Breeders' Cup Juvenile: Romans likes his chances with Not This Time
Dale Romans watched the last round of prep races for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile like a golfer already in the clubhouse with a two-stroke lead.
Romans, the trainer of Iroquois Stakes winner Not This Time, saw good performances from the Chad Brown-trained Practical Joke in the Champagne Stakes and Classic Empire, trained by Mark Casse, in the Breeders’ Futurity, but he still likes his position on the course.
“I think some guys hit some really good shots while I was in the clubhouse watching,” Romans said. “Chad’s horse was impressive, Mark’s horse, there’s some good 2-year-olds out there, and they’re all [with] people I consider friends. It’ll be fun to get out there and compete.
“We’re not going to change anything. I’m not going to trade with anybody. We’ll just see what happens. He really is doing good. This is a top horse, best one I’ve ever had.”
With all the major pre-Breeders’ Cup stakes in the 2-year-old division complete, Not This Time, Practical Joke, and Classic Empire will join the Southern California duo of Gormley and Klimt as the leading prospects for the BC Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita. Add in Three Rules, the south Florida-based colt who has won all five of his starts by a combined 31 lengths, and you have six top-flight prospects for the 1 1/16-mile race.
Not This Time won the Iroquois by 8 3/4 lengths over a muddy Churchill Downs strip. Prior to that, he won a maiden race at Ellis Park by 10 lengths on Aug. 12. That win becomes even more impressive when you consider that three of the four horses out of that race to have run back have won. Moreover, Lookin At Lee, who finished second to Not This time in the Iroquois, came back to run second again to Classic Empire in the Breeders’ Futurity.
Not This Time, based at Churchill Downs, has worked twice since his Iroquois victory, and Romans said he plans “to crank him up a little bit this weekend.” Romans said Not This Time also will work Oct. 22, ship to Southern California on Oct. 23, and have his final Breeders’ Cup workout at Santa Anita on Oct. 28.
Brown said he is pointing Practical Joke, the Champagne and Hopeful stakes winner, to the Juvenile, while Favorable Outcome, third in the Champagne, remains a possibility.
Practical Joke, who overcame a slow start to get up over Syndergaard in the Champagne, has to be supplemented to the Juvenile for $100,000 since the horse was not Breeders’ Cup nominated. Brown said as long as the horse remains healthy by the Oct. 24 pre-entry deadline, owners Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence will pay the supplemental fee.
Trainer Todd Pletcher said Monday that Syndergaard, beaten a nose in the Champagne after setting fast early fractions, will be pointed to the Juvenile.
“He’s not rank, he’s just very fast,” Pletcher said. “A two-turn scenario could be different; he could shake loose.”
Theory, a very promising maiden winner at Saratoga, runs in Saturday’s Futurity at six furlongs at Belmont. Pletcher said he wanted to see how Theory performed in the Futurity before ruling the Breeders’ Cup in or out.
Classic Empire won his first two starts at Churchill Downs before wheeling at the start of the Hopeful, unseating jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. Mark Casse put blinkers on Classic Empire for the Breeders’ Futurity, and the horse responded with a professional three-length victory last Saturday at Keeneland.
“It was impressive to see him run around horses the way he did,” Casse said.
Lookin At Lee, second in the Futurity, is expected to move on to the juvenile.
Casse also won Sunday’s Grey Stakes at Woodbine with Golden Hawk. Casse said the son of Tapit will train over the dirt at Churchill, with the Juvenile or the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes in late November the leading possibilities for his next start.