Breeders' Cup Clocker: Magnitude, others get in work at frigid Keeneland

Keeneland
Saturday, October 17
Weather: Cloudy 
Track: Fast 
Temperature: 47

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Magnitude, among the leading contenders for this year’s Breeder’ Cup Classic, topped the local workout tab on a frigid Saturday at Keeneland in which not everyone was able to get in scheduled works. Nearly a dozen Breeders’ Cup hopefuls saw their breezes either postponed or switched to an alternate surface when turf works were canceled for the morning.

News that the turf course would be closed came as a bit of a surprise to many, considering the main track was fast and nary a drop of rain was forecast or fell during training hours. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise, considering the final two grass races on the card the previous afternoon were moved to the main track, and ultimately were canceled outright for Saturday’s program.

Among those expected to work on the grass here Saturday were Bacio, the possible favorite for the Turf Sprint, and his Wesley Ward-trained stablemate No Nay Hudson; trainer Brendan Walsh’s Filly and Mare Turf-bound duo of Lush Lips and Explosive Queen; the Riley Mott-conditioned 2-year-olds How’s AI Today, a leading contender for the Juvenile Turf, along with his mate Roscoe Goose, who went five furlongs instead in 1:01.80 seconds over the main track; and Possiblemente (Turf Sprint), whom trainer Joe Sharp sent over to the training track to breeze four furlongs in :48 instead.

Trainer Chad Brown’s Kathynmarissa (Filly and Mare Turf) and Zulu Kingdom (Mile) were also listed on the original list of Saturday’s turf workers, as was Lake Forest (Mile). All three got in their breezes over the main track as well.

Magnitude came out almost immediately after the first renovation break to work in company with his Steve Asmussen-trained, Grade 1-placed stablemate Publisher over the freshly harrowed track. The duo posted splits of 24.05 and 36.50 for the opening three furlongs before completing five-eighths in solid fashion, 1:00.47, with the Stephen Foster winner going easily throughout. The team continued on with good energy another quarter-mile around the turn, getting six panels in 1:13.45 before easing seven-eighths in 1:26.80.

The work was the fourth since arriving locally for Magnitude, who had jockey Flavien Prat aboard for the drill. He will be looking to bounce back in the Classic from his disappointing sixth-place finish as the 9-5 favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney on August 8 at Saratoga.

Asmussen also worked Sprint candidate Stradale, who posted the bullet half-mile here Saturday while doing so over a pretty chewed-up track late into the first break. Stradale covered the distance going solo in 47.67 off a lively 23.09 opening split before continuing out into the turn in 1:01.08.

Brown worked a trio of potential Breeders’ Cup starters overall here Saturday, beginning with Kathynmarissa, who looked quite sharp in a rare main-track breeze. Kathynmarissa completed the final quarter of a very easy 50.63 half in 24.07 while in hand through the wire before galloping out quite willingly, five-eighths in 1:03.68, up three-quarters in 1:16.34.

Like Kathynmarissa, Zulu Kingdom had little trouble adapting to the somewhat unfamiliar work surface, turning in a very sharp effort of his own on the dirt. He came home the final quarter of his 49.19 half-mile in a sparkling 23.57 over the fast but far from blazing surface, not only going out three-quarters in 1:16.69 but continuing on a long ways before pulling up after the breeze.

Fully Subscribed worked in very similar fashion about 20 minutes earlier, getting an extremely easy four furlongs in 49.81 before also showing off good energy on the gallop out, getting five-eighths in 1:02.69 up six furlongs in 1:16.19 for her role as the likely second choice behind Nitrogen in the Distaff.

Lake Forest, runner-up in the Grade 1 Turf Mile here two weeks earlier, had her first official local breeze going a slow three furlongs in 39.49 while kept well off the rail into the stretch and finishing even farther out after drifting steadily to the wire, before pulling up rather quickly into the clubhouse turn.

Grade 1 winner Hymn, who is expected to be pre-entered in both the Sprint and Dirt Mile, also worked over the main track on Saturday, a half-mile in 49.40 for trainer Ron Moquett as did Coach Pope (Juvenile), five furlongs in 1:02.20.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.

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