Candidates turn in final works as BC decision time nears
As decision time nears for horses pre-entered in multiple Breeders' Cup races, several turned in their final works Sunday at host track Keeneland.
Frank's Rockette, winner of three consecutive graded stakes in New York, worked four furlongs in 49 seconds flat on the Keeneland main track officially rated fast. The filly is pre-entered in both the Breeders' Cup Sprint, where she would face males going six furlongs, and the Filly and Mare Sprint going seven furlongs. Horses were permitted to be pre-entered in two Breeders' Cup races last week, but must choose one race at entry time Monday.
“I will speak with the connections later today, but I am leaning toward the Sprint," trainer Bill Mott said. "There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The Sprint will be a tough race, but we know she is good at six furlongs. The Sprint probably will have a full field, probably 14 horses, whereas the Filly and Mare Sprint will probably have no more than 10. That does come into the equation. The seven-eighths of a mile in the Filly and Mare Sprint comes into the equation as well.”
Mott also worked Breeders' Cup Classic candidate Tacitus and Turf candidate Channel Maker in company. Channel Maker, working on the inside, went a half in 47.40, while Tacitus continued on to work five furlongs in a solid 1:00, the second-best of 20 at that distance.
"We went just a half-mile with Channel Maker," Mott said. "He was nice and sharp and doing it the right way. Tacitus tracked him a couple of lengths back and joined him in the stretch. We had Tacitus go out another furlong afterward and then gallop out.”
Horologist completed Mott's quartet of workings, breezing four furlongs in 47.40 toward the Distaff.
A bevy of workers for trainer Steve Asmussen was led by likely Breeders' Cup Juvenile favorite Jackie's Warrior and included the brilliant but lightly raced Nashville, who is expected to make his stakes debut in the coming week. The colt blew out three furlongs in 36.40, second-best of 10 at that distance. Nashville is pre-entered in both the Sprint and Dirt Mile, but is also nominated to the $100,000 Perryville Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters on Saturday's Breeders' Cup undercard.
“Everything’s on the table," said Elliott Walden of WinStar Farm, which co-owns Nashville with China Horse Club. “He’s an extreme talent. He’s only 3. He’s only run twice. It seems like a big ask to run against the accomplished sprinters that he would have to run against. Not that he wouldn’t be capable.
“I think he’ll go a mile," Walden continued. "I think he’ll use his speed to stretch out as well naturally. We’ll see how it goes. Great problem to have."
Dual Grade 1 winner Jackie's Warrior, who will be going two turns for the first time in the Juvenile, worked four furlongs in 48.80, a maintenance move after he blitzed five furlongs in a near-bullet time a week prior.
“He had a nice, easy half-mile,” Asmussen said. “Thought he moved well over the racetrack. The circumstances were excellent today. We’re very excited about running him on Friday.”
Asmussen, who has had an outstanding year with his juveniles, worked four other 2-year-old Breeders' Cup candidates: Cowan (Juvenile Turf Sprint), who went three furlongs in 38.80; County Final (Juvenile Turf Sprint), who went three furlongs in 39.20; Calibrate (Juvenile), who went four furlongs in 48.80; and Thoughtfully (Juvenile Fillies), who went her half in 49.40.
He also worked Sprint contenders Echo Town and Yaupon, who turned in solo three-furlong tuneups in 37.40 and 36.80, respectively. Later in the morning, his Archidust (Turf Sprint) went three furlongs in 38 flat on the turf course.
The other major Breeders' Cup contender to work on Keeneland's main track Sunday morning was Come Dancing, who worked the three-furlong bullet in 36 seconds flat as she prepares for the Filly and Mare Sprint.
The turf workers who concluded the morning were led by a quartet from Wesley Ward's large contingent of juveniles. Gypsy King worked ahead of Royal Approval, with the pair given times of 1:05.60 and 1:05.20, respectively, on the course officially rated good but still drying out from daylong rain on Thursday. Following them were Into the Sunrise, who was restrained throughout while working in 1:07.20, and Trade Deal, who went in 1:06.20.
Ward is another trainer who will be making final plans for his contingent in the next 24 hours. Royal Approval is assured of a spot in either the Juvenile Turf Sprint, where Ward has favored Golden Pal, or the Juvenile Fillies Turf, where she would face well-regarded stablemate Campanelle. Ward has stated that he is leaning toward the latter. Into the Sunrise is the first horse on the outside looking in on the preference list for both the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf, meaning Royal Approval's defection would put him into the field. Gypsy King is well down on the preference list for both the Juvenile Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf, while Trade Deal is also among the horses hoping for defections from the sprint race.
Rounding out the morning, the only other turf work was from Turf contender Red King, who went five furlongs in 1:04.