Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint: Golden Pal keeps it simple in final drill
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was a routine work for Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint favorite Golden Pal on the Keeneland turf Friday morning, with trainer Wesley Ward saying he was trying not to overthink things as he comes into the final days of preparation with his two-time Breeders’ Cup winner.
Under regular work rider Julio Garcia, Golden Pal breezed five furlongs in 1:01.08 on the watch of Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. The turf course was officially rated good for training, but had some cut to it.
“It’s been my experience in years past that you get kind of nervous and [want to] do things differently than you normally do when you’re coming up to the Breeders’ Cup,” Ward said. “You’re always overthinking. So I thought I’d just stick to the plan, like we’re going in an allowance race somewhere, training just like I’ve always trained him, and he’s doing great. I loved that, just about to the wire, he put his ears forward and was just hopping along like a deer. Very happy with that.”
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Golden Pal, the defending Turf Sprint winner from 2021 at Del Mar, is unbeaten in North American stakes competition. His wins at Keeneland, his home course, include the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. He comes into next week’s race, for which he is the 2-1 early favorite on Brad Free’s line for Daily Racing Form, off a stakes record-setting victory in the Grade 2 Woodford here Oct. 8.
It was confirmed earlier this week that the Breeders’ Cup will be Golden Pal’s swan song, as he is set to retire to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud.
Ward also breezed Love Reigns, one of the favorites for this year’s Juvenile Turf Sprint, which he has saddled the winner of in three consecutive years. The filly, unraced since winning the Bolton Landing Stakes at Saratoga, went a half-mile in 55.03 seconds, also with Garcia aboard.
“Just a maintenance drill,” Ward said. “Didn’t want to go too fast. I stressed the point with Julio, both of these works, not to go too fast.”
Finishing up his work right behind Golden Pal was Grade 2 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint winner Bran, getting a look at one of his foes as he breezed a half in 48.79.
“We don’t have the luxury of really working on the turf at Santa Anita, so I thought it would be nice for his last work to go a half-mile here,” trainer John Sadler said. “He’s a good work horse. This was one to get him familiar with the course.”
Friday’s turf work tab also included Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes winner Delight, a prominent candidate for the Juvenile Fillies Turf for trainer Jonathan Thomas. She went a half in 52.31 with stablemate Born Dapper, an off-the-turf stakes winner who is well down the preference list of pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup.
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