Hess expects Imperative will run well fresh

DEL MAR, Calif. – Imperative will be making his first start in more than six months when he starts in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile here at Del Mar on Nov. 3.

The layoff was necessitated by a minor leg fracture, according to trainer Bob Hess Jr., and the race has plenty of depth, but Hess was satisfied enough with the way Imperative worked here Thursday morning to believe he’ll run well off the layoff.

“He can fire his best shot fresh,” Hess said after watching the workout. “It’s a brutally tough race, but it’s a good setup.”

Hess is counting on a rapid pace to help Imperative, who does his best running late in his races. Imperative won two of three starts earlier this year, including a victory in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic on April 22, his last start before heading to the sidelines.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2017: Pre-entries, odds, comments, and more

“He had the faintest of a hairline condylar fracture in his right fore,” said Hess, noting that the 7-year-old gelding with 38 starts and earnings of nearly $3 million “has legs that feel like a yearling.”

“The time off did him some good,” said Hess, who said that Imperative rehabbed with a former assistant, Michael Ann Ewing, in Kentucky. “It was the faintest of fractures, but it was there.

“After the race at Charles Town we had been considering the Met Mile, and he was training at Keeneland,” Hess said. “We left him there with Michael. She did a great job.”

Imperative on Thursday worked by himself under exercise rider Kelsey Camarillo. He went six furlongs in 1:14.02, according to Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch. It was the second work in Southern California for Imperative since he returned from Kentucky, where he had been working on a weekly basis.

“I thought he looked good and finished well,” Hess said.

There were 16 pre-entries in the Dirt Mile on Wednesday. A maximum of 14 can run. The field is expected to include Accelerate, Battle of Midway, Cupid, Giant Expectations, Midnight Storm, Mor Spirit, Practical Joke, and Sharp Azteca.

:: Breeders' Cup PP packages: Get PPs, betting strategies, DRF+ Pro access, and more