Practical Move leads 14 Breeders’ Cup hopes on Santa Anita tab

Breeders’ Cup contender Practical Move returned to the work tab Saturday at Santa Anita following a sharp comeback victory going a flat mile against allowance foes over the same course Oct. 6. 

At about 6:45 a.m. PDT, Practical Move hit the main track and went four furlongs in company in 48.8 seconds. He is targeting the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 4, trainer Tim Yakteen confirmed.

Across U.S., In Italian, Gunite lead Breeders’ Cup breezes.

“He got some outside company, and it all went well,” Yakteen said. “I was just looking to see that his energy level was good, make sure all systems are a go. That’s what we saw.”

In his comeback effort that followed a nearly six-month layoff, Practical Move and jockey Ramón Vázquez settled just off the early pace before surging past rivals at the top of the stretch and cruising to a four-length victory. The effort earned a 98 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.

Sired by Practical Joke, Practical Move has won 5 of 8 starts and never missed the board. Following his win in the Santa Anita Derby (G1) on April 8, he was shipped to Churchill Downs to contest the Kentucky Derby on May 6. He never got the chance. The week of the Derby, Practical Move spiked a temperature and had to be scratched.

Practical Move was among 14 Breeders’ Cup contenders who worked Saturday at the host track for the championships.

Muth and Wine Me Up, the top two finishers in the American Pharoah (G1) at Santa Anita on Oct. 7, returned to the tab for Bob Baffert. Muth went five furlongs in 59.4 seconds, and Wine Me Up was timed at 59.2 seconds for the same distance. Both are pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 3.

Anarchist, who went five furlongs in 59.4 seconds on the main track, and The Chosen Vron, clocked at 1:01.6 on the training track, worked toward expected starts in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 4. Gunite, timed at 1:00.2 for five furlongs, worked on the main track for trainer Steve Asmussen on the way to start in either the Sprint or the Dirt Mile.

Anarchist worked with Vázquez in the irons. The 4-year-old Distorted Humor colt trained by Doug O’Neill most recently won the Pat O’Brien (G2) going seven furlongs at Del Mar on Aug. 26.

“He went really good,” Vázquez said. “This is a happy horse.”

“He’s stepping things up,” O’Neill’s assistant Leandro Mora said. “He looks more focused and fresher, which was the idea giving him more time between races.”

Kirstenbosch for trainer John Sadler and Society for Asmussen worked toward the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. Kirstenbosch, winner of the Chillingworth (G3) on Sept. 29, went five furlongs in 1:00.4. Society went the same distance in 59.8 seconds.

Clearly Unhinged, second in the Chillingworth for trainer Michael McCarthy, also worked toward a potential start in the Filly & Mare Sprint with a four-furlong move in 48.2 seconds.

Du Jour and Exaulted, the first two finishers in the Del Mar Mile (G2) on Sept. 2, drilled a half-mile on the training track for the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Du Jour worked in 48.6 seconds. Exaulted, winner of the Shoemaker Mile (G1) on May 29 at Santa Anita, went in 47.4 seconds.

Astronomer, also a candidate for the Mile following a second-place finish in the City of Hope Mile (G2) on Sept. 30 at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs on the main track in 1:01.0 for trainer Simon Callaghan.

Motorious, trained by Phil D’Amato, worked toward the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. The winner of the Green Flash (G3) on Sept. 2 at Del Mar went four furlongs on the training track in 46.8 seconds.

D’Amato also worked Desert Dawn six furlongs in 1:13.4. The Arizona-bred daughter of Cupid is possible for either the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at 1 1/8 miles or the Filly & Mare Sprint at seven furlongs.

Pre-entries for the 40th Breeders’ Cup will be announced Wednesday.