Keeneland news: Sycamore to serve as Arklow's Breeders' Cup prep

While most of the heavy lifting for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships set for Nov. 2-3 at Churchill Downs figures to be complete, trainer Brad Cox will use Keeneland’s Grade 3, $100,000 Sycamore Stakes at 1½ miles next Thursday as a likely springboard to the $4 million Turf for Arklow.

“Preparing for the Turf, it is not about the fastest but the fittest,” Cox said of Arklow, who worked Friday morning on the dirt at Churchill in :49.80 for a half-mile. Arklow is owned by the partnership of Donegal Racing, Joseph Bulger and Peter Coneway.

“I thought about the Canadian race (the International at Woodbine), but it is too tough.”

So Cox will bring Arklow back to Keeneland, where he broke his maiden in his turf debut in April 2017 for the Sycamore.

“I know he liked (the turf at Keeneland) a year and a half ago,” Cox said with a laugh. “I will probably bring him over a couple of days before the race.”

Following his maiden victory, Arklow won the 2017 American Turf (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day but after two subpar efforts in New York in the summer went on the shelf until February at Fair Grounds.

In 2018, Arklow has compiled a 6-3-1-0 record and brings a two-race win streak into the Sycamore. In his most recent start, Arklow won the Kentucky Turf Cup (G3) at Kentucky Downs going 1½ miles.

GARGAN PLANS TO EXPAND KEENELAND PRESENCE IN 2019

Trainer Danny Gargan has brought six horses to Keeneland, a figure he would like to expand in 2019.

“I would like to bring all of my 2-year-olds here next spring along with my racehorses,” said Gargan, who ran Virtuous Reality twice here during the 1997 Fall Meet for his lone Keeneland starts. “I would like to stay here until July and then go to Saratoga and Belmont and then come back here. I’d like to buy a house here.”

Gargan could get a down payment on a possible purchase next month if he gets his first Breeders’ Cup starter with Divine Miss Grey in the $2 million Distaff on Nov. 3.

“I haven’t decided on the Distaff or the ($200,000) Chilukki (Grade 2, going a mile the same day),” Gargan said of the 4-year-old filly, who was second in last Saturday’s Beldame (G1) at Belmont Park. “If she runs in the Distaff (at 1 1/8 miles), she would come in to Churchill on the last plane out of New York (Breeders’ Cup week).”

Divine Miss Grey, a four-time stakes winner, is owned by Corms Racing Stable and R.A. Hill Stable.

HOT CHA CHA DELIVERED GRADE 1 GOODS FOR SIMS, GRAHAM

Keeneland will run the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup for the 35th time Saturday with the record margin of victory in the race owned by Nelson McMakin’s homebred Hot Cha Cha.

“She was doing well coming into the race and I felt good about her,” trainer Phil Sims said of Hot Cha Cha, who rolled to a 4½-length victory over the soft going on turf in the 2009 running. “And she liked cool weather.”

Hot Cha Cha gave Sims his first Grade 1 victory and did the same for jockey James Graham.

“She was a really nice filly,” Graham said. “She was so good in the Pucker Up (G3, the race before the QE II that she won by 1¼ lengths) at Arlington. When we got here, she just reeled them in.

“Phil did a good job of keeping her happy the whole year and then she came back the next year and ran well the whole year.”

Hot Cha Cha raced through her 4-year-old campaign and retired with a record of 19-6-3-5 and earnings of $998,552.