Clocker: Turf horses hit the dirt for Breeders' Cup works
KEENELAND
Track: Fast
Weather: Clear
Temp.: 45
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A slow day on the Breeders’ Cup workout watch Tuesday at Keeneland, with only three prospective starters breezing during the morning, all after the break over the main track.
The big news of the day was supposed to have been the first local appearance of BEHOLDER, who was scheduled to gallop at sunrise. But the horse many believe to be American Pharoah’s chief threat in the Classic never made it to the track, having spiked a temperature after her arrival from California early Monday afternoon.
The weather continue to moderate slowly in Lexington, with the temperature at 44 degrees when the track opened and in the mid-50s by the time Osaila finished her work on the turf nearly five hours later.
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All three Breeders’ Cup runners who worked on the dirt Tuesday will actually be competing in turf races, with the grass course reportedly available this morning only for horses nominated to the upcoming Valley View Stakes.
MUTATIS MUTANDIS (Filly and Mare Turf) went an easy half-mile in 24.93, 48.53, finishing well without any urging from jockey Joe Bravo while working with a kidney blanket as many Euros will do. With the unmistakable stride of a turf horse, Mutatis Mutandis galloped out five-eighths in 1:02.10.
CATCH A GLIMPSE (Juvenile Fillies Turf) worked in company with the older Deep Sea. Catch a Glimpse was a little rank getting to the pole and broke off 1 1/2 lengths in front of her partner. It was hard to tell whether that was by design. Catch a Glimpse maintained that margin after three furlongs in 37.08, at which point she fanned three to four paths off the rail, allowing Deep Sea to slip inside for the stretch run. But Catch a Glimpse dug in gamely under exercise rider E. J. Bowler and would not let her mate pass, completing five furlongs in 1:01.24 without really being asked before galloping out on even terms in 1:14.07.
MONGOLIAN SATURDAY (Turf Sprint) has a ton of speed but he was throttled down this morning during an easy three-furlong blowout, completing the distance in 37.57 under wraps off a pokey 13.79 opening split.
Beholder did not make it to the track on Tuesday, but her travelling companion from California and fellow Classic contender SMOOTH ROLLER did, coming out at sunrise to walk once around the course accompanied by a pony.
OSAILA was the lone turf worker, and while her breeze had no bearing on any specific Breeders’ Cup race, her work was noteworthy because she was clearly kicking up a significant amount of dirt coming down the stretch while completing a 50.03 half-mile breeze around the dogs, and continued to do so on the gallop-out into the clubhouse turn.