Frankel to Senure: Show me

ARCADIA, Calif. - Senure needs a career-best performance in the $300,000 Clement Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship at Santa Anita Sunday to earn a trip to the Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park on Oct. 27.

Following Senure's dismal eighth in the Arlington Million, trainer Bobby Frankel is expecting to see a turnaround by the 5-year-old in the Grade 1 Hirsch. It's Senure's last chance to convince the trainer to try the Turf.

"He has to win," Frankel said. "It's as simple as that."

Run as the fourth race, the Hirsch is one of two stakes on Sunday's program. The other is the Oak Leaf Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, in which Del Mar Debutante winner Habibti will be heavily favored .

Senure has yet to finish first in three starts this year, but was moved up from second to first when With Anticipation was disqualified for interference in the United Nations Handicap at Monmouth Park on July 1.

In the spring, Senure ran second to Bienamado in the Charles Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park.

Since the loss in the Arlington Million, which Frankel said was caused by the yielding turf course, Senure has trained well.

"Everything is fine with him," Frankel said. "I don't think distance makes any difference."

Senure will go off favored in the Hirsch Turf Championship, run over 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Frankel has won the last two runnings of the race with Mash One, a Chilean-bred who was not supplemented to the Breeders' Cup after either win.

Two of the six starters in this year's Hirsch were bred in South America and it is unlikely that either of them will be supplemented to the Breeders' Cup Turf. Both Cagney, who was bred in Brazil, and Penamacor, bred in Chile, are likely to be 8-1 or higher. Cagney is trained by Richard Mandella, who also starts Kudos, who was sixth as the favorite in the Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 25.

Aside from Senure, White Heart and El Bueno will attract much of the betting. White Heart ran fifth in the Arlington Million; El Bueno is an import from Ireland.

White Heart won the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs in May, and was fourth in the Whittingham. "He just didn't handle the soft turf that day at Arlington at all," trainer Neil Drysdale said.

El Bueno was a pacesetter for top European 3-year-old Galileo in May. He moves to Frankel's stable from Aidan O'Brien's after Sunday's race.

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