Breeder's Cup Distaff Friday notes and quotes from Del Mar

Here are notes and quotes from Friday morning at Del Mar looking ahead to Saturday's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Alice Verite

Trainer: Kazuya Nakatake 

Jockey: Kyle Frey 

Morning activity: One-lap canter. 

The quote: “We’ve made it this far smoothly, and I’m truly grateful to everyone involved. I  hope we can get a better result than last year’s fourth.” – stable representative Yohsitake Hashida 

Clicquot, Gin Gin

Trainer: Brendan Walsh 

Jockey: Luis Saez, Flavien Prat 

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/2 miles on the dirt course; Gin Gin paddock schooled a second time the  previous day. 

Planned activity: Race day. 

The quote: “All good.” – Brendan Walsh 

Dorth Vader 

Trainer: George Weaver 

Jockey: John Velazquez 

Morning activity: Galloped on the main track. 

Planned activity: Gallop on main track.

The quote: “She’s good. She did her usual gallop and everything’s great.” – Blair Golen, assistant to Weaver 

Dry Powder 

Trainer: Chad Summers 

Jockey: Antonio Fresu 

Morning activity: Walked shedrow.  

Planned activity: Walk shedrow.  

The quote: “Nobody has picked us, but we’re used to it. We’ve done it before, and we’ll do it again. At the end of the day, you have to worry about your horse, and she’s giving us all the right signs that I need to see. At the end of the day, whatever happens in the race is going to happen.”  – Chad Summers 

Gun Song

Trainer: Mark Hennig 

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione 

Morning activity: Jogged under Gregory Benitez. 

Planned activity: Will jog Saturday morning. 

The quote: “I hope she gets a good break and a clean trip. I hope there is enough pace up there so a horse can’t lope around there on their own like what happened last year (when Thorpedo Anna set slow fractions on an uncontested lead).” – Mark Hennig 

Majestic Oops

Trainer: Dan Ward 

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli 

Morning activity: Galloped one mile.

Planned activity: Will walk in morning before the race. 

The quote: “She’s perfect, happy as can be.” – Dan Ward 

Nitrogen 

Trainer: Mark Casse 

Jockey: Jose Ortiz 

Morning activity: Galloped once around.

The quote: Trainer Mark Casse and D.J. Stable are in the midst of career-best years, partly because of the success they have had with Nitrogen, who began the year as one of the top 3-year-old grass runners but is ending the year as one of the favorites for the Distaff.  “He's not afraid to try different things. He's not afraid to not succeed. But if we don't succeed in one of our experiments, we learn from it, and hopefully that makes it a better program going forward.” – owner Jon Green, D.J. Stable, talking about Casse. D.J. Stable has won 48 races this year, and 37 of their winners were trained by Casse. 

Regaled 

Trainer: Whit Beckman 

Jockey: Joe Ramos 

Morning activity: Galloped under Josue Rodriguez.

Planned activity: Will not go the track Saturday morning. 

The quote: “She has had three races with us and has not gotten a race to set up for her. Not the Groupie Doll, not the Locust Grove (G2) or the Delaware Handicap (G3). I would love to see fractions of 22 and 46 and more than one horse doing that. One horse could do that easily on her own.” – Whit Beckman 

Sarawak Rim

Trainer: Ignacio Correas IV 

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr. 

Morning activity: Jogged under Geovanny Vences. 

Planned activity: Might jog in the morning.

The quote: Sarawak Rim will be the final starter for 66-year-old Ignacio Correas IV, who is retiring after Saturday’s Distaff and returning to his native Argentina. What would it take for Correas to ride off into the sunset with a second Distaff victory? 

“She is going to have to step up big time, and I think she is going to run a big race. But then all of them in the race will have to step up too,” Correas said. “As for me, I haven’t thought that much about it (saddling his final runner). I am just preparing her the best I can.” 

Scylla 

Trainer: Bill Mott 

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/4 miles with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky up.

Planned activity: TBD.

The quote: “She has to have a good trip and not get hung too wide anywhere. She has drawn inside (4), so she should not have a problem. The first turn should not be an issue. I have to find a bright spot in this whole thing (with Classic favorite Sovereignty scratching), and it has to be her. We  feel pretty good about her. She is coming off a good race (third in the Spinster, G1). She could improve a little bit, and she’ll have to. If she does, I don’t think she is that far off with the rest of the group. I don’t see a Thorpedo Anna in there. There is nothing in here that is as accomplished as her.” – Bill Mott 

Seismic Beauty

Trainer: Bob Baffert 

Jockey: Juan Hernandez 

Morning activity: Galloped.

The quote: “Just need her to run her race. She will have to bring her ‘A’ game, like all of them have to. She has to break clean and get in a nice rhythm. That’s all you can ask for.” – Bob  Baffert