Made You Look breezes for Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf

ELMONT, N.Y. – Made You Look, the winner of the Grade 2 With Anticipation at Saratoga, worked a half-mile in 48.96 seconds over the Belmont turf course Saturday in preparation for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

Made You Look was on the inside of stablemate Rock Me Again, a 4-year-old filly. The pair shaded 23 seconds for the final quarter-mile, though Made You Look bobbled a time or two in the stretch.

“You could see him bobble a couple of times, which is not uncommon on the Belmont turf course, but it never seemed to deter him from going right back at it,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

Made You Look, like all of the Pletcher-trained Breeders’ Cup horses based in New York, will have all of his workouts here before shipping to California at the beginning of Breeders’ Cup week.

Connect gets back to work

Connect, the winner of the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, returned to the work tab Saturday, breezing a half-mile in 49.35 seconds over the Belmont main track.

Connect worked in company with My Man Sam, who finished fourth in the Pennsylvania Derby.

Trainer Chad Brown said Connect will be “strongly considered for both” the Grade 1 Clark at Churchill Downs on Nov. 25 and the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct on Nov. 26. My Man Sam likely will start in the Grade 3, $150,000 Discovery Stakes at Aqueduct on Nov. 12.

Gift Box, the fourth-place finisher in the Travers, went four furlongs in 47.67 seconds over the main track Saturday in company with Catapult, a recent first-level allowance winner on turf at Saratoga.

Brown said he is leaving all of his options open with Gift Box. Races like the Grade 2, $200,000 Fayette at Keeneland on Oct. 29, the Discovery, or perhaps a cutback to a one-turn race are all in play.

“The horse may be looking for a cutback in distance, though I’m not sure where,” Brown said.

Catapult is being pointed to the $100,000 English Channel Stakes going a mile at Belmont on Oct. 23.

Also breezing for Brown on Saturday was Beat the Benchmark, a 2-year-old filly who finished third in the Natalma Stakes at Woodbine on Sept. 18. Brown thought that filly had enough trouble to still be considered for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

“I thought she didn’t get a good trip,” Brown said. “I’m not saying she was going to win, but she very well could have been second in there and made it close at least.”

Beat the Benchmark breezed a half-mile in company in 49.09 seconds with Ancient Secret, who is being pointed to next Saturday’s $100,000 Pebbles Stakes at Belmont.