Morley hopes to bring winning ways to Breeders' Cup
ELMONT, N.Y. – Tom Morley knows about the cyclical nature of training horses, which is why he’s going to enjoy the heck out of the recent run of success his stable has been on the last six weeks.
At the Belmont Park fall meet, Morley has won eight races from 20 starters with five seconds or thirds. His success includes a victory by Locally Owned in the $300,000 Grand Prix American Jockey Club Invitational and narrow victories by Ocala Dream and Social Whirl in allowance races. His hot streak actually began on closing day of Saratoga, Sept. 6, when Tell Your Daddy won the Grade 2 Bernard Baruch.
“It’s been a great run,” Morley said Wednesday in his office. “We’re trying to enjoy it because I’m sure there’ll be an 0-for-35 skid coming up around the corner somewhere.”
Morley is hoping his luck can hold out for at least a few more weeks. Morley is planning to ship Tell Your Daddy to California for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile and Locally Owned for the Grade 2, $250,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes, both on Nov. 6 at Del Mar.
Tell Your Daddy followed his Bernard Baruch victory with a solid second-place showing at odds of 29-1 in last Saturday’s Grade 1 Keeneland Turf Mile. Morley was extremely pleased with Tell Your Daddy’s effort, especially the way he finished under Julien Leparoux despite getting bumped a couple of times in midstretch.
“What I was really pleased with was the last five strides he was drawing away from the horses behind him,” Morley said. “Julien feels Del Mar will suit him very nicely. He’s not a big horse, but he’s extremely agile and runs the bends very, very well.”
Morley claimed Tell Your Daddy for $40,000 on behalf of Jason Provenzano’s Flying P Stable. Morley said Tell Your Daddy is a bit of a project and credits his staff, led by assistant Axelle Solares, with getting the horse through his daily training routine.
“He has a nickel claimer’s mind, this horse,” Morley said. “I have to take my hat off to the guys here who work with him every day. He’ll whip around and bolt back to the barn if he’s not with the pony.”
Locally Owned was also claimed for $40,000 by Morley and Provenzano in February at Fair Grounds. He won an allowance race at Belmont in April and then was beaten three straight times before he upset Lone Rock, also owned by Provenzano, in the Grand Prix Jockey Club going 1 5/8 miles.
“His pedigree suggested he could do what he did,” Morley said. “Did I expect to beat Lone Rock? No. Did everything go right for us that day? Yes.”
Things have been going right for many days for Morley, who has a stable that numbers in the mid-30s, though he said he has lost five horses through the claim box in recent weeks. He credits Provenzano with putting horses in his barn and being flexible when deciding where to place them.
“We’ve been very lucky to pick up Flying P this year,” Morley said. “Numerically, he’s really helped the barn, and given me some leeway to run horses in really live spots.”