Breeders’ Cup notes: Wednesday updates on Distaff horses

This was the reported activity Wednesday for the horses entered in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Distaff.

Alice Verite

Trainer: Kazuya Nakatake

Jockey: Kyle Frey

Morning Activity: Worked five furlongs on main track in 1:02.40

Nakatake: “Kazushi Kimura meant to be riding her race and breeze, but he couldn’t ride her breeze today as he is riding at Santa Anita. We swap to Kyle Frey and he will ride her in the race as well.”

Awesome Result

Trainer: Yasutoshi Ikee

Jockey: Yutaka Take

Morning activity: Hand walking

Stable representative: “Just walking today. All good after her breeze yesterday.”

Batucada

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Jockey: Ricardo Santana Jr.

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/8 miles

Planned activity: Same routine Thursday at the same time.

Joseph: “Batucada went straight off and galloped a mile and an eighth. All went well.”

Candied

Trainer: Todd Pletcher

Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.

Morning activity: Galloped approximately one mile under exercise rider Amelia Green. Schooled at the gate and in the paddock.

Planned activity: Scheduled to gallop approximately 1 mile again Thursday.

Aron Wellman, president and founder of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners on how the retirement of Idiomatic affects the way the race may be run: “It's a shame to see a marquee filly like that not be able to make the big dance because she's just so spectacular. I feel for all her connections, to be sure. Selfishly, you can't say that we're disappointed that she's not in the lineup, but it's still a stellar cast of fillies. Being drawn right next to Thorpedo Anna, I would imagine that they're going to be pretty forward-thinking with her. I think the real X factor in the race is the Japanese filly Awesome Result. It appears as though her form puts her pretty forward, as well. Irad’s on the filly and he knows his way around there. He worked her two weeks ago at Keeneland and got acquainted with Candied. We're just going to leg him up with confidence. She's going to have to work out a trip from there, but she's no stranger to it, and we've got a lot of confidence in Irad to be able to work it out as well.”

Che Evasora

Trainer: Phil D’Amato

Jockey: Tiago Pereira

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/2 miles on main track.

Planned activity: Gallop early

D'Amato on Pereira getting the Distaff mount: “He won the Wilshire (G3) last year with Macadamia for the same owners (R Unicorn Stable) and he gets along well with South American horses.”

Honor D Lady

Trainer: Saffie Joseph Jr.

Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione

Morning activity: Galloped her routine 1 1/4 miles

Planned activity: Same routine Thursday

Joseph: “She had her regular gallop. No complaints.”

Miss New York

Trainer: Jorge Delgado

Jockey: Umberto Rispoli

Update: Miss New York was scratched by the veterinarians after her gallop on Wednesday morning.

Raging Sea

Trainer: Chad Brown

Jockey: Flavien Prat

Morning activity: According to her conditioner, Raging Sea had an easy morning of a standard gallop circuit of the Del Mar dirt track and quickly returned to the barn.

Planned activity: More of the same on Thursday, two days before his race.

Closer Look: Tide is high for Raging Sea

Although much of the focus will be on 3-year-old champion filly-elect Thorpedo Anna in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, one would be remiss if they did not pay close attention to the always-dangerous Chad Brown barn, which has finished second three times in the race and saddles Alpha Delta Stables’ in-form Grade 1 winner Raging Sea.

“She’s getting over the ground and moving really well,” Brown said Wednesday morning. “I’m very pleased with her. I’m obviously going to need a little bit of a pace setup in front of her. Our record has been good at Del Mar and our horses usually take to the track, which gives you some optimism. I’m hoping we can continue a good run with her and we are probably due a win in the Distaff after a couple tough beats in the race. It would be satisfying, especially as she’s been so consistent for us. She keeps getting faster and is coming into the Breeders’ Cup the right way.”

The millionaire winner of five graded stakes in her last six tries will have to be on song to beat a field that also includes the talented Japanese duo of undefeated Justify filly Awesome Result and speedy front-running Group 2 winner Alice Verite, who makes her first run on dirt but hails from a dirt-friendly pedigree. Though admittedly, nothing screams dirt like Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Curlin, the sire of Raging Sea.

“These Curlins, they keep improving with age, getting better and better,” said Jon Clay, principal of Alpha Delta, which also bred the seven-time winner from 12 starts. “She ran great in the Personal Ensign to beat (champion and 2023 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner) Idiomatic, a race that set up perfectly for her running style. In the Beldame, we were actually thinking she sort of bounced off her current form, even though she won. With that out of the way, we are hopeful that she’ll perform like she did in the Personal Ensign and come back to that form.”

Raging Sea is out of 22-year-old mare Stormy Welcome, by 1985 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile runner-up Storm Cat and a granddaughter of Weekend Surprise, dam of 1992 Breeders’ Cup Classic-winning Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. Precocious at 2, she was a good third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies after breaking from outermost post 13 at Keeneland and running on admirably in the final stages, despite losing position on the final turn.

“I still have the mare and have had her for a long time,” Clay said. “I bought her at auction ages ago and have been breeding out of her, usually selling, definitely selling all the colts, and actually Raging Sea was an RNA, so I’m very fortunate that I have her.

“I’m just looking to hit the board, but I’m also kind of disappointed that Idiomatic, Adare Manor and Randomized aren’t there, because when you’re going into a Breeders’ Cup race, you want to compete against the best and unfortunately three of the best horses aren’t participating,” Clay continued. “That being said, Thorpedo Anna is very formidable.

“We’ve had a great season with her,” Clay concluded. “Chad has done a great job. That’s why he’s the best trainer in the country and it would be great to win in her second Breeders’ Cup try. It’s very rare that you have a 2-year-old run in the Breeders’ Cup who continues on and runs to that level later in her career. It’s very special and exciting to have her there, and we plan to race her next year.”

Sugar Fish

Trainer: Jeff Mullins

Jockey: Tyler Baze

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/2 miles under Amy Mullins.

Planned activity: Gallop Thursday

Mulins: “She could have been claimed for $40,000 then $62,500. No takers. After she won going seven-eighths (by 10 lengths) and going to two turns, she really showed herself.” — Jeff Mullins

Thorpedo Anna

Trainer: Kenny McPeek

Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.

Morning activity: Galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Danny Ramsey.

Planned activity: Will gallop 1 1/2 miles Thursday

McPeek: “Every trainer in their career ought to have a horse like her. I have had some really nice horses, but none that have had her level of talent. I have had horses that were fantastic horses to be around that have had good habits, but not her talent level. She has that freaky talent, freaky energy, freaky appetite and freaky workmanlike. She is the most talented horse I have ever had. For sure.”