Breeders' Cup: Lynch's pair of runners keeping him busy

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Shortly before 9:00 a.m. on Thursday at Keeneland, trainer Brian Lynch took his dog, Angus, for a walk beyond the stable area, taking phone calls while trying to keep his canine companion from eating loose items off the ground. Angus began the walk holding a broken hanger and eventually found a paper cup to gnaw on, keeping busy in his own right.

It was a brief reprieve for Lynch, who has been hands-on preparing two runners for the Breeders’ Cup in the coming days. The action begins Friday when Manuka Honey, the undefeated 2-year-old, runs in the $2 million Juvenile Fillies.

Manuka Honey has kept Lynch busy for nearly two months now, as he elected to train the filly up to the championship event instead of entering her in a prep. She has not run since Sept. 12, when she earned her second stakes victory in the Grade 3 Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.

“It’s seven weeks between the Pocahontas and here, so I just felt like we could train her into the race,” Lynch said. “She’s at a point in her 2-year-old year where she’s really grown. She’s a big, gangly filly, and we’re just trying to keep good condition and good weight on her, as opposed to putting her into another tough race and knocking her backwards.”

Untested in her first two career victories, including a seven-length score in the $250,000 Debutante at Ellis Park, the Lynch-trained filly stretched out to a one-turn mile in the Pocahontas and improved to finish two lengths clear of Scarlett Begonia, who is also entered in the Juvenile Fillies for Brad Cox.

Lynch also trains Owen Almighty, who is on track to go in the $1 million Dirt Mile on Saturday.

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