Keeneland notes: Jesus' Team begins on-site Breeders' Cup prep

Grupo Seven C Stable’s Jesus’ Team, third in the Preakness Stakes in his most recent start, has set up shop at Keeneland to prepare for a run in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7.

“He came in early to get to know the track and acclimate,” trainer Jose D’Angelo said via text from his base at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida, where he has 17 horses. “He is going to breeze on the 24th and 31st and I will arrive the 22nd.”

Jesus’ Team, who was third in the Jim Dandy (G2) and fourth in the Haskell Stakes (G1) prior to his Preakness run, would represent the first Breeders’ Cup starter for D’Angelo, a 30-year-old native of Venezuela who began training in 2012 in his native country.

D’Angelo made the move to the U.S. in 2019 and won his first race here with his third starter in June 2019.

Refreshed Bellafina preparing for second run in Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint

Multiple Grade 1 winner Bellafina, runner-up to Covfefe in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last year at Santa Anita, might be getting ready to return to the work tab here for the World Championships Nov. 6-7.

“She stayed in Kentucky and went to (Ashford Stud) for two weeks after her last race (a sixth-place finish at Churchill Downs in the Derby City Distaff (G1) on Sept. 5),” said Carlos Santamaria, assistant to trainer Simon Callaghan. “Our horses get a break after tough races and it didn’t make any sense to go back to California.”

Owned by Kaleem Shah, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Bellafina has been at Keeneland with stablemate Lighthouse in trainer Jack Sisterson’s barn with both scheduled to return to California after the Breeders’ Cup. Owned by LNJ Foxwoods’ Lighthouse won the Music City at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 15.

“Bellafina has been galloping and getting used to the track and she may work this weekend,” Santamaria said.

Santamaria said Callaghan plans to have two other runners in addition to Bellafina for the Breeders’ Cup. They are Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor’s Harvest Moon, winner of the Zenyatta (G2), for the Distaff and the undefeated Madone, owned by Kaleem Shah, for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Those runners are scheduled to arrive Breeders’ Cup week.

Ward gets Hall of Fame assistance in barn 

Alex Solis might have retired from riding in 2017, but he did not retire his helmet.

Inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 2014, Solis is spending his time for now in Lexington and in the mornings can be found at Keeneland galloping horses for trainer Wesley Ward.

“My oldest son, Alex II, just took a job with Gainesway (as Director of Bloodstock) and my middle son, Andrew, lives here, so I am just following them and keeping up with the grandkids,” said Solis, 56. “I like to stay active and keep fit, and Wesley asked me to help out galloping horses.”

The helmet that Solis estimates he has had for 10-15 years has been back on active duty for the past couple of weeks.

“He galloped for me earlier in the year and then went back to California,” Ward said. “I told him if he wanted to help out like (veteran jockey) Julio (Garcia) that would be fine.”

And how is that new, yet experienced, hand working out?

“Unbelievable,” Ward said.