Clocker: Not This Time looks impressive in BC Juvenile work

SANTA ANITA
Track: Fast
Weather: Overcast
Temp.: 68

ARCADIA, Calif. - A hectic morning on the Breeders’ Cup workout watch Saturday at Santa Anita, with defending Sprint champion Runhappy the first horse out on the racetrack when it opened at 5 a.m. Potential Juvenile favorite Not This Time put a punctuation mark on the busy session with a very-impressive-looking breeze approximately 4 1/2 hours later.

The track was tight and very quick during the early session, but seemed to loosen up once the sun came up and the temperature began to rise.
The quirky RUNHAPPY took nearly 25 minutes before finally breaking off to begin his five-furlong work at the half-mile pole. After jogging 1 1/4 miles clockwise to warm up, Runhappy balked a bit once reversing direction despite some prodding from his rider and a visit from the track’s outrider offering assistance. But once he dropped down on the fence to begin his work, the speedster was all business, posting splits of 22.80 and 46.19 to the wire before completing the drill at the seven-eighths pole in 58.55 with his rider never moving a muscle. He galloped out six furlongs around the turn in 1:12.37. This work was reminiscent of Runhappy’s extremely impressive final drill prior to his victory in the 2015 Sprint at Keeneland, although the question remains whether he can carry his speed a mile against some stellar competition Saturday.

HOPPERTUNITY and SHAMAN GHOST both turned in final preps for the Classic, each putting up similar times going five furlongs in 1:00 and 1:00.09 respectively, although the two works were anything but similar.

Hoppertunity broke off on the rail in company with stablemate First Degree Burn. But by the time he hit the quarter pole, Hoppertunity was part of a foursome, joined by an unidentified worker along with the 2-year-old Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies contender CHAMPAGNE ROOM, who had the misfortune of getting fanned about five or six paths wide leaving the bend. Hoppertunity was unflustered by the unexpected company. He responded to some late pressure to edge clear of the others, ears pricked at the wire, before increasing the advantage under some additional prodding. He posted a couple of :13 eight-mile splits around the bend, galloping out all the way back into the stretch before ultimately pulling up.

Shaman Ghost worked solo and was being asked along before completing his opening three furlongs in 35.84. He came under stiffer pressure from the eighth pole home, his rider taking out his stick at that point to further encourage Shaman Ghost to cover a final quarter in 24.25, and gallop out six furlongs in 1:13.49.

NOT THIS TIME was the last of the Breeders’ Cup horses to work Saturday. The Iroquois winner left the five-eighths pole slow and relaxed, cruising through early splits of 13.67, 26.01, and 38.07 for his opening three furlongs. He was allowed to fan out about four paths off the rail into the stretch, switched leads right on cue and finished with great energy without prodding. He completed five furlongs in 1:01.71 while having plenty left on the gallop out.

Not This Time was preceded several minutes earlier by fellow Juvenile hopeful GORMLEY, who had himself a busy morning. Gormley warmed up by first jogging a couple of times around the training track before returning to the barn to change riders, switching to jockey Chantal Sutherland to breeze. Gormley broke off a couple of lengths behind a stablemate, rated kindly off his target, stuck his head in front at the quarter pole after an opening half in 50.59, and readily drew well clear to the wire, completing six panels under a hold in 1:16.44 in a well-configured move that was surely better than the relatively slow final time might indicate.

Among the two dozen Breeders’ Cup workers on Saturday’s tab, others of note included VYJACK, MASOCHISTIC, MIND YOUR BISCUITS and, over on the training track, OBVIOUSLY, METABOSS and his young stablemate BOWIES HERO.

Runhappy wasn’t the only potential Dirt Mile contender to turn in a promising work during Saturday’s session. So, too, did VYJACK, who left under a good hold and was never extended at any point working an easy five furlongs in 1:00.28 before galloping out in 1:13.73.

Sprint hopeful MASOCHISTIC showed he’s not just a one-dimensional speedball working from the gate with jockey Mike Smith aboard, relaxing from the outset and never turning a hair breezing five furlongs in 1:00.23 with internal splits of 24.83, 36.79, and 48.33 along the way, finishing with his ears pricked at the wire completing a six-furlong gallop out in 1:12.96.

MIND YOUR BISCUITS turned in an entirely different type of final prep for the Sprint, cruising away from the six-furlong pole in 40.09 for his opening three-eighths, then completing the well-orchestrated breeze in 36.68 in response to just a hint of encouragement down the lane.

On the training track, OBVIOUSLY was strong again this morning, posting early splits of 23.21, and 34.58 for three furlongs despite the rider having his feet in the dashboard before coming to hand a bit around the tight turn, ultimately completing five-eighths in 1:00.28. A short while later, over the same course, METABOSS readily controlled his work in company with the younger BOWIES HERO, waiting on his pressured, juvenile mate to complete five furlongs on nearly even terms in 1:01.68.

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