Breeders' Cup Clocker: Arabian Knight, Speed Boat Beach look sharp
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Although most of the major works were completed over the weekend for Breeders’ Cup 2023, there was still some significant business to attend to Monday at Santa Anita. Stablemates Arabian Knight and Speed Boat Beach, key contenders in both the Classic and Sprint, put the finishing touches on what has been a series of very impressive works leading up to their respective races here Saturday.
Arabian Knight was the first of trainer Bob Baffert’s duo to go, easing away from the five-furlong pole before shifting into high gear starting at the 4 1/2-furlong marker, where the work officially began. The Pacific Classic winner completed the drill a sixteenth past the wire in 59.23 seconds before galloping out three-quarters in 1:12.28. His final split from the quarter pole to the wire came in 23.73 while just cruising along on his own the entire way. The final drill was the latest in a steady succession of very impressive breezes here over the past month that included a more serious and eye-catching seven furlongs in 1:24.27 and up a mile in 1:37.57 here one week earlier. Arabian Knight is giving every indication he couldn’t be doing any better coming into the Classic.
Speed Boat Beach breezed an easier half-mile just moments later, completing the distance in 47.98 off a 23.76 opening quarter-mile split before easing up five furlongs in 1:01.34. It was pretty much just a maintenance move coming off a stiff and razor-sharp six furlongs from the gate eight days earlier. Speed Boat Beach may be short on experience, but he’s long on speed and talent and may stand some catching with a clean break in the Sprint.
After having her work postponed a couple of mornings, Just F Y I got in her final breeze for the Juvenile Fillies. The Frizette winner also was pretty much in maintenance mode cruising four furlongs in 48.65 for trainer Bill Mott. She got her final quarter in 24.67 before easing up after five-eighths into the turn in 1:01.68.
A couple of items to keep an eye on moving forward regarding the Classic include the conspicuous absence of morning-line favorite Arcangleo during training hours here on both Sunday and Monday mornings along with the way Ushba Tesoro behaved, or perhaps more accurately misbehaved, during a fairly extensive schooling session at the gate. The Dubai World Cup winner got extremely agitated after first being loaded into the starting gate with his rider aboard and then when repeated attempts were futilely made to get him back in the blocks without a rider on his back shortly thereafter. Would expect to see him back visiting the gate at least once, if not more, in the days ahead.
Speedy turf sprinter Live In The Dream did not have an official work Monday morning when getting over the strip that opened for international horses to train at 7:30 a.m., but he did blow out a fairly strong three furlongs around the wide dogs, coming home his final quarter in 26.98 while well out past the middle of the course. The Irish-bred Live In The Dream figures to be a definite pace presence in this year’s Turf Sprint.
Songline (Mile) also made an appearance on the turf, open-galloping once around the seven-furlong oval and then jogging another circuit after having already spent approximately 45 minutes out training and making at least two trips around the one-mile main track.
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Other gallopers of note on Monday included Chatalas, who has been working well in preparation for the Juvenile Fillies, Fulmineo (Juvenile Turf), full of energy down the lane and passing by the wire when out to train early on a crisp and relatively chilly morning, and White Abarrio (Classic) who was really on his toes jogging to the wire before turning around, breaking off in full stride and then nicely coming to hand and cruising about 1 1/8 miles. White Abarrio continues to look good exiting his big work last Friday.
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