National Treasure will return to blinkers in Breeders' Cup Juvenile
National Treasure will be re-equipped with blinkers when he again takes on stablemate Cave Rock in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile next Friday at Keeneland.
National Treasure wore blinkers when he won his debut, but trainer Bob Baffert took them off when he ran against Cave Rock in the Grade 1 American Pharoah. In that race, National Treasure wound up chasing Cave Rock all the way around the track, finishing second to Cave Rock.
“He was a little bit confused leaving there,” Baffert said. “I want him a little sharper away from there; short run to the [first] turn. Just have him a little bit focused.”
National Treasure had the blinkers on Saturday when he worked six furlongs in 1:11.20, finishing in front of fellow 2-year-old Carmel Road, at Santa Anita.
“I wanted to see how he handled things,” Baffert said. “He’s learned how to settle.”
Meanwhile, also at Santa Anita, Cave Rock worked five furlongs in company with Mastering, leaving him late in the move while completing six furlongs in 1:11.80.
“He looked like he always looks,” Baffert said. “They’re both coming into it very well.”
Coming off dominant victories in the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah, Cave Rock figures a heavy favorite in the Juvenile, which is expected to go with a field of 10 when entries close and post positions are drawn on Monday.
At Keeneland on Saturday, Blazing Sevens worked a half-mile in 47.58 seconds by himself.
“For a baby with only three career starts he goes out there and breezes alone just fine,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He looked like a 3-year-old going through the lane, really. I know it’s coming up a tough race but looking at the horse, watching him train if you look at him physically, he’s really looking to run two turns, so I’m confident we’ll see the best of him.”
Meanwhile, Hurricane J was scratched from Saturday’s Bowman Mill Stakes at Keeneland and will run in the Juvenile, trainer Paulo Lobo said. Hurricane J is 2 for 2, with both wins coming at six furlongs, including an allowance score at Keeneland.
Lobo said Joe Talamo would ride in the Breeders’ Cup.
- additional reporting by Marcus Hersh
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