Clocker Gary Young weighs in on Breeders' Cup Distaff 2016
Perhaps the most anticipated race in the 33-year history of the Breeders’ Cup takes center stage next Friday, Nov. 4, when champions Beholder, Songbird and Stellar Wind meet in the $2 million Longines Distaff for fillies and mares, three and up, at 1 1/8 miles.
Gary Young, the respected private clocker and bloodstock agent who wears his opinions on his sleeve and usually has them at the ready, has been watching the three queens racing and working at their home base of Santa Anita all season in advance of the Distaff, and while post positions won’t be drawn until Monday, he provided his insight based on what he has observed to date and his 38 years of experience.
If the words “politically incorrect” were in the dictionary, Gary Young’s picture would be next to them.
“Beholder seems to have come out of her race (the Zenyatta, second to Stellar Wind on Oct. 1) well,” he said. “Her work prior to yesterday was kind of an atypical Mandella work (Oct. 20, five furlongs in 59.20) in that she went pretty quick early, and after she passed her company, Gary (Stevens) kind of just cruised in with her. She worked well. I couldn’t knock it.
“She went decent” yesterday, six furlongs in 1:14.40.
“Stellar Wind is kind of the opposite of Beholder and Songbird. Stellar Wind is a horse that just does OK in the morning. She saves her best for the afternoon. Her work last Friday was good. I didn’t mind it at all.
“She’s not a big, imposing filly, doesn’t carry a lot of weight to her, but obviously she has a lot of try in her. For an average work horse, she looked very, very good this morning (six furlongs in 1:13.60).
“This is a whole different swimming pool Songbird is jumping into. I have the utmost respect for Carina Mia (second by nearly six lengths to Songbird in the Cotillion). I think she’s distance limited, and I think Catherina Sophia (third in the Cotillion, 9 ½ lengths behind Songbird) is, too, so consequently it’s open for debate as to what Songbird has been beating.
“Can you knock her wins? Not really. I thought it was kind of interesting, although the races were run on different days, that when she and Arrogate both ran a mile and a quarter at Saratoga, Arrogate ran four seconds faster. (Arrogate won the Travers in 1:59.20 on Aug. 27; Songbird won the Alabama in 2:03 on Aug. 20). Songbird went easy throughout (yesterday, five furlongs in 1:01, breezing).
“I can’t knock any of the three of them, and there are also some very nice fillies coming in from the East Coast.”
As to Classic favorite California Chrome, Young has been an observer from afar, so to speak, since the 2014 Horse of the Year does the vast majority of his training at his home base of Los Alamitos.
“I’ve only seen videos of his works at Los Alamitos,” Young said, “and he’s King of the Mountain now. The one hurdle that he hasn’t cleared yet is Arrogate.
“With all due respect to the older horse division and other places around the country, including New York, I don’t think they’re close to what Chrome is, and I think the only hurdle he has left to keep him from having a perfect season is Arrogate, and we’re going to see what happens on Nov. 5.”
STELLAR WIND IN ‘SMOOTH’ BREEZE FOR DISTAFF
Stellar Wind, who will seek her third straight win over three-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder in the Longines Distaff next Friday, worked six furlongs in company with Marathon-bound Hard Aces Friday morning in 1:13.20. Hard Aces was clocked in 1:13.60.
“It was her usual work, smooth, no problems, so we’re right where we’re supposed to be,” said John Sadler, who trains the four-year-old daughter of Curlin for owners Kosta and Peter Hronis.
Exercise rider Jose Contreras was aboard Stellar Wind, who defeated Beholder by a half-length in the Grade I Clement L. Hirsch at Del Mar July 30 and by a neck in the Grade I Zenyatta at Santa Anita on Oct. 1.
In other Breeders’ Cup news:
Runhappy (Dirt Mile), the 2015 Eclipse Award-winning sprinter, works five furlongs at 5 a.m. Saturday with exercise rider Marcus O’Donnell up for trainer Laura Wohlers.
Tara’s Tango (Filly & Mare Sprint) worked five furlongs with Rafael Bejarano up in 59.80. “Very nice,” said trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. “She’s doing great and had a good gallop out.”
Kitkat, the Filly from Chile, worked five furlongs Friday for the Mile in 59.60 for trainer Sebastian Silva.
Masochistic, a favorite for the Sprint, works Saturday at 9 a.m. for Ron Ellis.
At 7:45 a.m., FrontRunner winner Gormley works under either Chantal Sutherland or regular rider Victor Espinoza for John Shirreffs.
Horses entered in the Juvenile have won a combined 29 races from 41 starts, and six are unbeaten, including Gormley.
Super agent Ron Anderson has Joel Rosario booked on 12 of the 13 Breeders’ Cup races.
NBC Sports Group’s Mike Tirico will host NBC’s primetime coverage of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Saturday, Nov. 5, marking his first career horse racing assignment.
“What a great event and venue for my maiden voyage with our incredibly talented horse racing team,” Tirico said. “I look forward to working with them at one of the premiere events on the Thoroughbred calendar. I’ve always enjoyed watching the Breeders’ Cup cap the year and set the storylines for the following spring. Now I can’t wait to experience that in person for the first time.”
Since joining NBC Sports Group in July, Tirico has served as a host of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Football Night in America, The Open, and The Ryder Cup, and handled play-by-play for Notre Dame Football.
Source: Santa Anita Park