Breeders’ Cup: Get updates on training, plans for runners
Breeders' Cup Classic
Arabian Knight
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Morning Activity: Galloped 1 1/2 miles.
Planned Activity: Will have his final preparatory workout on Monday at 9 a.m.
The Quote: “He’s doing really well. I feel that he should run a good race.” – Bob Baffert
Arcangelo
Trainer: Jena Antonucci
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked Sunday morning after rear shoe was taken off Saturday afternoon.
Planned Activity: TBD
The quote: “I pulled a left hind shoe off him. Transparency is important. I pulled the left hind shoe off yesterday afternoon and said, ‘Let’s just walk tomorrow. It’s no sense in going to do that (gallop). We’ve got lots of time.’ Whether he kicked the wall or bruised it or hit it, I don’t know. So we just pulled the shoe off and give him a walk day and assess where we are at.
“He walked great this morning. I’m very happy with that.
“We’ll assess it as we roll. He may gallop tomorrow. He may walk tomorrow. We’ll stay fluid. Lots of time. That’s a good thing about a 10-day (breeze) schedule, you get lots of time.” – Jena Antonucci
Bright Future
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Set: None
Morning Activity: Bright Future was hand-walked early Sunday morning at Santa Anita after shipping from Kentucky Saturday.
Planned Activity: Will gallop approximately 11/4 miles Monday morning.
Closer Look: With two impressive performances at Saratoga this summer, Bright Future started living up to the name he was given by co-owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. Following a head-scratching eighth of 10 in the June 10 Brooklyn Stakes (G2), the son of Curlin trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher found himself at Saratoga and picked up two victories. The second, a gritty win by a nose over Proxy in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), earned Bright Future a guaranteed berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“I think that was his coming-out-party, so to speak,” Pletcher said. “He’s a horse that we always had high expectations for. He had a few setbacks along the way. We maybe threw him to the wolves a little prematurely in the Brooklyn at a mile and a half. We regrouped after that, went back to an allowance race, which was an impressive win. That kind of got us to thinking about the Jockey Club. He was able to get his nose on the wire and in that race. It’s a huge win for him being a Grade 1 and a ‘Win and You’re In’ race and we’ve been pointing for the Classic since then.”
Mike Repole and St. Elias’ Vinnie Viola purchased Bright Future for $350,000 as a yearling and turned him over to Pletcher. At that point, his future was bright. However, physical issues kept him from debuting at Saratoga in 2021 and he did not make his first start until March 19, 2022. He won that day at Gulfstream Park, but disappeared again after running third in a first-level allowance on June 11 at Belmont Park. He returned to competition 10 months later on April 1 with a victory, but was lackluster in the Brooklyn and eased. At Saratoga he emerged as a top-caliber performer.
“Credit to the owners,” Pletcher said. “They’ve been very patient, partly because he’s a Curlin and he’s going to improve and partly because he had already always shown a lot of talent in his breezes.”
Starting from the outside in the field of eight in the Gold Cup, Bright Future was able to get into a pace-pressing position through the first half-mile. He moved up to challenge the leader in the second turn and had a 2 ½-length advantage at the top of the stretch. Proxy followed his move off the turn, came running in the stretch, but Bright Future managed to hold on and snag the victory.
“That was a heck of a finish and we were we were on the right side of a head bob but it was a good race,” Pletcher said. “Proxy’s a horse that’s well-seasoned in a lot of hard battles. For Bright Future, in really his only his second stakes race, to be able to fend off a horse like that says a lot about his quality.”
Two years after his connections figured he would show his stuff at Saratoga, Bright Future arrived.
“There were some frustrating times to get to that level but I think the patience paid off,” Pletcher said. “We always had high hopes for him and were glad to see him finally, fulfill expectations.”
Charge It
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Set: None
Morning Activity: Charge It was hand-walked early Sunday morning at Santa Anita after
shipping from Kentucky Saturday. He is also pre-entered in the Dirt Mile.
Planned Activity: Will gallop approximately 1 1/4 miles Monday morning, time TBD
The Quote: “It seems everyone has shipped in well. Everyone is healthy. Temperatures are normal. So far, so good.” – Todd Pletcher.
Clapton
Trainer: Chad Summers
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow the day after working 4f in 48 ? on Saturday.
Planned Activity: Scheduled to gallop at 10 a.m. EDT
The Quote: “He is not going to win the race on flash. He will win the race by grinding it out and by keeping on coming. He loves to compete and we’re hoping he works out the right trip with (jockey) Tyler (Gaffalione).” – Chad Summers
Derma Sotogake
Trainer: Otonashi Hidetaka
Set: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Morning Activity: Walked with Ushba Tesoro to the track, proceeded to the chute for circles and figure-eight warmup exercises, did a lap and a half of the main track in a canter and then returned promptly to the barn.
Planned Activity: More of the same tomorrow with a possible breeze expected midweek.
Mage
Trainer: Gustavo Delgado
Set: NA
Morning Activity: Declared out of the Classic after being diagnosed with a fever before his scheduled Sunday flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Santa Anita.
Planned Activity: Will be pointed to the Pegasus World Cup (G1) on Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park.
The Quote: “It was a slight temperature. At this level, to run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic against horses like these, you have to be at 100 percent, you can’t be at 90 percent. This is not something that knocks you out for several months or a year. It’s a minor hiccup, but it’s disappointing.” – Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo.
Proxy
Trainer: Mike Stidham
Set: Keeneland
Morning Activity: One day after breezing four furlongs in 48.4 seconds, he walked the shedrow.
Planned Activity: Ships to California on Monday
Closer Look: Veteran conditioner Mike Stidham looks to add another iconic international race to his resume when he saddles Godolphin’s Grade 1 winner Proxy in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic. Six days out, all signals from the team surrounding the blue-blooded 5-year-old appear to be positive and Stidham was very pleased with how the son of Tapit and Grade 1 winner Panty Raid exited his Saturday breeze.
“He looked great this morning and is all set to ship tomorrow,” Stidham said. “The breeze went great. Proxy is one of those horses who only does what he’s made to do. He’s not a real overly willing horse in the mornings and early in his races. Anytime he’s shown us enthusiasm, that’s always a good sign.”
It was only two seasons ago that the six-time Grade 1-winning trainer and Godolphin teamed up with another homebred, Mystic Guide, to land the $12 million Dubai World Cup (G1). Stidham remarked that such an experience with that level of pressure has made going into this year’s Classic that much more comfortable and exciting.
“Like I said in the postrace interview in Dubai, I finally had my chance to step up on the big stage and we got it done,” he explained. “You get a similar feel to coming into a race like this because, in your whole career, you dream of being in races like these and then to actually win one is a dream come true. I think we bring a legitimate contender into the race.”
A six-time winner from 19 starts, Proxy’s top-level score came in the Clark (G1) last November at Churchill Downs, defeating subsequent Grade 1 winner West Will Power on the square. A disappointing fifth in the Pegasus World Cup (G1) followed, just prior to an attempt over the Classic’s course and distance in March’s Santa Anita Handicap (G1), losing by a neck after a desperate late rally. He has won twice this season, taking the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and Monmouth Cup (G3), with the former providing some of his career-best speed figures (by all metrics) and enters the Classic off a heart-breaking nose loss in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).
“The biggest thing we worry about is when he gets trapped down on the inside and is getting a lot of kickback, he tends to get disinterested in running into that, so we are conscious of that in a big field and are hoping he doesn’t get buried down on the inside and put himself in a position that takes his chances away,” Stidham explained. “That happened in the Pegasus and Stephen Foster, where he took himself out of it too far and had no chance.
“He has in his career shown that he can run the number like a 5 Ragozin that should be good enough to get this done,” he continued. “I feel like he’s kind of been teetering a little above those numbers recently from 7-to-9, so I’m hoping that that top number is still sitting out for us to get back to next Saturday. He’s shown he can do it, so now it’s just a matter of getting it done on the right day and it helps that there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind is a mile and a quarter is only a bonus for us — he loves it.”
Saudi Crown
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow of this Churchill Downs barn.
Planned Activity: Will ship to California Monday.
The Quote: “He’s developed into a top 3-year-old. We always thought he had a tremendous amount of talent and he’s shown that in his five races. He’s a top horse and we have a lot of confidence in him – Brad Cox
Senor Buscador
Trainer: Todd Fincher
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked shedrow
Planned Activity: Paddock schooling session this afternoon.
The Quote: “He will gallop tomorrow and he will go to the gate tomorrow or Wednesday.” – Todd Fincher
Ushba Tesoro
Trainer: Takagi Noboru
Set: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Morning Activity: Breezed seconds; not on work tab, hand-timed in 49.4 seconds
Planned Activity: Will have an easy day Monday with a possible blowout breeze on Wednesday
Closer Look: Japan’s best-ever hope to take home the spoils of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Takagi Noboru-trained Ushba Tesoro, put in a 4f breeze on Sunday morning at Santa Anita, leaving the quarantine barn at 6:15, walking for 15 minutes to wait for the track to open and proceeding to the main track.
Allowed to ease into his work at the half-mile pole and around the far turn, he did not begin lengthening stride and quickening until turning for home, where he impressed onlookers henceforth and into a considerable gallop-out. While an official time was not published on the work tab he was hand-timed from the quarter-pole to the 6-furlong pole in 49 2/5 for that 4f sector.
“Very good,” an all-smiles exercise rider Masa Fukami said from atop the 10-time winner, while cooling out with eight laps of the parade ring.
Owned by Ryotokuji Kenji Holdings, the son of six-time G1 winner and dual Arc runner-up Orfevre (also the sire of 2021 Distaff winner Marche Lorraine) has been a force since moving to the dirt, winning seven of eight, with his lone blemish coming off a five-month layoff on a sloppy track. The bay 6-year-old enters in the form of his life, seeking a seventh consecutive victory. Two of his triumphs within said streak came — like the Breeders’ Cup Classic — at the highest level and over 10 furlongs.
The first of those came in December’s Tokyo Daishoten at Oi, one of only two Grade 1s in Japan beyond 1 mile, while the second was the $12 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan in March. Both efforts showed a locomotive-style rally that provided him with comfortable victories. His average margin of victory from his seven dirt victories is 2 1/4 lengths.
“Moving to dirt helped him,” said Noboru, through a translator. “The timing worked well and he grew up both physically and mentally from it. He was a difficult horse to control, but with dirt racing, everything matched him, I believe.”
Following a six-month post-Dubai break, he prepped for the Breeders’ Cup with a facile victory in the $456,200 Nippon TV Hai over 1 1/8 miles at Funabashi, tight-turned and left-handed track. Left in his wake that day were Tenkaharu, a well-regarded son of Distaff champion Ginger Punch, as well as Saudi Derby runner-up Sekifu, who entered in career-best form and off a G3 victory. Over similarly tight left-handed bends, he won February’s $1,045,300 Kawasaki Kinen, seven weeks out from his Dubai World Cup conquering.
“The Breeders’ Cup Classic is another big race and we are the challenger in here,” Noboru continued. “He won at Kawasaki, which also (like Funabashi) has tricky tight bends. I don’t think Santa Anita’s turns will be a problem.”
Japan’s reigning champion jockey, Yuga Kawada, who was aboard for his victories at Funabashi and Meydan, has the return assignment next Saturday. Kawada already has made Breeders’ Cup history, having piloted Japan's Loves Only You to win the 2021 Filly & Mare Turf.
White Abarrio
Trainer: Richard Dutrow Jr.
Set: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Morning Activity: First day back on track after Friday breeze. Jogged once around the oval under exercise rider Emily Ellingwood.
Planned Activity: Will go to track between 9:30 and 9:45 to gallop 11/2 miles.
The Quote: “(Emily) was very happy with him. It looks like he came out of the workout really good.” – Chip Dutrow, Richard’s brother and assistant.
Zandon
Trainer: Chad Brown
Set: Belmont Park
Morning Activity: Shipped to California from New York
Planned Activity: Arriving in California from New York
Closer Look: “They look great, en route,” – Chad Brown, regarding Zandon and Breeders’ Cup Distaff hopefuls Randomized and Search Results.
Breeders' Cup Distaff
A Mo Reay
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs.
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California.
Adare Manor
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 10:45 a.m. EDT
Morning Activity: Worked 4f in 48.2 as final tune-up for Distaff.
Planned Activity: Will walk on Monday, then return to the track Tuesday and gallop up to the race.
Closer Look: Adare Manor is a filly who goes to great lengths. In nine career starts at Santa Anita Park, home of the 40th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, the daughter of Uncle Mo has won six, five of them stakes, by an average margin of almost 7 lengths, including lopsided triumphs by 12 and 13 lengths respectively. And as her trainer, Bob Baffert, is quick to note, “She’s an Amazon with a huge stride.”
But the 4-year-old will need all of her impressive talent for Saturday’s $2 Breeders’ Cup Distaff when she goes postward against a stellar field of fillies and mares in the mile and one-eighth race. “She’ll be running against a different type of filly on Saturday,” Baffert said. “She’s a big, fast filly and she has a great mind. But this will be a class test. Her last race was great, but this is a step up. To win this race, you need to have a really good horse and have real good luck. Winning these races,” he concluded, “is not easy.”
Baffert, who has won more money with his trainees at the Breeders’ Cup, is but two victories behind the all-time leader D. Wayne Lukas, with 18. Yet, amazingly, the Distaff is one of the rare major events that he never has won.
The Hall of Fame conditioner was keen on Adare Manor when she was plucked from a 2 year-olds-in-training sale in Ocala, Florida, for a relatively modest $375,000. Baffert had trained Indian Charlie, winner of the 1998 Santa Anita Derby (G1), who was the filly’s grand sire.
“Indian Charlie was a really nice horse. I also trained his dam, Soviet Sojourn, who was one of my earliest stakes winners. I knew the family well,” Baffert said.
Adare Manor, who is named for the luxury golf hotel in Ireland, was slow to develop, going winless in her first two starts as a juvenile. But once the calendar flipped to her 3-year-old year and the distances of her races increased from sprints to two turns, she blossomed. In back-to-back starts, she won by a combined 25 lengths, including her first stakes victory at Santa Anita. It was no surprise to Baffert that the filly would improve over more ground, given her massive stride. She had two narrow losses in two Grade 2 races before a disastrous effort at Parx in the Cotillion (G1) sent her to the sidelines for the rest of the year.
Observed Baffert, “I gave her some time off because she didn’t act like she was enjoying herself. The freshening was what she needed. She’s had a chance to fill out.”
During her 4-year-old campaign, Adare Manor has reeled off five consecutive wins from six starts, the past four of which were stakes capped by a resounding front-running domination in the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at her home track of Santa Anita. With the triumph, her career earnings stand on the cusp of one million dollars. A win in the Distaff would both push her into the seven-figure category and provide her trainer with his initial victory in the race.
Clairiere
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Morning Activity: Worked four furlongs in 50.2 at Santa Anita
Planned Activity: Will walk Monday
Desert Dawn
Trainer: Phil D’Amato
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked at the barn following Saturday’s final prep before the Distaff.
Planned Activity: Will return to the track to jog on Monday.
The Quote: “All systems are go.” – Phil D’Amato
Hoosier Philly
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Set: 7:45 a.m. EDT at Churchill Downs
Morning Activity: Stood in starting gate and jogged a mile over sloppy track
Planned Activity: Ships to Santa Anita on Monday
The Quote: “It was her first day back on track after her work (a 47.2-second half-mile on Friday). She had a light day and the track conditions didn’t affect us.” – Tom Amoss
Idiomatic
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California
The Quote: “She’s as good as she’s ever been right now.” – Brad Cox
Le Da Vida
Trainer: Ignacio Correas IV
Set: Keeneland
Morning Activity: One day after breezing four furlongs in 49.0 seconds at Keeneland, the Spinster Stakes (G1) runner-up jogged an easy lap at the Lexington oval.
Planned Activity: Expected to ship from Kentucky to California on Monday.
Pretty Mischievous
Trainer: Brendan Walsh
Set: Churchill Downs
Morning Activity: Light day of training over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.
Planned Activity: Scheduled to ship to Santa Anita on Monday.
Randomized
Trainer: Chad Brown
Set: NA
Morning Activity: En route to Santa Anita following 4f breeze in 49 breeze at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Search Results
Trainer: Chad Brown
Set: NA
Morning Activity: En route to Santa Anita following four-furlong breeze in 48.4 at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Wet Paint
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California
Closer Look: Godolphin’s cleverly-named Wet Paint was one of the top 3-year-old fillies early in the year, going off as the Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite, but she is coming into the Distaff in the shadows of several top older fillies and mares, including her own stablemate, Idiomatic, who figures to be the Distaff favorite.
Wet Paint came into the Kentucky Oaks riding a three-race win streak, but had to settle for fourth behind another Godolphin filly, Pretty Mischievous. That was followed by a disappointing second in the Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes before her first career Grade 1 victory in the Coaching Club of America Oaks at Saratoga July 22. She has not started since she finished second to the front-running Randomized in the Alabama Stakes (G1) Aug. 19 at Saratoga and comes into the Distaff fresh by design.
“She’s doing excellent right now,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We had never really given her a break and we love what we are seeing from her right now. She’s developed over the fall. She’s put on weight, she’s lengthened a bit. We’ve loved what we’ve seen in her last three or four works.”
While Godolphin will be represented by both Wet Paint and the Kentucky Oaks winner in the Distaff, there are several ladies at the farm that are slightly partial to Wet Paint having helped name the filly after a funny incident involving Tammy Masterson, who has worked for Godolphin for 22 years.
Masterson was at Saratoga when Godolphin’s Essential Quality won the Travers and in her excitement to have her picture with the jockey statue painted in the colors of the winning Travers owner, she didn’t realize the paint was still wet and got her hand covered in the Godolphin royal blue, which promoted the artist to hang a sign on the statue saying “Wet Paint.” Vicky Van Camp, Godolphin’s racing research coordinator was with Masterson that day and remembered the incident when it came time to name a filly by Blame out of the mare Sky Painter and quickly suggested the name Wet Paint.
“I’m really fond of the filly,” Van Camp said. “She’s been so honest and consistent. Brad’s done a great job with her. I was with Stonerside Farm before coming to Godolphin and I go back five generations with the family. I had actually named her mother as well. It’s been wonderful to watch the family continue to develop. And, Tammy is just such a great person, so much fun to be around. I don’t think if it had happened to any other person, we would have laughed so hard or had so much fun with it that day.”
Masterson says she gets more and more embarrassed about that day every time she tells the story, but really enjoyed watching Wet Paint develop into a top 3-year-old filly.
“It was my first big race day and I just got super, super excited,” Masterson said. “As we were leaving the track we saw the statue and I just ran right up to it. I remember everyone scream ‘wet paint,’ ‘wet paint,’ but I was completely oblivious. When I looked at my hand it was a solid blue and my group caught some funny pictures with the artist’s face. She was just in disbelief.
“Vicky did a great job naming the filly. It’s been a lot of fun, it’s been a blast being associated with her name and having her do so well on the track. When our other filly won the Oaks I had to hide my disappointment because I was rooting for Wet Paint. It will be a lot fun to watch both of them run on Saturday.”
Breeders' Cup Turf
War Like Goddess
Trainer: Bill Mott
Set: 12:30 p.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked four furlongs in 49.8 with exercise rider Brittany Troxtell in the saddle.
Planned activity: Scheduled to walk the shedrow TBA.
The quote: “It was beautiful. Poetry in motion. She works on the dirt and she works in 49 or 50 (seconds); that’s all we want. You could see the rider was just letting her do it. She gets a lot out of working on the dirt, conditioning wise. She is fit enough.” – Bill Mott
Closer look: As a little girl, Brittany Troxtell liked horses. As a young woman, she loves them. Especially the ones she gets on as an exercise rider at the power-packed barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
Troxtell had herself a busy Sunday morning as she was part of the Mott team fine tuning his all-star lineup as the Breeders’ Cup looms. She worked Casa Creed Sunday, who will run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. She has been aboard Elite Power, who is gunning for his second straight win in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Troxtell saved the best for last as she climbed aboard War Like Goddess for her final work before the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
“I am honored to ride any horse in the barn,” Troxtell said with a smile. “I definitely have my favorites with War Like Goddess being one of them.”
The daughter of turf whiz English Channel will be attempting to beat the boys in the Turf, a 1 1/2-mile race spiced up with several strong international foes. War Like Goddess has beaten males before, including the past two editions of the prestigious Joe Hirsch Turf Classic (G1) in New York.
The Breeders’ Cup has eluded her. She was third in the Turf last year and third in the Filly & Mare Turf in 2021.
“It would mean so much to me if she could win,” Troxtell, 22, said. “That is because she is the biggest, most accomplished horse I have ridden on a consistent basis. It would mean a lot to the whole team, not just me.”
Troxtell grew up in Florida and said she was always fascinated with the four-legged thoroughbred creatures. At the age of 10, a Christmas present from her mother consisted of riding lessons. Young Brittany was hooked.
“Once I got those lessons, you could not get me away from it,” she said. “I would always count down the days when I could get to do something with the horses.”
Her love for the horse did not wane as she grew older. When she became aware that she might be able to make a living riding horses, her interest only grew.
When an opening came at Mott’s barn, she took a chance. And here she is.
“She has been a great employee,” Mott said. “She learned well and has done a great job for us.”
Troxtell’s biggest break came this past summer when Mott handed her the reins belonging to War Like Goddess. She has exercised her as well as worked her.
Mott trusts her.
“Loyalty is everything,” Mott said. “That is what it is all about. You get people on the same team and they all want the end goal to be the same for the horses. It’s not a me, me, me thing. She has obviously progressed well to be out there on those horses. She has a good disposition, has good feedback with the horses and she loves the horses. Plus, she is a good rider. That is what it’s all about.”
There is excitement as the Breeders’ Cup approaches but also some sadness. The careers of horses like Cody’s Wish and Elite Power will be coming to an end. War Like Goddess is 6 and Casa Creed is 7.
“I get a little more attached to them than I should,” she said. “If War Like Goddess retires, I will be a little sad. All the horses I have swung a leg over – like Casa Creed and Elite Power – some will be retired. Sad, but so thankful that I have been around them. The whole string we have here is pretty incredible.”
Breeders' Cup Mile
Casa Creed
Trainer: Bill Mott
Set: 11 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked four furlongs in company with stablemate Elite Power in 46.4 seconds with exercise rider Brittany Troxtell in the saddle.
Planned activity: Scheduled to walk the shed row.
The quote: “We think he is a pretty good horse. In these turf races, it’s all about the trip and the pace and position. You have to have the golden trip and you’ve got to get lucky. Everyone in there is a nice horse; probably half the horses in it could win it.” – Bill Mott
Mawj
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Set: None
Morning activity: Walked the shed row one day after breezing seven furlongs in 1:28.4 in company with Breeders’ Cup undercard-bound White Moonlight
Planned activity: Will return to the track on Monday for routine training
Closer look: Saeed bin Suroor is back at the big show, and there is no doubt that he has every chance to add a fourth Breeders’ Cup trophy to his mantle when he saddles Godolphin’s Breeders’ Cup Mile-bound homebred Mawj on Saturday. The daughter of Exceed And Excel will not only seek to become her standout sire’s third Breeders’ Cup winner, but also hopes to emulate dual-Breeders’ Cup-winning half-brother Modern Games, who landed last year’s Mile. On Saturday, she put the finishing touches on her preparation with worked seven furlongs in 1:28.4 in company with Group 2-placed stablemate White Moonlight.
“It was a good work,” bin Suroor said. “On the dirt, she’s not going to show a lot, really, but she did a nice routine work of seven furlongs, which is what we do with her before a race and now will have an easy time going into the Breeders’ Cup Mile. She worked with White Moonlight, who runs on Friday in a Listed race here. Mawj is far better on the turf, but she’s doing well and it was a nice work for her and we’ll go from there. I’m hoping to draw somewhere in the middle with her. She will show speed and go to the front.”
A six-time winner from nine starts, Mawj served notice that she had a bright future when a good second to subsequent Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Meditate in Royal Ascot’s Albany Stakes (G3) last year. She then went on to capture the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (G2) at the July meeting and maintain proper Group 1 form by year’s end. In 2023, she has upped her game, going four-for-four, including victories in the prestigious 1000 Guineas (G1). She won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) last out at Keeneland on Oct. 14. Exiting a nine-furlong victory, she had the option of cutting back to the Mile against the boys or stepping up another furlong for the Filly & Mare Turf against her own sex.
“She’s going into the Mile because I think that’s her best distance,” bin Suroor explained. “I know she won at Keeneland over nine furlongs, but she has a lot of speed and that makes me think the mile is her trip and a lot better than a mile and a quarter for her. She will improve from the race and she hadn’t run since May and needed the race, for sure. It was very good for her to win when she needed the run, but she’s a tough filly with a big heart who always tries hard. She’s doing good and she travelled really well from Kentucky to here. She’s been enjoying her exercise and I’m really happy with her. If she’s happy, that makes me happy.
Bin Suroor has earned Breeders’ Cup wins with two favorites, Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, but the last time he attended the world championships at Santa Anita, he saddled a then-record 14 starters and took home a trophy with the least-expected of the lot, 30-1 longshot Vale of York in the Juvenile. Smiling ear-to-ear while walking around Clocker’s Corner, it is easy to understand why he appears to have shipped as well as his filly.
“I actually won my first Group 1 here at Santa Anita in 1995 with Red Bishop in the San Juan Capistrano, so it’s always good to be back,” he concluded. “And I have won a Breeders’ Cup here, which makes it even better.”
Master of the Seas
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Set: 10 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Went out for a routine canter, which turned into an accidental breeze that was unofficially timed in 49.4 seconds.
Planned activity: Walk day Monday
The quote: “Unfortunately that wasn’t the plan. All we wanted to do with him was go out for a steady canter, but he didn’t have his hood on and unfortunately he took off with his rider. It was not quite what we hoped for or what was planned. We will now have to adjust his schedule accordingly with a quiet day tomorrow and he will definitely have the hood on him next time he’s out on Tuesday morning.” – Chris Connett, assistant trainer
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
Didia
Trainer: Ignacio Correas IV
Set: 10:30 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Galloped an easy circuit of the Santa Anita main track
Planned activity: Will have a similar gallop Monday
Closer look: Dual Grade 1-winning mare Didia continues to impress as she prepares to tackle one of the saltiest fields in the history of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Owned by Merriebelle Stable and trained by Ignacio Correas IV, the same connections of 2019 upset Breeders’ Cup Distaff victress and fellow Argentine-bred Blue Prize. Didia seeks an upset of her own against a lineup that features no fewer than seven G1 winners.
In four 2023 starts, the granddaughter of dual Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) winner Lure has won three times, including a dominant performance last out in the course-and-distance Rodeo Drive (G2), dismissing Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Anisette to win by a widening 1 3/4 lengths. Her lone blemish this season came in the New York Stakes (G1) at Belmont, where she finished second by three-quarters of a length, splitting Chad Brown-trained runners Marketsegmentation and McKulick. The latter reopposes in the Filly & Mare Turf.
“Her campaign has been almost perfect,” Correas said. “She lost the New York, but it was a difficult race to plan. You have four Chad Browns in there, three Grade 1 winners, one Grade 1-placed and two of his go for the lead and two stay behind you. You don’t know which to go with and on top of that you have to worry about War Like Goddess coming from off the pace. We decided to do what she does all the time and if it panned out, great, and if it didn’t pan out, that’s OK. But she ran a good race.
“We had planned to run her in the Beverly D. (G1) after the New York, but she hit her head and had some stiches and needed the time. I made an alternative plan and focused on California. She came here and ran and was super-good that day. She had to do and now we are here and she is doing very well.”
A wicked acceleration has been Didia’s calling card thus far in her career, one that started with seven starts in South America. Thus far, she has won nine of 13 starts with a variety of running styles and finished second twice.
“The only thing that I don’t want is for her to be up on the pace,” Correas said. “In Argentina, where she won two Grade 1s, she used to be on the lead, but here I don’t want to see that. She can stalk the pace or come from farther back off the pace and I think her strength is her final quarter-mile kick. She can fly. I understand that this is a much different bunch of horses and the toughest race of her career, but she’s coming into the race in good shape.”
Didia finished up her serious work last Thursday with a five furlongs breeze in 1:01.8.
“I wanted an easy work,” Correas concluded. “She’s ready and just needed maintenance. Smooch her the last eighth and that’s what she did and galloped out well. For me, it was what I was looking for, wrong or right, that’s what I wanted.”
Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile
Cody’s Wish
Trainer: Bill Mott
Set: 12 p.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked four furlongs in 47.2 seconds with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky in the saddle.
Planned activity: Scheduled to walk the shedrow TBA.
The quote: “He looked smooth as glass. I was happy that he didn’t go faster. Neil had him just right. Cody’s Wish did it on the bridle. Passing the eighth pole, (Poznansky) released his hold and took his hand off the bridle a little bit and he finished up good and galloped out good.” – Bill Mott
National Treasure
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 12 p.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked four furlongs in 47.2.
Planned activity: Will walk at the barn on Monday, then return to the track on Tuesday
The quote: “He looked good out there. I had him galloping out five furlongs in 59 (seconds) and change. That last race seemed to wake him back up.” – Bob Baffert
Breeders' Cup Sprint
Dr. Schivel
Trainer: Mark Glatt
Set: 10:45 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Recorded his final work of 1:00.8 for five furlongs under jockey Juan Hernandez in advance of Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint
Planned activity: Will walk on Monday, then return to the track Tuesday to gallop up to the race.
The quote: “He looked good today. This work was sharper than his last one.” – Mark Glatt
Elite Power
Trainer: Bill Mott
Set: 11 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Defending Breeders’ Cup Sprint champion worked four furlongs in company with stablemate Casa Creed in 46.2 under assistant trainer Neil Poznansky.
Planned activity: Was expected to walk the shedrow on Monday morning; may go to the track.
The quote: “I don’t have any lack of confidence in him. Look, it’s a horse race and he has to go over there and do it and have a good trip. I have no reason to believe he is not as good as he was last year.” – Bill Mott
Closer look: When it comes to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Elite Power has been there, done that.
Now, his connections hope the 5-year-old son of two-time horse of the year Curlin can do it again.
Juddmonte’s Elite Power rolls into Santa Anita Park as the horse to beat in the 6-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up on Saturday. Last November, he won the Sprint by 1 1/4 lengths to complete a season in which he won five of six starts and be awarded the Eclipse Award for champion sprinter.
This year’s Sprint will be Elite Power’s first start since he had an eight-race winning streak snapped when he was second in the Aug. 26 Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
Before the loss, Elite Power had gobbled up the wins, starting when he broke his maiden in the fourth try at Churchill Downs in June of his 3-year-old season. It stopped when Gunite, a horse Elite Power had defeated by a head in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) earlier in the Saratoga meet, won the Forego by 1 3/4 lengths.
The Forego was run at seven furlongs; the Vanderbilt at six furlongs. Elite Power had won four of six starts at the Sprint distance.
Bill Mott, Elite Power’s Hall of Fame trainer accepts the notion that Elite Power likely will be the favorite as he tries to defend his title. Mott though, has not picked out a spot on his mantel for the trophy just yet.
“Horses show up in the Breeders’ Cup that you didn’t know existed,” Mott said. “You look up and you’ll say, ‘Holy (cow), where did they come from?’ There are races you are in where it looks like you are the best horse on paper and you think you ought to win. These races are so tough that you are no cinch to win no matter who you are.”
Elite Power will make his bid to become the third horse to win the Sprint in back-to-back years, joining Roy H (2017-18) and Midnight Lute (2007-08). The race has not been kind to its post time favorites.
In the last 30 years, just seven favorites have won it. Last year, Elite Power was sent off as the 5-1 second choice at Keeneland.
Mott, though, is happy with how Elite Power has trained since the Forego. He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.
Just getting a horse to the Breeders’ Cup can be viewed as a win after connections navigate a path to get there.
“Really, there is probably not as much pressure in the Breeders’ Cup as there is in a lot of other races,” Mott said. “All these races are so difficult, you are just lucky to show up. We have been beaten in Breeders’ Cup races before and, sometimes, because you know the races are so competitive going in, you are not as disappointed if you get beat. It is absolutely a win to get there. You have to have a great season to get there.”
Gunite
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Set: 10:45 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked three furlongs in 36.2 seconds at Santa Anita
Planned activity: Was expected to walk Monday
The Chosen Vron
Trainer: J. Eric Kruljak
Set: None
Morning activity: Walked at the barn after four furlongs workout Saturday, which the trainer caught in 47.8 on the training track
Planned activity: Will walk again Monday before returning to the track.
Closer look: Trainer Eric Kruljac once got some sage advice from his grandfather, a rancher who sparkled his young grandson’s interest in horses: To be successful, keep yourself in the best of company, and keep your horses in the worst of company. That was the mantra by which Walter Markham lived.
Although perhaps that advice may have been part of Kruljac’s star The Chosen Vron’s racing success, when he ripped through the state-bred competition en route to seven consecutive stakes victories, it appears that his grandson is defying the second half of that equation in quest of a win in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) against the best and fastest horses around.
The Chosen Vron will be attempting to become only the third California-bred horse to win the six-furlong dash. And, if he emerges victorious, he would be only the sixth California-bred overall in 40 years to win a Breeders' Cup race. So, it would seem that the odds are stacked against the son of Vronsky.
But during his 17-race career, the odds actually have favored the chestnut gelding. He owns 13 career victories and only has finished worse than third once. He has been favored in 11 of those outings, nine of them at even money odds or less. And despite being an offspring of the mating between a $40,000 broodmare and a stallion who stands for a modest $3,500, The Chosen Vron has banked more than $1 million.
“I’ve been around horses for more than 30 years, initially as a breeder and now as a trainer,” Kruljac said, “and I can tell when a horse is going to be something special. This is one of them.”
Kruljac always has run a relatively small stable, but he enjoys the hands-on nature of it. Yet that hasn’t prevented him from scaling the heights to tackle bigger races or tougher competitors. He saddled Leave Me Alone for a then-record 8 1/2-length win in Saratoga’s Test Stakes (G1). Later, he bought a horse, Finest City, for his son, trainer Ian, then his assistant at the barn, which won in his first Breeders’ Cup start.
While these successes may have been few, the quality has resonated with Kruljac. As co-breeder and co-owner of The Chosen Vron, he has enjoyed the fruits of his success every step of the way, starting with a runaway 6 3/4-length win in his career debut. And that was the last start this gem of consistency made in any race that wasn’t a stakes or handicap, a string of 16 consecutive.
The Chosen Vron has displayed amazing versatility, too, winning at distances short and long, and over surfaces of dirt and turf. Asked which the horse preferred, Kruljac said, “He probably likes the dirt most.” Asked to describe the horse, the conditioner added, “He’s a cool horse just to be around. He’s playful around the barn, where he’ll lick you, but not bite you. But, he’s very competitive on the track, as evidenced by his impressive record.”
Kruljac stated, “He was always a very nice horse, but he got really good when we returned him to the races after a minor surgery in 2021. He began training like a monster.”
For all the gelding’s success, Kruljac was especially animated in discussing the horse’s most recent win in Del Mar’s Bing Crosby Handicap (G1), which offered an all-expenses paid berth for this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint to the victor. “That was the most exciting race I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “I was not so surprised that he was capable of winning, rather more that he did win it. The rider had to take him up severely just as he was beginning to make his move, then he had to practically re-break in the middle of the final turn. It was impressive that he was able to overcome it, then tough out a hard-fought three-way photo finish for the head victory over two really good stakes winners (Anarchist and Dr. Schivel). The winning time was the fastest six furlongs of the summer Del Mar meeting.
“His regular rider, Hector Barrios, is part of the success equation as well,” Kruljac added. “He gets along with him well and regularly works the horse in the mornings.”. Barrios has been aboard for their past eight stakes stake engagements, all triumphant.
“This will be a tough, but exciting race,” the trainer said. “There looks to be lots of speed, so we should be able to make one run into an honest pace.”
For all the sage advice and all the odds that face The Chosen Vron, one fact is undeniable. The gelding has never lost a race at six furlongs, the distance of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint
Eda
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 9:30 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked four furlongs from the gate in 47.4 seconds.
Planned activity: Will walk tomorrow morning, then return to the track Tuesday.
The quote: “We popped her out of the gate this morning. It was just what she needed.” – Bob Baffert
Society
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Set: N/A
Morning activity: Worked three furlongs in 37.4 at Santa Anita
Planned activity: Was expected to walk Monday
Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint
Live In The Dream
Trainer: Adam West
Morning activity: Galloped over main Santa Anita track
Planned activity: Will have similar activity Monday with a work planned for Tuesday.
Breeders' Cup Juvenile
Prince of Monaco
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 10:45 a.m. EDT
Morning activity: Worked five furlongs in company with stablemate Pilot Commander in 1:00.2.
Planned activity: Was expected to walk at the barn on Monday.
Quote: “I didn’t want anything fast today. He galloped out well.” – Bob Baffert
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
Laulne
Trainer: Phil D’Amato
Set: None
Morning activity: Walked at the barn this morning following Saturday’s four furlongs work in 49.0 on the training track.
Planned activity: Expected to return to the track to jog Monday.
The quote: “We’ve only had her for nine days, but she was in full training when she was shipped over from France. She was purchased at the Arc Sale (reported price was $793,000). She’s very consistent and has never been off the board in six lifetime starts.” – trainer Phil D’Amato
Porta Fortuna
Trainer: Donnacha O’Brien
Morning activity: Remained in quarantine barn after arriving at 12:30 a.m. EDT Sunday.
Planned activity: Expected to clear quarantine Monday night and train Tuesday.
The quote: “It’s great to be back at the Breeders’ Cup and I’m delighted to be here. The team is happy with how the horses traveled so we’ll see how they are this evening. As with the rest of the horses which arrived yesterday, we won’t be out on the track until Tuesday, so we’ll hand walk them until clearance. Porta Fortuna has had a great season in the UK and Ireland and looks the right sort of horse for this race. I’m really looking forward to the week ahead.” – Donnacha O’Brien