Breeders' Cup Flash Notes
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Breeders’ Cup World Championships Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 2-Year-Old Races Report To be run Friday, October 31 $1 Million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings 1 Mile (Turf) $1 Million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Fillies 1 Mile (Turf) To be run Saturday, November 1 $2 Million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Colts & Geldings 1 1/16 Miles $2 Million 14 Hands Winery Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I) 2-Year-Old Fillies 1 1/16 Miles Tuesday, October 28, 2014 Contact Notes Team (626) 254-1352 Bob Baffert (American Pharoah and One Lucky Dane, Juvenile) – With emotion showing on his face and in his voice, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert announced at a hastily called news conference at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time that Juvenile favorite American Pharaoh had been withdrawn from the race with a deep bruise on the left front foot. “After his work (on Sunday) he wasn't quite right," Baffert said. "We were working on a foot (Monday) and again this (Tuesday) morning. We X-rayed him and did an ultrasound ... It isn't soft tissue and it isn't bone, but there's something not right. We'll give him some more diagnostic tests and we'll deal with it ... Nothing serious, nothing career ending. “I've had to scratch horses before big races before, but this is probably the most disappointing. But he's too great of a horse and too valuable to take a chance. I didn't want to risk it and Mr. (owner Ahmed) Zayat didn't want to risk it. He's going to be OK, but the timing is just very tough ... It's pretty difficult for the barn, the Zayat family and anybody who has anything to do with the horse. “I've never had a bad day with this horse and never had one come up to a race so perfect.” The 2yo son of Pioneerof the Nile won the 7f Del Mar Futurity in his second career start by 4 3/4 lengths on Sept. 3 and followed that with a 3 1/4-length victory in the 1 1/16 mile Front Runner on Sept. 27. He drew the No. 5 post and was tabbed the 2-1 favorite in a field of 13 for the Juvenile. Baffert's remaining Juvenile entrant, One Lucky Dane, walked the shedrow on Tuesday following a 4f workout on Monday. Aidan O'Brien (The Great War, Juvenile; War Envoy, Juvenile Turf; Qualify, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – see European report Brian Meehan (Faithful Creek, Juvenile Turf) – see European report on also eligible list -MORE- 2-2-2-2 Chad Brown (Offering Plan and Startup Nation, Juvenile Turf; Lady Eli, Partisan Politics, Sivoliere, and Tammy the Torpedo, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – Trainer Chad Brown said his team of 2yo grass runners all shipped well from New York Monday. The flight was delayed while a repair was made on a cracked windshield, so Brown’s horses did not arrive until Monday evening. He sent them out for some light exercise Tuesday morning and said they will all gallop on Wednesday. Charlie Hills (Commemorative, Juvenile Turf) – see European report Charlie Fellowes (Wet Sail, Juvenile Turf) – see European report D. Wayne Lukas (Mr. Z, Juvenile; Take Charge Brandi, Juvenile Fillies; Lady Zuzu, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – Lady Zuzu was in the Lukas spotlight Tuesday when she galloped 1 1/2m under regular exercise rider Allyson Walker on her way to Friday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf. She’ll be ridden by Julien Leparoux. Lukas’ other Breeders’ Cup prospects – Mr. Z and Take Charge Brandi – set for the Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies, respectively, walked the shedrow following 4f workouts on Monday. Dale Romans (Cristina's Journey, Juvenile Fillies; Danny Boy, Juvenile Turf; Flying Tipat [also eligible], Juvenile Fillies Turf) – Trainer Dale Romans describes Cristina’s Journey as a horse “in a plain brown wrapper,” but she’s also a runner that never disappoints. “She’s always the same,” said Romans. “She always goes out and does her job. She’s not a ‘wow’ horse although her last work was pretty ‘wow.’ I expect her to well.” Donegal Racing’s Danny Boy is still looking for his second win after breaking his maiden in his first start three races ago, but Romans is very optimistic about his chance. “He’s probably my best chance of winning a Breeders’ Cup race this year,” said Romans. “He’s really coming into this race well. He’s improving at the right time.” David Brown (War Alert, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – see European report on also eligible list Graham Motion (Rainha Da Bateria, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – The 2yo daughter of Broken Vow galloped 1 1/2m Tuesday morning at Santa Anita. Rainha Da Bateria has won two of her three lifetime starts, including the Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland. “She’s a filly who always showed a lot. We liked her from the get-go,” trainer Graham Motion said. “She had a couple issues in her second race. She had a terrible trip and she actually entrapped her epiglottis that day. It was kind of a race you put a line through.” Hugo Palmer (Aktabantay, Juvenile Turf) – see European report Jamie Osborne (Prize Exhibit, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – see European report -MORE- 3-3-3-3 Jerry Hollendorfer (Majestic Presence, Juvenile Fillies) – Mark DeDomenico LLC and North American Thoroughbred Horse Company Inc.’s Majestic Presence galloped on the main track at Santa Anita under exercise rider Edgar Rodriguez. Trained by Jerry Hollendorfer, Majestic Presence enters Saturday’s race off a fourth-place finish in the Chandelier, her initial race on dirt after debuting over the Polytrack at Del Mar. Dan Ward, assistant to Hollendorfer, does not believe the transition to dirt factored in the filly’s lone off-the-board finish in three starts. “She had a bad post that day (11 in a field of 12),” Ward said. “I really liked her in there, but she had a wide trip. She made a move on the turn and flattened out a little. I think that race will help her here Saturday and she had an excellent work last Saturday (6f in 1:12 3/5).” There was one other factor at play in the Chandelier, Ward said. “At Del Mar, she ran one of the first route races of the meet for 2-year-olds,” Ward said. “It was a long time (6 ½ weeks) between races and she may have been just a little short.” John Sadler (Daddy D T, Juvenile Turf) – The 2yo son of Scat Daddy galloped 1 1/2m Tuesday morning. Corey Nakatani, aboard for a victory in the Oak Tree Juvenile Turf at Del Mar on Sept. 3, is back in the saddle. Rafael Bejarano was in the irons for a fifth-place finish in the Front Runner on dirt at Santa Anita on Sept. 27. “He's getting back on his best surface, turf, and hopefully he'll put his best foot forward and win himself a Breeders' Cup race," Nakatani said. Kiaran McLaughlin (Imperia, Juvenile Turf) – Godolphin Racing’s Imperia went out to the main track at 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday under regular exercise rider Pat Correa for a 1 1/2m gallop and then stood at the gate and backed out. “Second time out is a big angle for us,” McLaughlin said. “We figured we could take a shot in the Pilgrim and if he got beat, go back to a maiden race. He’s finished so strong in both of his races. There is a short run into the first turn but we have (Javier Castellano) and he’s a push-button ride.” Leah Gyarmati (Wonder Gal, Juvenile Fillies) – Juvenile Fillies contender Wonder Gal, who was a bit keyed up earlier in the week according to trainer Leah Gyarmati, was more at ease on Tuesday morning after putting in her final breeze one day earlier. “She’s much more relaxed today,” said Gyarmati, after the daughter of Tiznow traveled 4f in 47 4/5 on the main track. “She jogged the wrong way this morning from the quarter-pole gap, walked to the paddock and took a long walk around the backside. Normally, I just walk her after a breeze but this took the edge off of her.” Owned by Treadway Racing Stable, the New York-bred Wonder Gal will be ridden for the first time by Hall of Famer Mike Smith when they break from post 10. The winner of a state-bred stakes race for fillies at Belmont Park in her first start, she caught a sloppy track when second to Juvenile Fillies contender By the Moon in her last. -MORE- 4-4-4-4 Mark Casse (Conquest Eclipse, Juvenile Fillies; Conquest Typhoon, Juvenile Turf; Conquest Harlanate, Juvenile Fillies Turf) – Trainer Mark Casse’s crew of Conquest Stable runners all galloped 1 1/2m on Tuesday morning and while the fillies had regular exercise rider Jason Hoyte aboard, the colt was partnered with Martin Rivera. “Everybody is as good as can be,” said Randi Melton, who runs the Southern California division of Casse’s widespread North American operation and had scheduled a paddock lesson for all three later in the morning. Conquest Stable is the nom de course for Chicagoans Ernie Semersky and Dory Newell, who are longtime life partners. Although they have only been in the racing business for about two years, they have invested more than $13 million at the sales and currently own roughly 100 horses.