BC Turf: Imagining to be involved early from post 3

ARCADIA, Calif. – In the early fall of 2013, Imagining was considered a candidate for the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita until he finished sixth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park.

Trainer Shug McGaughey opted to keep Imagining in New York, where the horse won consecutive stakes at Belmont Park and Aqueduct.

This year, Imagining is headed across the country. When post positions were drawn Monday, Imagining was one of five Eastern-based runners among the 13 entrants. There are five European runners and three from Southern California.

Imagining, 6, was third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park on Sept. 27, finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind Main Sequence. Twilight Eclipse, second in that field, also is part of the BC Turf field.

Imagining drew post 3, which should aid the 6-year-old horse. He tends to race near the front and will give jockey Joel Rosario plenty of options in the first half-mile of the race over 1 1/2 miles.

McGaughey said at Belmont Park on Sunday that Imagining should benefit from a firm turf course at Santa Anita. Imagining had his final workout at Belmont Park on Sunday, breezing five furlongs in 1:04.04 on a turf course rated “good.”

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2014: Post positions and odds

“This thing was pretty spongy,” McGaughey said. “I think he’ll really relish running over the top of it out there. I’m looking forward to running.”

Imagining races for breeder Phipps Stable and has won 8 of 19 starts and $1,003,114. His most prestigious stakes win occurred this year in the Grade 1 Man o’War Stakes over 1 3/8 miles on turf at Belmont Park on May 11.

That makes Imagining one of seven Grade 1 or Group 1 winners in the BC Turf, along with Brown Panther, Chicquita, Flintshire, Hardest Core, Magician, and Main Sequence.

The field in post-position order is Telescope, Twilight Eclipse, Imagining, Brown Panther, Hangover Kid, Finnegans Wake, Flintshire, Magician, Hardest Core, Starspangled Heat, Chicquita, Main Sequence, and Big John B.

Flintshire, second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Oct. 5, is expected to be favored. He had his first morning of training at Santa Anita with a jog Monday, lathering noticeably around the neck.

– additional reporting by David Grening