Leave it to a couple of former Quarter Horse guys to have the speed of the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
A Z Warrior, trained by Bob Baffert, and Soundwave, trained by Ronny Werner, were among the 13 horses pre-entered in the 1 1/16-mile race on Monday. And both figure to be prominent when the Churchill Downs starter springs the latch for the Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – D. Wayne Lukas nearly pulled off one of the biggest surprises of his Hall of Fame training career when Decelerator finished second, beaten less than a length by Hilda’s Passion, in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes last Saturday at Keeneland.
Decelerator was 73-1.
“I made a nice little bet on her because I thought she was coming into the race as good as she could be,” Lukas said early Tuesday outside his Churchill Downs barn. “I bet her win and place, so I guess I did okay.”
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The Breeders’ Cup has announced that a record 184 horses were pre-entered Monday in the 14 races that make up the 2010 championships that will be run Nov. 5-6 at Churchill Downs. The entire lineups of pre-entries and races will be released Wednesday.
Among the pre-entered horses is Workforce, whose status for the Breeders’ Cup had been unclear since the colt captured the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France earlier this month. Other international superstars pre-entered include Zenyatta from the United States, Goldikova from France, and Espoir City from Japan.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Having already put in some dazzling workouts in the last few weeks, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile contender Boys At Tosconova had a second consecutive straightforward drill Tuesday morning, going six furlongs in 1:14.35 over Aqueduct’s main track.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Warrior's Reward was the only Breeder's Cup hopeful to work prior to the renovation break at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, going five furlongs in 1:01.04 with jockey Julien Leparoux aboard. Warrior's Reward is scheduled to run in the Sprint.
Trainer Brian Koriner is expected to breeze his two Breeders' Cup candidates after the break, Sweet August Moon (Filly and Mare Sprint) on the main track and defending Turf Sprint winner California Flag over the turf.
The weather at Churchill Downs is overcast with a strong headwind blowing up the stretch.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With lights now a part of the equation at Churchill Downs, and the turf course open daily through next week, Monday morning’s training session is likely to be typical of what to expect here for the next 10 days, with Breeders’ Cup contenders working pretty much from the time the racetrack opened at 6 a.m. until finally closing for business around 10 a.m.
Teaching J P’s Gusto to be a more patient 2-year-old has been a focus for trainer David Hofmans since the colt’s four-race winning streak ended with a second-place finish in the Norfolk Stakes on Oct. 2.
In a seven-furlong workout on Monday in preparation for the BC Juvenile, J P’s Gusto started four lengths behind a workout partner and finished four lengths in front.
“I liked that he relaxed off the other horse,” Hofmans said. “It looked like he galloped out very nicely.”