Breeders' Cup Clocker: Flightline, Life Is Good lead super work session
KEENELAND
Weather: Clear
Temp: 57
Track: Fast
Turf: Good
LEXINGTON, KY. - The big boys, and girls, were out in force during a Super Saturday training session at Keeneland that produced a Breeders’ Cup worktab exceeding 40 horses, dirt and turf combined. The massive group included the two big names, FLIGHTLINE and LIFE IS GOOD, for the Classic, and the two likely favorites, stablemates MALATHAAT and NEST, for the Distaff.
Saturday's was a perfect fall morning weather-wise in Lexington. Flightline, the massively popular star attraction of this year’s Breeders’ Cup, was scheduled to breeze, and that attracted a large crowd of spectators during training hours. The main track was fast and the turf on the softer side again, with 16 Breeders’ Cup horses turning in works over the infield course, with the dogs set out well past the middle of the track, as usual.
Flightline backed up briefly after entering the track from the seven-furlong chute before ultimately leaving the five-furlong pole in leisurely fashion, posting a 25.75 opening quarter split under Juan Leyva. The undefeated superstar picked up the pace almost unperceptively approaching the stretch, completing his final three-eighths to the wire in 34.84, doing so effortlessly, gobbling up the round with his rider never offering encouragement at any point, continuing to show off his enormous stride on the gallop out completing seven furlongs in 1:26.22 before easing up the mile in 1:40.71. Flightline, in maintenance mode coming off his “major” work for the Classic a week earlier at Santa Anita, was brilliant as usual and hard to fault in any manner a week out.
Life Is Good had a hard act to follow about 90 minutes later, but he did put on a pretty good show. After proving a bit headstrong leaving the pole, Life Is Good settled nicely under regular exercise rider Amelia Green, breezing five-eighths in 36.88, 1:00.91, on his own to the wire, ears pinned, before galloping out efficiently into and around the turn, actually pulling up a mile a bit faster than Flightline, in 1:40.09. This was a nice improvement over his last local breeze, but was perceptively not the morning superstar he had been on a regular basis throughout much of the year in New York.
HOT ROD CHARLIE may be taking a bit of a back seat to the more publicized Flightline and Life Is Good, but he was very sharp for the second straight week locally, breezing five furlongs under a statuesque Tyler Gaffalione in 35.39, 1:00.34, breaking off several lengths behind his workmate before taking control to the wire. He was given a single nudge at that point to coninue six furlongs in 1:13.61 while working with blinkers. Another solid effort coming on the heels of a very crisp, eye-catching blowout just a mere 48 hours earlier.
Both Malathaat and Nest were in total maintenance mode this morning, going in separate sets after working to rave reviews in company eight days earlier. Malathaat was the first to go, breaking off not far behind Flightline and cruising four furlongs in 24.36, 49.61 while maintaining a slight edge under a snug hold outside her pressured partner to the wire and continuing out a strong five furlongs in 1:02.61, finally pulling up after three-quarters in 1:15.21. She continues to flourish locally.
The same can be said for Nest, who also breezed a very easy, maintenance-like half-mile in 25.39, 50.41 outside workmate Inventing before posting a similarly solid :13 split on the gallop out while kept well off the rail into the turn.
Malathaat and Nest were two of four likely Distaff starters to work this morning along with SEARCH RESULTS and AWAKE AT MIDNYTE. Search Results looked good for a second week in a row, breezing five-eighths in 35.93, 1:01.43 while never being asked for her best, showing off nice energy again on the gallop out, continuing six panels in 1:14.78 before easing up seven-eighths in 1:28.53. Awake At Midnyte, working in total darkness shortly after 6 a.m., was much the best while kept under wraps throughout, completing five furlongs in company in 36.92, 1:01.25, although she never did switch off her left lead at any point down the stretch.
Other names of note on Saturday’s main-track tab included stablemates JACK CHRISTOPHER and the promising 2-year-old BLAZING SEVENS, who went in company a week earlier but worked solo half-miles this morning, the former coasting along in 23.90 48.19, the latter a swift 23.59 47.58 and punctuating the breeze galloping out an eager five-eighths in 1:00.80.
DOMESTIC SPENDING was arguably the number one star over the softer turf this morning, readily drawing away from workmate VIRGINIA JOY with an eye-catching gallop out, completing five furlongs in 1:02.53 before running well clear while very wide into the turn in 1:16.28.
A couple of other teams worth noting this morning over the sod included the Chad Brown duo of ROUGIR and REGAL GLORY, who punctuated their 49.88 half-mile around the wide dogs with a solid gallop out of their own, and the Todd Pletcher pairing of MAJOR DUDE and ANNAPOLIS, who finished with tons of energy, then ran on with equal enthusiasm a good quarter-mile around the turn after completing an easy half in 50.53.
Reports on all 40-plus Breeders’ Cup horses who worked this morning will be available on the Daily Racing Form Breeders’ Cup Clocker Report for next Friday and Saturday’s programs at Keeneland.
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