Breeders' Cup Clocker: Senor Buscador gets more serious in five-furlong move
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Santa Anita
Weather: Hazy
Temperature: 63 degrees
Track: Fast
ARCADIA, Calif. – Senor Buscador was the first Breeders’ Cup Classic contender to don his personal gold Breeders’ Cup towel here this week. He also was the most notable of the three Breeders’ Cup hopefuls to breeze over a fast track on a somewhat quiet Thursday morning at Santa Anita.
After working a relatively easy, maintenance-like five-eighths going solo here 10 days earlier, it was apparent trainer Todd Fincher had something more serious in mind this morning for Senor Buscador, who was given a target to run at in the Mike Puype-trained Kislovodsk. Breaking off about 4 1/2 lengths behind at the five-furlong pole, Senor Buscador really began to accelerate on the turn, readily drawing clear of his overmatched company and completing the distance in 59.62 seconds compared to 1:01.84 in his previous work.
Senor Buscador was without much need of urging before continuing out seven furlongs around the clubhouse turn while kept off the rail in 1:27.50. The winner of the Grade 2 San Diego Handicap but on the fringes in both the Grade 1 Awesome Again three weeks ago at Santa Anita and Pacific Classic this summer at Del Mar, Senor Buscador has been given first preference to the Classic over the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. He finished well behind Cody’s Wish in the 2022 Dirt Mile.
Didia, a winner of five of her six starts this season including a pair of graded stakes but facing a formidable task in the Filly and Mare Turf, appears to be maintaining her top form after breezing five furlongs over the main track in 1:01.20. She punctuated the move by galloping out with excellent energy, getting six furlongs in 1:14.20 while not easing up until covering a full mile in 1:41.80.
Despite having won the Grade 2 Eddie D. Stakes in his last start, Lane Way is going to need a lot of help to get into the starting gate for the Turf Sprint, currently sitting fourth on the also-eligible list among the 21 horses pre-entered for the event. But he did serve notice he could be a force to reckon with if he does somehow manage to draw into the field. He zipped a swift half-mile in 47.00 over the main track while inadvertently picking up a pair of targets of his own, a team of Michael McCarthy workers, along the way.
White Abarrio, one of the key contenders for the Classic, was back out again at his regular time, shortly after 6:30 a.m., turning in another routine but promising session similar to the previous morning. He jogged a mile and galloped 1 1/8 miles after missing a scheduled work here Monday due to a minor foot issue. Trainer Rick Dutrow currently has the Whitney winner’s eagerly anticipated final Breeders’ Cup work penciled in for Friday.
Both the Japanese contingent along with trainer Bill Mott’s strong group of Breeders’ Cup contenders were on the track here for the first time this morning, a group that included Cody’s Wish, defending Sprint champion Elite Power, and the popular War Like Goddess, who will take on the boys in the 1 1/2-mile Turf.
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