Clocker: Nickname puts on show amid maintenance works

LEXINGTON, Ky. – With a couple of exceptions, it was Maintenance Monday at Keeneland, and the majority of the Breeders’ Cup hopefuls who worked during the morning were not asked to do much more than stretch their legs while simply bridging the gap between their previous starts and their ultimate goals, now less than two weeks away.

Temperatures were up just a bit from the previous morning, although it still was cool and crisp, with the thermometer registering 42 degrees when the track opened at 5:30 a.m. before climbing to nearly 50 by the time training ended more than four hours later.

Work of the Day

NICKNAME (five furlongs in 59.64 seconds) was in anything but maintenance mode while tuning up for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies. The first of the Breeders’ Cup workers Monday, she went around 7 a.m. and put on a good show for those few railbirds on hand and able to pick her out of the darkness.

Nickname broke at the five-eighths pole, cruised through an easy opening quarter in 25.49, picked up the pace a bit on the turn, and really accelerated once settling into the stretch, turning in a 22.63-second final quarter under some late urging. She then continued out around the turn with terrific energy, completing six furlongs in 1:12.60 before pulling up seven-eighths in 1:26.52. This is a talented, steadily improving filly who figures to be the third or fourth betting choice in the Juvenile Fillies behind Songbird and Rachel’s Valentina.

SUPER MAJESTY (Filly and Mare Sprint) was the other Breeders’ Cup worker to put the pedal to the metal a bit Monday, although she was by no means asked to show her brilliant speed, breezing five furlongs after the break in 59.87, with her final three-eighths in 34.88. The Grade 3 winner was striding out extremely well down the lane while never prompted, switched back to her left lead right after at the wire, and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.63 in a visually appealing move.

JUDY THE BEAUTY (Filly and Mare Sprint) worked immediately after the break in company with the overmatched Kitten’s Top Cat. The reigning Filly and Mare Sprint champ was restrained about five lengths off her mate leaving the five-eighths pole and remained under a hold behind her target, who was being hard used to maintain a short advantage around the bend.

Judy the Beauty stuck her head in front near the eighth pole while kept in the middle of the track and was edging clear at the wire while niggled along some to finish, completing the distance in 1:02.19. She pulled up rather abruptly on the gallop-out, easing up six furlongs in 1:16.90. This was simply maintenance stuff, and she likes this track but has yet to show quite the same form this year as she did during her championship campaign in 2014.

GREENPOINTCRUSADER (Juvenile) cruised five furlongs under Joe Bravo in his first local work. The Champagne Stakes winner coasted through splits of 13.39 and 26.62 for the opening quarter and picked up the pace a bit turning for home, finishing strong while nudged just slightly near the sixteenth pole. He completed the final quarter of a 1:02.44 breeze in 23.55 and galloped out very willingly, getting six furlongs in 1:15.19. The New York invader also has looked good during routing morning gallops and seems to have adapted nicely to his new surroundings.

HARMONIZE (Juvenile Fillies Turf) breezed in company with Grade 1 winner Seek Again, breaking off about 1 1/2 lengths behind and outside her mate before finishing on even terms, impressively holding her own with an older, more experienced partner.

Seek Again finished under a hard hold from jockey Julien Leparoux, but Harmonize also was well within herself to the wire, posting a solid 23.04 split for her final quarter before galloping out extremely well into the turn. I had her in 48.89 for the half and out five-eighths in 1:01.33 in a strong move for a young turf specialist on dirt.

TOURIST (Mile) was the last of trainer Bill Mott’s turf specialists to breeze a very efficient half-mile over the main track Monday. He made a favorable impression while simply warming up before the work, then broke off nicely and relaxed from the pole, completing the distance in 49.05 while nudged on a touch to finish before galloping out willingly into the turn, with his rider keeping him several paths removed from the rail throughout.