Breeders' Cup Distaff notes: Wonder Gadot takes flight in training
Wonder Gadot displayed exuberance in her Tuesday exercise in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Distaff, adding some playful leaps to her gallop. Trainer Mark Casse said Canada’s champion filly simply thrives on racing.
“She does that when she is feeling good,” he said. “She is all business the rest of the time, but she just gets excited when she is training. She had a spirited gallop on Monday and her work (last week when she breezed a half-mile in 47 flat at Churchill, the best of 37 at the distance) was perfect.”
Casse is looking forward to Wonder Gadot’s return to Churchill.
“We know she loves Churchill,” he said. “The best race she ever ran was when she was second to Monomoy Girl in the Kentucky Oaks. Her last race wasn’t great (third in the Cotillion at Parx Racing on Sept. 22) but maybe she did not care for the track which was loose in parts.”
Named for Gal Gadot, the actress who portrays Wonder Woman in the movie. The last syllable of Gadot is pronounced “dut” and does not rhyme with “doe.”
“She just amazes me,” Casse said. “After she worked on Oct. 25 I was walking her and five minutes later she was jumping with all four feet off the ground and kicking. She has a lot of energy. That is just her. It is not something you can train into them. They either have it or they don’t. She is a rare individual.”
Blue Prize a "very honest" contender
Blue Prize comes into the Distaff fresh off her Spinster Stakes victory at Keeneland on Oct. 7. It was her second “Win and You're In” score, as she also captured the Fleur de Lis Handicap at Breeders' Cup host track Churchill Downs on June 16.
The Spinster was the first Grade 1 win in the United States for both Blue Prize and for her Argentine-born trainer, Ignacio Correas IV. Blue Prize won a Group One in her home country in October of 2016 before shipping to the states.
The 5-year-old Pure Prize mare drew post 10 of 11 in the Distaff, and Correas said the post was fine both with him and jockey Joe Bravo, who rode her to victory in the Spinster and will be aboard her again Saturday.
“It's good,” said Correas. “It will give us the opportunity to see where the other ones go and be able to pick our spot. I was texting with Joe, and he was very happy. If he's happy, I'm happy.”
As to strategy in the Distaff, “We'll let her do her thing,” he said. “She's probably going to sit, two, three, four lengths off the pace and we'll see what happens.”
Blue Prize has put together an amazing year, with four wins and second from six starts. The only blemish came in her seasonal debut, when she was seventh (8 ¾ lengths) in the Azeri at Oaklawn on St. Patrick's Day.
“She's had an amazing career and a great year for us. She's helped us a lot,” Correas said. “She likes to win. She delivers always -- almost always, she failed a bit at Oaklawn.”
The loss at Oaklawn is the only time she's failed to hit the board. She's won seven and run second three times and third once from 16 life time starts. Her career earnings stand at $964,753 heading into the Distaff.
“She always shows up and she always runs her eyeballs out,” Correas said. “She's very honest.”
Blue Prized jogged a mile and a quarter the wrong way this morning at Keeneland under regular exercise rider Memo Maya.
She is scheduled to gallop very early tomorrow before getting on a van to Churchill at 6:45 a.m.
“She'll gallop tomorrow, and gallop up the race,” Correas said. “There's not much more to do (to get ready for Saturday).”
Abel Tasman expected to rebound
When the 2017 3-year-old champion filly turned in an oddly poor performance - fifth by 10 ½ lengths – in the Grade 1 Zenyatta on Sept. 29, trainer Bob Baffert wasn’t sure if she was sick, like others in his stable, or the victim of a bad trip. Baffert’s other starter in the Zenyatta, Vale Dori, snapped a six-race losing streak to earn the “Win and You’re In” berth in the Distaff.
Baffert said Abel Tasman, a daughter of hot sire Quality Road, who shipped from Southern California to Kentucky on Tuesday was ready for the Distaff. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will be aboard for the 11th consecutive race. They will start from post two in the field of 11.
“I think she will run well,” Baffert said. “She’s a horse you have to be aggressive with. Mike wasn’t aggressive with her the last time. She fell back and never really got in the race. She was flat.
“Now she’s on the inside. I like her when she draws the inside because he has to force the issue a little bit and she wants to get running early. If you let her fall back it’s hard for her to get going again. Mike was telling me, if he asks her to go, after she takes off if there is a horse in front of her he’s afraid she’s going to run over the top of horses. He’s going to have to be aggressive with her.”
Vale Dori stood in the starting gate at Churchill Downs Tuesday morning and galloped about 1m under Dana Barnes. In the Distaff, she will start from post eight with Joe Talamo, who was up for the Zenyatta victory.