Breeders' Cup Classic: Forever Young, Phileas Fogg, Sovereignty put in works
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ELMONT, N.Y. - Forever Young impressed observers with a fast finish to a workout at Belmont Park three days before he won the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Sept 18. In his subsequent training over the last three weeks, stamina, not speed, has been the objective each morning.
On Sunday, Forever Young had what will be recorded as his first official workout since the Gold Cup, working a half-mile in 52.04 seconds over the main track. Under his regular morning rider, assistant trainer Yuki Araki, Forever Young went his first quarter in 26.93 seconds and his second quarter in 25.11. He was not really asked to gallop out, though Daily Racing Form caught him in 1:05.42 for five furlongs.
Araki said he was happy enough with the work, having watched it on a video taken by his team afterwards. Araki said he actually went a little quicker than originally planned with the fear of rain this week altering Forever Young’s training routine.
“I decided to breeze a little bit stronger than we planned before,” Araki said. “It’s good. This morning the breeze-out was pretty impressive. I checked the video. Good movement. When I asked him, he reacted really well and he showed a turn of foot – a little bit, but I asked only a little bit. He’s following our order well. He’s done well.”
Araki said the breeze pattern for Forever Young is similar to what would have been done had the horse raced in Japan before the Breeders’ Cup as he did a year ago. The training in between has been different because of America’s flat tracks, as compared to some uphill training back in Japan.
On a non-work morning, Forever Young does a lengthy warm-up either on the newly installed Tapeta track at Belmont or on the smaller pony track, also a Tapeta surface, on the other side of the grounds.
“I think he’s fit already,” Araki said. “With working just [on] a normal day, I can feel that because I am giving him quite a hard training menu every day.”
The plan for Forever Young is to have a faster work next Sunday before shipping to Keeneland on Oct. 20. Araki said Forever Young will have something akin to an open gallop on the weekend of Oct. 24-25 at Keeneland before having a final timed workout three days before the Classic. That work will likely be done in company with Breeders’ Cup Sprint candidate American Stage. Last year, those two worked a half-mile together in 51.60 seconds three days before Forever Young won the Classic and American Stage finished fourth in the Sprint.
About 45 minutes after Forever Young worked, potential Classic contender Phileas Fogg worked five furlongs in 1:00.75 over the Belmont training track. With jockey Kendrick Carmouche up and working by himself, Phileas Fogg went in splits of 12.93 seconds, 25.08, 36.65 and got his last quarter in 24.10 seconds without being asked. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.50.
“I loved the way he worked, let’s see how he’s going to cool out,” trainer Gustavo Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez watched the work standing by the outside rail on the training track.
“I even screamed ‘suave!’ but Kendrick didn’t hear me,” Rodriguez said. “I thought he heard me because he took a hold but he said ‘I didn’t hear you.’ ... He went nice, I hope he cools out good.”
Rodriguez said he plans to have a more serious work next weekend and then one easy move before shipping to Keeneland.
Owner Steve Shapiro initially said he wasn’t going to point Phileas Fogg to the Breeders’ Cup, but changed his mind because he believes Knightsbridge is going to run in the Dirt Mile rather than the Classic.
“That emboldened me to go in the Classic,” Shapiro said.
Knightsbridge will be pre-entered in both the Classic and Dirt Mile. Officials with Godolphin have said they would run Knightsbridge in the Dirt Mile provided Sovereignty runs in the Classic. Otherwise, Knightsbridge could be re-routed to the Classic if Sovereignty doesn’t make the Classic.
On Sunday, at Saratoga, Sovereignty worked five furlongs in 1:04.01, his second consecutive slow workout, over the Oklahoma training track. Track clockers caught Sovereignty in fractions of 13.16 seconds, 25.54, 38.14 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:18.46.
Shapiro said, at this point, even if Knightsbridge runs in the Classic, he plans to run Phileas Fogg provided the horse continues to train satisfactorily.
“I want to go, but we have to see how the horse does,” Shapiro said. “If he trains good, fine, if there’s any doubt I’m not going to put the money up.”
Pre-entries for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races are due on Oct. 19.
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