Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile: Sadler pleased with Full Serrano's five-furlong work
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ARCADIA, Calif. – Full Serrano was a relatively handy winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at healthy odds of 13-1. He won’t be nearly that price when he seeks a repeat victory against two other Breeders’ Cup winners and a Kentucky Derby winner in the $1 million Dirt Mile.
“Somebody said where is he at compared to last year? I think he’s the same maybe a smidge better,” trainer John Sadler said. “He’s going to have to be.”
Full Serrano couldn’t have looked any better – albeit in the dark – Saturday morning when he worked five furlongs in 58.80 seconds at Santa Anita. He went his first three furlongs in 34.89 seconds and galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.60.
“Perfect,” Sadler said. “Just what we wanted to see.”
Full Serrano is coming off a runner-up finish to Nevada Beach in the Grade 1 Goodwood Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, just his second start of the year. That result and the degree of difficulty of the Classic field led Sadler to point to the Dirt Mile.
“We’re going to run him farther distances next year in his campaign” Sadler said. “I’m not going to be scared to go somewhere for a longer distance, but for this year with the two races it just made sense.”
Several of Full Serrano’s opponents in the Dirt Mile put in workouts Saturday morning.
At Santa Anita, Nysos, the expected Dirt Mile favorite, worked five furlongs in 59.06 seconds, per Daily Racing Form and galloped out six furlongs in 1:11.57. Citizen Bull, last year’s Juvenile winner, went five furlongs in 58.40 seconds, per DRF.
Bob Baffert, trainer of both of those horses – as well as Dirt Mile candidate Goal Oriented – was pleased with both works. Baffert was initially planning to run Nysos in the Classic until that horse missed a planned start in the Goodwood due to a foot injury.
At Saratoga, Chancer McPatrick worked a half-mile in 48.80 seconds by himself over the Oklahoma training track.
“Excellent,” trainer Chad Brown said. “That horse breezed as good as he’s breezed all year. I’m very, very pleased.”
The Dirt Mile field is expected to be 10 horses including 2023 BC Classic winner White Abarrio and 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan.
Dr. Venkman confirmed for Sprint
Dr. Venkman, who was pre-entered in both the Dirt Mile and Sprint, will run in the Sprint, trainer Mark Glatt confirmed Saturday.
Glatt said his respect for Nysos is one of the reasons he will keep his horse sprinting.
“Nysos, to me, is the best horse in the country,” Glatt said. “He’s already solidly defeated me, I don’t know it would be any different next week.”
Nysos beat Dr. Venkman by 5 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3 Triple Bend at Santa Anita on May 31. Glatt also said that he feels the Sprint is an easier race than the Dirt Mile.
“The owners and I feel he has a chance to beat most of what he’s going to face in the Sprint,” Glatt said.
Dr. Venkman won the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar for his fourth win from six starts over that track.
On Saturday, Dr. Venkman worked a half-mile in 48 seconds under jockey Umberto Rispoli over Santa Anita’s main track.
“It was solid,” Glatt said. “Umberto was happy with it and if he’s happy I’m happy.”
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