Bellafina, Game Winner tune up for Breeders' Cup

ARCADIA, Calif. – Bellafina and Game Winner, the projected favorites in Breeders’ Cup races for 2-year-olds on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs, had their penultimate workouts Friday at Santa Anita.

Bellafina, who has won three graded stakes, worked five furlongs in 1:00 in company with the 3-year-old Kazan, who was timed in 1:00.60.

Game Winner, who has won two graded stakes, worked six furlongs in 1:13 in company with the 3-year-old stakes winner Ax Man, who was timed in 1:13.40.

Bellafina, owned by Kaleem Shah and trained by Simon Callaghan, started behind Kazan and raced alongside in the stretch. Callaghan timed Bellafina galloping out six furlongs in 1:12.80.

“We wanted to get something solid out of her,” Callaghan said. “It was an exceptionally good work. She’s on a good path.”

Bellafina has won 3 of 4 starts and earned $488,000. All her wins have come in stakes by wide margins. She won the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes in August and the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante on Sept. 1 by 4 1/4 lengths each. In her first start around two turns, Bellafina won the Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes at 1 1/16 miles by 6 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita on Sept. 29.

The BC Juvenile Fillies, also run at 1 1/16 miles, is the target for Bellafina.

Game Winner is the leading contender for the BC Juvenile at 1 1/16 miles on the basis of his wins in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 3 and Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 29 for trainer Bob Baffert and owners Gary and Mary West.

Game Winner is undefeated in three starts.

“He was just cruising along with Ax Man,” Baffert said of the workout.

Baffert had three other notable workouts by Breeders’ Cup hopefuls on Friday.

Abel Tasman, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2017, and multiple stakes winner Vale Dori worked seven furlongs for the BC Distaff on Nov. 3. Abel Tasman was timed in 1:26.40, slightly faster than Vale Dori’s clocking of 1:26.60.

Vale Dori won the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 30, a race in which Abel Tasman finished a shocking fifth as the 1-10 favorite. Baffert said later that Abel Tasman showed signs of illness in the days following the race. Abel Tasman’s health has rebounded, Baffert said.

Dream Tree, who won the Grade 2 Prioress Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on Sept. 3 at Saratoga, worked five furlongs from the gate in 58.80 seconds, the fastest of 43 recorded works at the distance. Dream Tree will have her first start outside of her age group in the BC Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 3.

In other workouts, La Force, who was second in the Zenyatta, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 for the BC Distaff on Nov. 3. Giant Expectations, third in the Grade 3 Ack Ack Stakes on Sept. 29 at Churchill Downs in his first start since March, worked five furlongs in 59.80 for the BC Dirt Mile on Nov. 3.

Pavel, who won the Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in June, worked six furlongs in 1:13.20 for the BC Classic on Nov. 3. Pavel has not raced since finishing second behind Accelerate in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 18 at Del Mar. Accelerate is the favorite for the BC Classic.

Pavel is trained by Doug O’Neill, who worked two other Breeders’ Cup candidates Friday. Whooping Jay, who will be pre-entered in the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf, worked five furlongs in 1:01.20.

Whooping Jay was second in the Speakeasy Stakes at five furlongs on turf Oct. 6, finishing behind Its Gonna Hurt, who earned a fees-paid berth for the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Trained by Brian Koriner, Its Gonna Hurt worked a half-mile in 48.60 on Friday.

The O’Neill-trained Splashy Kisses worked six furlongs in 1:13.40 on Friday. She will be pre-entered in the Juvenile Fillies, O’Neill said.