Bashert eyes Hollywood Futurity

ARCADIA, Calif. - Bashert, one of the leading 2-year-olds this summer, is gearing up for a late-season campaign with an eye toward the Grade 1 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 17. Runner-up in the Grade 3 Hollywood Juvenile and Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at Del Mar, Bashert has not raced or breezed since Sept. 7, when he flipped in the paddock and finished seventh as the third betting choice in the Grade 2 Del Mar Futurity, won by Stevie Wonderboy.

"The debacle at Del Mar scared me to death; I was afraid he got hurt," said Bill Currin, Bashert's owner-trainer. "He had a little nick on his leg that amounted to nothing. I decided to slow down and unscramble his brains."

Currin said Bashert will have his first comeback breeze later next week. "He's on the track, and he's training well," Currin said.

There was one fortuitous result to Bashert's disaster at Del Mar - it allowed Currin to purchase Bashert's full brother at a discount. "Had Bashert won, he would have gone for $500,000 to $600,000," Currin said. "I bought him for $140,000, and he looks just like Bashert."

The yearling colt's name? Must Be Fate.

Valdivia cleared to ride again

Jose Valdivia has received medical clearance to resume riding, and said he plans to begin exercising horses Friday at Santa Anita. Valdivia has not ridden since sustaining a hairline fracture of his right tibia in a Sept. 4 spill at Del Mar. Valdivia, 30, underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove cartilage from his knee, and the recovery period - Valdivia was expected to resume riding in late September - took longer than expected.

Valdivia finally received clearance to ride Tuesday. "His range of motion is back, and the swelling has gone down, and he'll start riding next week," said jockey agent Brian Beach.

Valdivia has won 813 races from 3,507 mounts. His mounts have earned $35,326,558. Valdivia's biggest career win was the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park with Val Royal.

Ann Summers Gold will ship to U.S.

Ann Summers Gold, the Group 3-placed filly pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, is headed to Southern California.

Ann Summers Gold suffered a pulled muscle that precluded her from entering the Breeders' Cup, but trainer Doug O'Neill's assistant, Dennis O'Neill, said she will ship to the U.S. after she recovers and could make her first start for owner J. Paul Reddam in the Grade 3 Miesque on Nov. 26 at Hollywood Park.

Ann Summers Gold raced twice in England, finishing second and third.

Lava Man, 'Denny' out of Cal Cup

The $250,000 California Cup Classic will be run Nov. 6 without two prominent nominees. Hollywood Gold Cup winner Lava Man is expected to run in the Japan Cup Dirt, and trainer Rafael Becerra said graded stakes winner Uncle Denny will skip the Cal Cup following a subpar comeback and unsatisfactory mile workout.

Among the leading Classic nominees are Carano, Continental Red, Desert Boom, and Texcess.

Six of seven races to follow Cup

The seven-race card Saturday at Santa Anita begins with race 1 at 9:40 a.m., followed by simulcast of the eight Breeders' Cup races. Six live races will be run after the Breeders' Cup, including the Grade 3 Morvich Handicap. There will not be a pick six or place pick all on the Santa Anita card.

On Friday and Saturday, popular announcer Michael Wrona will fill in for Trevor Denman, who will be on assignment working the NBC-TV telecast of the Breeders' Cup.

Extremely small fields Wednesday

The Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita may have hit a new low Wednesday. After five scratches, only 46 horses were left on the eight-race card. There were three five-horse fields, four six-horse fields, and one seven-horse field.

A minus show pool of $17,878 was created in race 1, which was won by 3-10 favorite Unusual Prospect. The favorite had $90,531 bet on her from a total show pool of $95,812. Unusual Prospect won by a nose. The $2 daily double combining Unusual Prospect and race-2 winner Memogram ($3.40) returned a whopping $3.80.

Robbins makes his BC picks

Jay Robbins, who trained Tiznow to back-to-back wins in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is picking Rock Hard Ten on Saturday. Robbins also likes Juvenile Fillies favorite Folklore, the 2-year-old filly by Tiznow who won the Matron by 14 lengths.

"It was the first time she has been on the outside," Robbins said, referring to Folklore's Matron post, before the Breeders' Cup post draw.

Folklore, who broke from the rail in three of her first six starts, drew the rail again for Saturday.

Enforcement to return to Baffert soon

Enforcement, the 2-year-old colt by Tiznow who unleashed one of the most impressive maidens wins of the summer meet at Del Mar, is scheduled to return to trainer Bob Baffert's barn on Nov. 1. Enforcement earned an 88 Beyer when winning by four lengths on July 24 and was turned out in late August because of sore shins.