Pinchin still has high hopes for Three Rules

MIAMI – Three Rules may have finished sixth, nearly 15 lengths behind winner Classic Empire, when suffering his first defeat in six starts earlier this month in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. But trainer Jose Pinchin said he hasn’t lost any confidence in his young star and is eagerly awaiting the opportunity to match strides with the top three finishers in the Juvenile once again this winter at Gulfstream Park.

Pinchin said it was the trip – not during the race but getting Three Rules to California for the Breeders’ Cup – that may have proven to be his horse’s undoing in the Juvenile.

“He was on a van for 20 hours from here to Louisville just to get on the flight to California,” said Pinchin. “It was really tough on him, and it’s something I’ll never do again. He’s a pretty bulky guy, but he lost a lot of weight between the journey and then the race.

“The good thing is, other than that he came back 100 percent. He’s getting a break now. He’s not doing a thing. I haven’t decided on any definite plan to start his 3-year-old season, although we’ll probably take the same route everybody else does and point for the Holy Bull.”

Like Three Rules the top three finishers in the Juvenile – Classic Empire, Not This Time, and Practical Joke – will all winter in South Florida.

“I thought he belonged in that race and I still think he’s the real deal,” said Pinchin. “The experience was good for him. We’ll get those horses on our home grounds now, and find out just how good he is during the winter.”