Breeders' Cup clocker: Imperative drills for Dirt Mile

Del Mar
Track: Fast
Weather: Clear
Temp: 58

DEL MAR, Calif. – Breeders’ Cup contenders continue to trickle into Del Mar, with a handful of new faces making their first appearances over the track during training hours here Thursday.

Despite unseasonably warm temperatures that approached 100 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, it was a crisp 58 degrees when the first Breeders’ Cup contenders came out to train Thursday at 5:30 a.m. Only one, Dirt Mile contender Imperative, turned in an official work, going six furlongs shortly after dawn for trainer Bob Hess.

With exercise rider Kelsey Camarillo aboard, Imperative entered the track from the paddock, located at the finish line, and quickly got down to business, breaking away from the pony less than a quarter-mile later. Imperative was already in full stride when he officially began the drill at the 5 1/2-furlong pole, but despite the long run-up, Camarillo got Imperative to settle into a nice rhythm.

Imperative clipped off a series of 12-second furlongs to the top of the stretch before finishing willingly enough down the homestretch, completing the move half a furlong past the wire under just a hint of encouragement in 1:14.02, with internal splits of 12.06, 24.93, 36.14, and 48.20. A Grade 2 winner who has earned nearly $3 million, Imperative galloped out seven furlongs in 1:27.89 over a racetrack that seemed a little on the dull side, judging from other works Thursday.

There were plenty of notable names getting their first feel for the local surface Thursday, including key Sprint contenders Mind Your Biscuits and Imperial Hint, potential Dirt Mile favorite Sharp Azteca, and his stablemate War Story (Classic).

Mind Your Biscuits and Imperial Hint did little more than jog once around the one-mile oval, with Imperial Hint making an extremely positive impression.

Sharp Azteca jogged, galloped, and looked full of energy, wanting to do much more while having to be reined in a bit by his rider as he passed through the wire and continued willingly into the clubhouse turn.

Mongolian Saturday (Turf Sprint) jogged a mile or so before reversing direction and getting to really stretch his legs, coming down the lane at better than a two-minute clip, as he’s done on many occasions. Trainer Enebish Ganbat used similar tactics to prepare Mongolian Saturday in the week to 10 days before his upset victory in the 2015 Turf Sprint at Keeneland.

Trainer Dale Romans’s two Juvenile contenders, Free Drop Billy and Hollywood Star, had another good morning, with Hollywood Star gliding over the ground effortlessly during his routine gallop.

Another 2-year-old who really caught the eye was Catholic Boy (Juvenile Turf), with his rider having her feet firmly on the dashboard both times past the wire aboard the energetic colt.

Once again, Curlin’s Approval (Filly and Mare Sprint) was the final Breeders’ Cup trainee of the morning. She also was among the busiest, jogging 1 3/8 miles before reversing direction and galloping another 1 1/2 miles right at closing time, 9:30 a.m.

At Santa Anita, another Filly and Mare Sprint contender, Skye Diamonds, breezed six furlongs in 1:16.20 over the cozy training track. She was asked aggressively to finish from the quarter pole to the wire while getting out slightly and changing leads just a tad late once settling into the stretch.

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Belmont Park
Track: Fast
Weather: Cloudy
Temp.: 56

Orbolution (Juvenile Fillies Turf): Working in company with the stakes-placed 2-year-old colt Maraud, this daughter of Orb went a half-mile in 50.42 seconds over the training track and galloped out well under jockey John Velazquez.

Orbolution started about a half-length off Maraud and went in quarter-mile splits of 25.06 seconds and 25.36. Orbolution drew even with Maraud inside the eighth pole, finished on even terms, then pulled away on the gallop-out, going five furlongs in 1:03.78 and pulling up three-quarters in 1:17.71.

– additional reporting by David Grening