star emerged at Del Mar Aug. 28 when Sweet Catomine rallied from far back to win the 7f Del Mar Debutante as a maiden in her second start. Proposed prompted the pace in the same race before tiring in the stretch and came out of it with a knee injury that required surgery that will sideline her until this winter. Sweet Catomine was even more impressive in her next start in the 1 1/16 miles Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita, winning by a widening four lengths for Wygod and his wife, Pam. Wygod seemed unconcerned with the filly’s post after she drew 10 and was established as the morning line favorite. “It she runs her race, the post shouldn’t make much difference,” said Wygod. “Her dam (a stakes winner named Sweet Life) could run all day.” Wygod will be represented in the Juvenile Fillies for the first time since he and partner Herman Sarkowsky owned Pirate’s Glow in the 1984 inaugural at Hollywood Park. Sixth on the outside at the top of the stretch, Pirate’s Glow was knocked off stride by Fran’s Valentine and faded to 10th. Fran’s Valentine was disqualified for interference and placed 10th, with Pirate’s Glow moved to ninth. The Wygods have had four other Breeders’ Cup starters since, their best finish a fourth by Exotic Wood in the 1997 Sprint. Sweet Catomine, trained by Julio Canani, galloped Friday with exercise rider Jose Dominguez. |
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