Breeders' Cup Clocker: Final impressions as decision time nears
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SANTA ANITA
Tuesday, Oct. 31
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 52
Track: Fast
Turf: Firm
ARCADIA, Calif. - The gang’s all here for Breeders’ Cup 2023, and while the heavy lifting is just about over, there is still plenty of work to do and observations to be made between now and when the starting gate opens for the first of this year’s 14 BC races here Friday afternoon.
There were no official works to report during training hours on Tuesday. Classic contender Derma Sotogake did blow out three furlongs, but in a relatively easy 41.98 seconds on the main track, while several international horses stretched their legs down the stretch over the turf course, including Turf hopeful Shahryar, who went a strong quarter-mile to the wire in 25.80 before continuing out with good momentum into the clubhouse turn.
With more than 170 horses entered for this year’s Breeders’ Cup, there was plenty to see here Tuesday with the highlight of the morning, as it seems to be every year, the first sighting of Aiden O’Brien’s formidable team. The entire group entered and ultimately left the track in single file, with military-like precision. They came out to first jog, then canter a mile before walking back to the barn, in the same order in which they began.
This year’s pack, the majority of whom already are Grade 1 winners, is led by the Turf-bound Bolshoi Ballet, easy winner of the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga in his most recent start.
Trainer Brad Cox’s Breeders’ Cup lineup is nearly as large and equally as imposing as O’Brien’s. They too hit the track here for the first time on Tuesday after doing all their serious training at Churchill Downs.
Trainer Todd Pletcher’s Breeders’ Cup runners also completed all their final works in Kentucky, at Keeneland, prior to shipping locally.
Chad Brown did likewise at Belmont Park, with his troops all galloping over the local strip for the first time on Tuesday, making favorable impressions one and all, most notably Zandon, who looked especially sharp prepping for the Classic and Search Results, who is looking to spring a mild upset in a strong and very well matched Distaff lineup.
While it’s impossible to get a good look at them all, especially those who train in the dark during the first two hours the track is open on a daily basis, the following are impressions of a dozen or so Breeders’ Cup contenders who caught the eye this morning.
Pletcher sent out his two Classic runners, Bright Future and Dreamlike, well before dawn, both looking good coming by the grandstand just behind stablemate Up to the Mark.
White Abarrio had another good morning a short while later, doing his usual thing of first jogging, then galloping approximately a mile and one-eighth before looking particularly happy and on his toes jogging back home.
Clapton continues to enjoy his morning sessions, opening galloping down the stretch and into the clubhouse turn in excellent fashion while Cox’s Saudi Crown was full of controlled energy himself during a routine gallop.
Among the international horses to take advantage of the turf course being open for training at 7:30 a.m. were Japanese invaders Win Marilyn and Jasper Krone, who two-minute licked their way once around near the outside fence as did Inspiral a short while later.
Master of The Seas, who breezed a sharp but unofficial half-mile over the turf on Sunday, looked good again galloping over the main track today. So too did Desert Dawn, considered an outsider in the Distaff who is exiting a very impressive main-track drill over the weekend.
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It was a bit surprising to see Just F Y I out today after she breezed an easy, maintenance-like half-mile the previous morning, looking none the worse for wear from that promising effort in preparation for the Juvenile Fillies.
Ushba Tesoro made a routine gallop look good, as always, but did not return to the starting gate after proving a quite a handful there on Monday. He will reportedly breeze and also return to the blocks for some additional schooling on Wednesday.
Tamara could be the shortest price Breeders’ Cup favorite this weekend when she runs in the Juvenile Fillies, although she looked a little lackluster during a routine gallop today while failing to switch off her left lead at any point from the top of the stretch to the wire.
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