Lane Way's connections hope to get into Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

The waiting game is on for the people surrounding Lane Way, an outside candidate for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 5.

Lane Way worked three furlongs in 34 seconds at Santa Anita on Monday, his first workout since a game second in the Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course on Oct. 1.

But a loss by three-quarters of a length in the Eddie D Stakes has hampered Lane Way’s chances of a start in the $1 million BC Turf Sprint at 5 1/2 furlongs.

The race is expected to draw more than 20 pre-entries next week, but will be limited to 14 starters. A recent graded stakes win would look attractive on Lane Way’s record when the candidates are ranked next week by a panel of racing executives.

Lane Way, owned by My Racehorse partnership and trained by Richard Mandella, is one of two prominent California-based candidates for the BC Turf Sprint. The other is Bran, trained by John Sadler, won the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint last month.

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Lane Way has yet to win a stakes, but was second by 1 3/4 lengths to Lieutenant Dan in the Grade 3 Green Flash Handicap at five furlongs on turf at Del Mar on Sept. 3 in his 2022 stakes debut.

Lieutenant Dan has been taken out of training. Whatmakessammyrun, who won the Eddie D Stakes, will not start in the Breeders’ Cup and is being prepared for races in Southern California in the coming months.

The My Racehorse/Mandella team has a candidate for the Grade 2 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes at Keeneland on Nov. 4 in Tizamagician, third in the Grade 3 Tokyo City Cup at Santa Anita on Oct. 2 as the 9-10 favorite.

The $350,000 TAA Stakes is run at 1 5/8 miles. The Tokyo City Cup was 1 1/2 miles.

Tizamagician, co-owned by Spendthrift Farm, was second in the 2021 TAA Stakes at Del Mar. Tizamagician worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 at Santa Anita on Monday.

“He worked really nice,” Mandella said. “The long stakes at Keeneland is under serious consideration.”

Heywoods Beach and Win the Day, the first two finishers in the Tokyo City Cup, are also candidates for the TAA Stakes.

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