Breeders' Cup Classic: Lukas gets clear view of Will Take Charge working

ARCADIA, Calif. – Half the horses expected to be entered Monday in this coming Saturday’s $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic recorded workouts Saturday, a day when the field was narrowed from 13 to 12 by the defection of Graydar to the Dirt Mile.

At Santa Anita, Moreno, Mucho Macho Man, and Will Take Charge all recorded drills, with those of Moreno and Mucho Macho Man delayed by the tragic death of the sprinter Points Offthebench. At Belmont Park, Last Gunfighter and Ron the Greek worked, while Flat Out drilled at Saratoga.

Will Take Charge worked just after the first renovation break of the morning, and the work was partially obscured from the press box by fog that had rolled in. Track clockers gave Will Take Charge an official time of 59.40 seconds for five furlongs. At the barn afterward, Will Take Charge appeared as though the work had taken nothing out of him.

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“It was a good work,” said trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who said he was able to see the whole drill because he was on horseback, and thus below the fog bank. “I was really pleased with the way he went. What I like about watching a work on horseback is that I’m the first to get to the horse. I don’t have to rely on what the rider tells me about how he pulled up. I want to see if he’s rubber-legged, want to see if he enjoyed his work. He enjoyed it.”

Moreno, scheduled to work shortly after the second renovation break, was about a half-mile behind Points Offthebench when that horse broke down, so Moreno had to be pulled up, as were all other horses on the track. He went back to his barn, came out after the third and final renovation break, and showed no signs of being compromised, working five furlongs in 59.20 seconds, the best time of 50 at the distance.

Mucho Macho Man was about to step onto the track for his work when the incident with Points Offthebench occurred. He walked in the stable area until the track was clear, then came out and worked five furlongs by himself in 1:00.60.

“He went very well,” trainer Kathy Ritvo said. “We’re ready. Everything’s gone perfect.”

Ritvo said Mucho Macho Man seemed to handle the delay well.

“We just walked back and forth toward the barn,” she said.

At Belmont Park, Ron the Greek put in his third strong half-mile breeze since upsetting the Jockey Club Gold Cup, this time breezing four furlongs in 47.14 seconds over the training track. Under exercise rider Steve Schmez, Ron the Greek zipped his final three furlongs in 34.84.

“You never know for sure what you’re going to get, but he seems to be sharp,” trainer Bill Mott said. “He’s been sharp in all three of his breezes since the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He acts great. He looks like he’s doing very well. I’m very happy with him.”

Mott said he moved Ron the Greek’s work from the main track to the training track because he thought it would be a little kinder on the horse, and because last year, he worked well over that surface. Mott said the quick time gave him some confidence that Ron the Greek could run another good race, like he did in the Gold Cup.

“I’d rather have one work well than work poorly,” Mott said. “The works are a good indicator. It doesn’t decide the outcome of the race, but it’s certainly an indicator that your horse is doing well a week before the race and is going into it well.”

At Saratoga, Flat Out worked a half-mile in 48.28 seconds, with nearly identical quarter-mile splits of 24.63 and 24.65 over the Oklahoma training track. Flat Out was caught galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.63 and six furlongs in 1:16.00 under exercise rider Neil Poznansky.

“Neil’s been getting on Flat Out the last two years – he was very pleased with it,” Mott said.

Flat Out was scheduled to ship to California on Sunday, while Ron the Greek, along with Mott’s other Breeders’ Cup horses, was scheduled to travel Monday.

Also at Belmont, Last Gunfighter worked five furlongs in 1:01 in company with Dirt Mile pre-entrant Easter Gift. Joel Rosario, on Easter Gift, twice had to wait for Last Gunfighter to catch up, though Last Gunfighter did gallop out well.

– additional reporting by David Grening