Breeders' Cup Clocker: Englishman, The Puma impress in penultimate drills
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Keeneland
Friday, Oct. 16
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 71°
Track: Fast
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was definitely quality over quantity Friday morning at Keeneland, where only a handful of potential Breeders’ Cup starters turned in their penultimate works. The very prominent group included now likely Classic rivals Golden Tempo and The Puma, along with Englishman, who figures to go postward among the shorter-priced favorites on this year’s Breeders’ Cup program in the Sprint.
Friday’s training session began under unseasonably warm conditions but cooled off steadily as the morning progressed, the cold temperatures expected to last during training hours throughout the weekend.
As usual, one had to get up bright and early to see, or at least try to see, Englishman work. The freakishly fast 3-year-old was among the first workers of the morning, going under the cover of darkness shortly after the track opened for business at 5:30 a.m. He looked every part like a Breeders’ Cup Sprint favorite, zipping along four furlongs in 47.12 seconds off a 24.40 opening quarter split, doing it rather effortlessly before galloping out five furlongs in a solid 59.10 and then easing up six furlongs in 1:13.03.
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“That’s just him, the rider puts him in the bridle and he finishes up full of run,” trainer Cherie DeVaux said. “I just told the rider not to do as long of a gallop-out as he has the last several times. He can do 1:11 if you let him. I’m very happy with where we are with him right now.”
Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo and Pennsylvania Derby hero The Puma worked minutes apart after the renovation break at the crack of dawn.
Golden Tempo breezed an easy half-mile in company with stablemate So Sandy in 48.49 before galloping out in very willing fashion, five furlongs in 1:01.03 and up in 1:13.78 without being extended at any point by jockey Jose Ortiz.
The Puma left the six-furlong pole under regular rider Javier Castellano before completing an official five-furlong clocking in 37.59 and 1:02.68. He was then set down by Castellano to continue out a full mile in 1:42.14 while working in the blinkers he wore for the first time in the afternoon in the Pennsylvania Derby.
As was the case with Englishman a couple of hours earlier, DeVaux was quite pleased with what she saw from Golden Tempo.
“That’s just him in the morning, nothing real flashy,” DeVaux said. “Sometimes we’ll let him have a long, steady gallop like he had this morning. He did it well within himself and looked great.”
Both The Puma’s connections and rider were so impressed by his effort in his second local work that it was confirmed a short while later he would definitely compete in the Classic rather than the Dirt Mile.
“This was a more serious drill than the last one. Javier came in from New York for the work, and he was very pleased with how he felt, and we all liked what we saw,” trainer Gustavo Delgado’s son Gustavo Jr. said shortly after the work. “And as a result, at this time we are now committed to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. We not only loved the work but also feel at this point it’s not in his best interests to change his style and cut him back to a mile this late in the season.”
Among the other potential Breeders' Cup hopefuls to work here Friday were DeVaux's Brilliant Bertie (Mile), a half-mile on the main track in company in 23.78 and 47.89 with a strong gallop-out, five furlongs in 1:00.97, and up three-quarters in 1:14.02; Emphatic (Juvenile Fillies), 24.98 and 48.79 and out in 1:01.53 with unraced stablemate Supreme Commander; Nakatomi (Sprint); Bless the Broken (Filly and Mare Sprint); and Immersive (Distaff).
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