Breeders' Cup workouts: Busy day for O'Neill's gang

ARCADIA, Calif. – No doubt about it, Friday was Doug O’Neill day at Santa Anita.

O’Neill sent out six of his nine Breeders’ Cup hopefuls to work over the main track early Friday and then continued his parade of potential starters a couple of hours later when breezing the other three over the turf course. O’Neill has won three Breeders’ Cup races, his last victory coming in 2007 with Maryfield in the Filly and Mare Sprint.

Only four other Breeders’ Cup starters worked on Friday – Diamond Bachelor, Designer Legs, Strong Mandate, and Mizdirection.

[BREEDERS’ CUP 2013: See DRF’s top contenders]

[bc_video_id:308364:]O’Neill picked a nice morning to get in all his work with temperatures in the mid to high 50s when the track opened at 4:30 a.m. before edging into the low 60s shortly after dawn. The main track was a little on the quick side, producing typically fast times, as was the turf.

Main track workouts

Goldencents (Dirt Mile) was the star of the O’Neill show in a somewhat eventful work that served to school him well for his upcoming date in the Dirt Mile. The Santa Anita Derby winner left the five-furlong pole flying under jockey Rafael Bejarano but had to put on the brakes when running up behind a team of workers exiting the backstretch. Bejarano still had a fistful of horse when forced to angle three-wide around that duo near the quarter pole. Goldencents took some dirt while still in behind one of the pair nearing the eighth pole before pulling away readily without need of urging, covering four furlongs from the half-mile pole in 46.95 seconds after an opening quarter in 22.89. He galloped out five furlongs to the seven-eighths pole in 1:00.23. Rating: A–

Concave (Juvenile Fillies) – Not as fast as Goldencents but a very promising move from this 2-year-old filly, who worked in company, under jockey Mario Gutierrez, with stablemate Cal Gal. Concave covered a half-mile outside her partner in 47.26 while well in hand to the wire, completing her final quarter in 23.75 before continuing on strongly into the turn while still being kept in reserve, remaining a half-length in front of her pressured mate. She stopped the watch after five-eighths into the turn in 1:00.29 and pulled up six furlongs in 1:15.02. Rating: B+

Private Zone (Sprint) – Looked very good going an easy-as-he-pleased half-mile in 49.55, under jockey Martin Pedroza; galloped out willingly enough into the turn in 1:03.52. Rating: B

Bond Holder (Juvenile) – Cruised through a slow half-mile in 51.51 while urged just a shade more to the wire than workmate Handsome Dennis. Responded well when put to vigorous urging once past the finish line, completing five-eighths to the seven-furlong pole in 1:03.75, galloped out six furlongs in 1:17.36. Rating: B–

Renee’s Titan (Filly and Mare Sprint) – Broke a half-length in front of and inside partner Smoove It, a stakes-placed 2-year-old filly, with the pair completing their opening three-eighths in 35.76, then was fully extended to keep up with her mate while tiring to the wire, going five-eighths in 1:00.30 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:14.20. Preferred the workmate more. Rating: C+

Rum Point (Juvenile) – Got the better of the older He’s Had Enough. Went a half-mile in 47.36 while going far and away the easier of the team to the wire, edged well clear while just niggled on a little nearing the seven-eighths pole by jockey Edwin Maldonado to complete five furlongs into the turn in 1:00.11. Rating: B+

Diamond Bachelor (Juvenile) – Talented but perhaps a little too headstrong for his own good. Broke at the five-eighths pole under jockey Julien Leparoux a couple of lengths behind his workmate, pulled even almost immediately under a hold after an opening quarter in 23.16, was well clear after completing three furlongs in 35.01, then shut down a little bit while all by himself through the stretch, getting five furlongs in 1:00.60 before galloping out with some interest (three-quarters in 1:13.92) into the turn. Rating: B

Designer Legs (Juvenile Fillies) – Not much more than an easy maintenance half-mile in 48.56, out five furlongs in 1:01.70 with Joe Talamo aboard. Rating: B–

Strong Mandate (Juvenile) – Worked in the dark, appeared to have something left after zipping through a quick opening three-eighths; pulled up a bit abruptly albeit likely by design ala most Lukas workers. Was officially credited with five furlongs in 59.40. Rating: B

Turf workouts

Mizdirection (Turf Sprint) – Defending champ busted away from the five-eighths pole under jockey Mike Smith, sizzled through an opening three-eighths in 34.04, tired a bit from her efforts coming to the wire, still completed five-eighths in 57.73, but did not have much left galloping out into the turn. Rating: B

Clenor (Juvenile Fillies Turf) – An easy half-mile in 48.23 under Bejarano, although she did come home her final quarter in 23.31 while on her own to the wire. Rating: B

Handsome Mike (Turf Sprint) – A carbon copy of Clenor only a little quicker with Gutierrez aboard, out a quarter in 24.12, home in 23.52 to complete a very easy half-mile in 47.64 with a decent gallop out. Rating: B

Home School (Juvenile Turf) – Broke off five lengths behind South Sound, never got any closer, proving no match for her target despite completing a half-mile in a swift 46.10 with not much in the way of a gallop out. Rating: B

South Sound (Juvenile Turf Sprint) – Couldn’t have been any more impressive, with Gutierrez looking back waiting on Home School at midstretch. Completed four furlongs in an eye-catching 45.91 with a big gallop-out around the bend. She is running in one of the undercard stakes on Saturday, not one of the Breeders' Cup races. Rating: A

Gallopers

Game On Dude (Classic) – appeared to come out of his big work here earlier in the week in good order, making a favorable appearance during the tail end of a routine gallop. Beholder (Distaff) likewise looked well galloping an easy 1 1/4 miles with a stable pony alongside to keep her from doing too much exiting her sensational work on Tuesday.Trinniberg (Sprint) has some questions to answer if he’s going to successfully defend his Sprint title. He jogged two miles the wrong way after the first renovation break and is scheduled to have his final, key work on Saturday. Another Sprint contender with an important work coming up this weekend is Fast Bullet, who jogged six furlongs, galloped 1 1/8 miles, and looked okay doing it, even in the dark, at 5:30 a.m. Tale of a Champion (Turf) was really full of himself as he galloped very strongly past the wire over the main track.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the race South Sound will be running in on Breeders' Cup Weekend. She will be running in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, which is an undercard stakes and not one of the Breeders' Cup races, not the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.