Clocker: Iotapa asked to finish strongly

ARCADIA, Calif. – All the heavy lifting is over for the overwhelming majority of this year’s Breeders’ Cup contenders, with less than a handful registering recorded works Tuesday. The group included Shared Belief , who breezed a maintenance-type half-mile in 52.40 seconds at Golden Gate Fields.

There were three works at Santa Anita on Tuesday, all coming almost simultaneously following the second renovation break during a period restricted to Breeders’ Cup horses. The session was delayed for several minutes to allow the 2-year-old European colt Commemorative to gallop and then safely exit the turf course.

V. E. Day (four furlongs in 49.03) – A typical maintenance move for the Jimmy Jerkens trainee, with the Travers Stakes winner cruising through an easy half-mile, shading 24 seconds for his final quarter while never asked to extend himself. He was allowed to ease up and out toward the middle of the track on the gallop-out, obviously by design, to avoid doing too much just four days out from the Classic.[bc_playlist_id:236833:]

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Iotapa (five furlongs in 1:00.90): In contrast to V. E. Day, the Grade 1 winner was asked for some finish from the wire to the seven-furlong pole to conclude an efficient move in which she broke off at the half-mile pole and cruised around to the wire in 24.37 and 48.30 before stretching out with a 12.60-second final eighth when put to urging once crossing the finish line.

Danette (five furlongs in 1:00.07) – Juvenile Fillies contender showed some early foot while going easily under jockey Kent Desormeaux but appeared to get a little tired during the latter stages of her breeze, with just an average gallop-out, six furlongs in 1:13.78.

California Chrome hit the track immediately after the first renovation break, before daylight, and looked very sharp from what could be observed through the darkness. The Kentucky Derby winner turned in a strong and very energetic gallop, his competitive juices really flowing when he pulled hard against his rider, wanting to chase a couple of sets of workers who passed by during the impressive-looking session. Watching the tape of his work last weekend at Los Alamitos and the way he trained Tuesday suggests he could be cycling back to his best form.

Tuesday marked the first appearance locally for Dank since her victory in the 2013 Filly and Mare Turf, although she did little but get reacquainted with the surroundings while taking an easy canter around the grass course with a half-dozen other European invaders.

One Euro who made a good appearance Tuesday was L’Amour de Ma Vie , who will make her dirt-track debut Friday in the Distaff. The Group 2 winner was perhaps the most aggressive of the Europeans galloping over the main track while seemingly acclimating nicely to the surface.

Among the Distaff contenders who did not make such a favorable impression Tuesday was the Peruvian-bred Valiant Emilia , who looked very stiff, especially during the early stages of her routine gallop. Valiant Emilia, who will make her U.S. debut in the Distaff, worked a good five furlongs in 1:00.01 with jockey Rafael Bejarano aboard Saturday.

The only U.S.-based horse to visit the turf Tuesday was the compact 2-year-old filly Sunset Glow , who did very little but gallop a very leisurely mile shortly before 10 a.m.