Friday Notes
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Breeders’ Cup World Championships Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 Notes Friday, Nov. 6, 2020 Contact: Notes Team, 859-250-0358 Classic Authentic, Improbable, Maximum Security – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert’s Breeders’ Cup Classic horses all went to the track Friday morning for routine 1 ½m gallops. Though the approach could change, Baffert said that typically Improbable is the only one of the three who goes to the track the morning of the race. As Baffert sees it, the strategy is rather simple for his trio. “The key is the break,” he said. “They have to break cleanly and get in a rhythm. You want to see these horses get in a nice rhythm early. They breathe better. If they don’t break and they are behind and there is checking, forget it. They get confused. “So they don’t lose too much ground on the first turn. They are way outside, so not to lose too much ground on the first turn they’ve got to make their way down to the inside. Improbable, the break is important for him because he can act up some times. Authentic, speed is his weapon, so he ought to be sharp away from there. “If they are right there turning for home, that’s when the class takes over and that’s what you want to see. We’ll see who is the best. That’s what the Breeders’ Cup is about.” Baffert said he has handicapped the race, but wasn’t touting any one of his horses. “I’m a bad handicapper. I’m the worst,” he said. “They keep asking me which one in the Classic. I think every day I have a different answer. Today, I don’t have an answer yet. “Max is a horse that is hard to get a line on. Silver Charm was that way. When he trains you watch him and he does what he has to do, but in the afternoon when he comes out of the gate, he’s a stud. He has the heart of a champion and he’s a different horse. We know that Improbable, he just looks beautiful out there. Authentic is full of himself. He’s like spring-loaded and he really looks great. All three of them look really well.” By My Standards – Allied Racing Stable LLC’s By My Standards did a routine gallop of the Keeneland main track Friday morning, one day before he contests the $6 million Longines Classic. A stalker in a race filled with tactical speed, the Bret Calhoun-trained son of Goldencents will have to be both good and lucky in order to top what appears to be a wide-open renewal. “I just think we need to have a good trip and obviously a lot of good horses are going here in good form,” Calhoun said. “We can’t have any kind of mishaps or traffic trouble. I think these horses are so close that you aren’t going to be able to overcome a lot and still win. You need an ideal trip. The horse with the best one is probably going to win. “I won’t worry about the rest of the horses too much because there’s speed and an honest pace. Gabe (Saez) will ride our horse accordingly and hopefully he’ll get away sharp and get a good position early sitting off the speed. Tiz the Law, Maximum Security and Authentic will all be in the first group and hopefully we won’t be too far behind.” Global Campaign – Sagamore Farm LLC and WinStar Farm LLC’s Global Campaign galloped 1 ½m and walked in the paddock at Keeneland Friday morning for what will likely be his last career start in the Saturday’s Classic. The 4yo son of Curlin employed a front-running style to capture the Monmouth Cup and the Woodward at Saratoga in his two most recent starts, but trainer Stanley Hough doesn’t expect Global Campaign to be involved in the pace Saturday. “The perfect setup for me is if he breaks good and gets good position. I think the speed is on the outside. They might need to use a little bit to get there,” said Hough, whose Classic contender will walk the shedrow Saturday morning. “I’d like to see him in the first three or four horses. I’d like to see him get up there and get inside. I think that’s the best deal.” Hall of Famer Javier Castellano will ride Global Campaign for the first time Saturday. Higher Power – Hronis Racing’s Higher Power galloped on the main track at 6:15 Friday morning under Juan Leyva for trainer John Sadler. Sadler said Higher Power would not go to the track Saturday morning during the 5:30-6 training window. Higher Power is looking to improve on a third-place finish in last year’s Classic. “The key for him is a good break that puts him in a stalking position,” Sadler said of the path to success Saturday. “He needs to get a good position going into the first turn and have a good trip.” Tacitus – Multiple G2 winner Tacitus galloped a circuit of the Keeneland main track in advance of the $6 million Longines Classic. The earner of nearly $3 million seeks his first G1 in his eighth try for trainer Bill Mott and owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms, but has placed five times at the top level. Never worse than fourth when tackling the 1¼m of the Classic, he breaks from post one on Saturday under Jose Ortiz. “There’s only one way to win and that’s to finish first and there’s a billion ways to get beat,” Mott said. “I think he’s a horse who you might as well run him in the big races. Even if he gets beat in a Grade 2, by the same token, his style is suited for a bigger field and more pace. That’s what we’re hoping for.” Title Ready – Charles Fipke’s Title Ready, the highest-priced horse in the Classic at odds of 30- 1, had another easy 1 1/2 m. “He’s training well,” trainer Dallas Stewart said. “We’re excited to run.” Tiz the Law – Trainer Barclay Tagg smiled Friday morning when he explained what it would take for Tiz the Law and jockey Manny Franco to win the Classic. “Beat the other horses,” Tagg said. Sackatoga Stable’s 3yo New York-bred colt has trained up to the Classic since running second to Authentic in the Kentucky Derby Sept. 5. A three-time Grace 1 winner this year, he drew post two in the Classic, farther inside in the field of 10 than Tagg had hoped for, which puts more emphasis on a clean start. “He has to break well and get a position,” Tagg said. “I don’t want him to get trapped down on the inside. Then he is going to have to figure that all out. You can make up all kinds of things on how you think it ought to happen, but you’ve got a kid on a 1,000-pound horse going 35 miles an hour in a group it’s pretty hard to make things go just like you’d like them to. You can’t ride them. You can only ride one.” Tiz the Law jogged a half-mile and then galloped a mile Friday morning under exercise rider Heather Smullen. He will go to the track early Saturday morning. Tom’s d’Etat – As Al Stall Jr. listed all the reasons why Tom’s d’Etat continues to elicit a high level of confidence from him heading into Saturday’s Classic, the veteran trainer took a break from talking about his charge’s talent to point out a certain omen he hopes is in their favor as well. “This is the old Claiborne barn,” Stall said, gesturing to Keeneland’s Barn 66 where Tom’s d’Etat is housed. “The same barn Blame was in.” Ten years ago, Stall shipped Blame out of that Rice Road shedrow and up the road to Churchill Downs where the current Claiborne stallion delivered a victory for the ages by besting the previously unbeaten Zenyatta in the 2010 Classic. On the decade anniversary of that infamous triumph, Stall hopes to commemorate the moment by celebrating in the Bluegrass once more as G M B Racing’s Tom’s d’Etat aims to prevail over one of the best Classic lineups in recent years. The commonalities the 7yo son of Smart Strike -- who completed his last bit of fine tuning with a 1 ¼m gallop and paddock schooling session Friday morning -- has with Blame go beyond their trainer and former residence. Like his predecessor, Tom’s d’Etat used wins in the Fayette and Clark last season to announce himself as a force in the handicap ranks and -- as Blame did en route to his road to the Classic -- the bay horse captured the Stephen Foster this year. Where Blame was able to add the Whitney Handicap to his pre-Classic resume, Tom’s d’Etat finished third in his attempt at that race this season when he stumbled badly at the break. Stall feels Tom’s d’Etat’s inauspicious start that day was impacted by race winner Improbable’s fractious behavior near him in the gate. Needless to say, Stall was relieved to see Improbable -- who has had a history of gate issues -- draw four stalls away from his charge in the Classic.