Breeders' Cup Turf: Four contenders stretch legs

ARCADIA, Calif. – Four leading contenders for Saturday’s $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf – Big Blue Kitten, Point of Entry, Real Solution, and The Fugue – had their first morning of exercise at Santa Anita on Tuesday.

The Fugue, trained in England by John Gosden, cleared quarantine Monday. On Tuesday, she jogged a mile on the main track, according to Les Reynolds, an assistant to Gosden. A 4-year-old filly, The Fugue is expected to be favored in the BC Turf on the strength of her win in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes against males in September.

Big Blue Kitten and Real Solution, trained by Chad Brown, jogged Tuesday, having arrived from New York on Monday. They will start from posts 10 and 12 in a field of 12 in the BC Turf, which is run over 1 1/2 miles.

“I would have liked to have drawn better with both horses,” Brown said.

[BREEDERS’ CUP 2013: Fields with DRF odds and comments]

Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, Big Blue Kitten and Real Solution were second and third behind Little Mike in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park on Sept. 28. Little Mike, the winner of the 2012 BC Turf, was sent to California in mid-October for Saturday’s race.

Point of Entry, second in the 2012 BC Turf, galloped one mile. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Point of Entry has not raced since winning the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park in June. He suffered a leg injury in that race and did not resume serious training with McGaughey until late August.