Trainer Brown works team of 11 headed to Breeders' Cup

ELMONT, N.Y. - Led by potential Juvenile favorite Jack Christopher and his trio of Turf horses Domestic Spending, Tribhuvan and Rockemperor, trainer Chad Brown on Saturday at Belmont Park worked 11 horses pointing to Breeders’ Cup races scheduled for Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar.

Jack Christopher, 2 for 2 after a dominant victory in the Grade 1 Champagne, worked five furlongs in 1:00.85 Saturday morning in company with the filly Gerrymander. Jack Christopher was well in hand on the outside, getting his final quarter in 24.13 seconds.

“The horse worked great, he’s just doing everything right,” Brown said.

Gerrymander, who finished a well-beaten second to Echo Zulu in the Grade 1 Frizette, is pointing to the Tempted at Belmont on Nov. 5, Brown said.

Also working on dirt Saturday morning, Royal Flag, the Beldame winner, worked a half-mile by herself in 48.66 seconds, finishing up well in hand. She is pointing to the $2 million Distaff.

“She’s going into one of the tougher races on the Breeders’ Cup card, so she’s going to have to run the race of her life to hit the winner’s circle,” Brown said. “She’s training the best she’s ever trained in her life, so that’s a positive.”

Domestic Spending, unraced since he finished second in the Mister D Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 15, worked five furlongs in 1:01.50 over the Belmont turf course in company with Tribhuvan. It was Domestic Spending’s seventh breeze since his last race.

For Tribhuvan, Saturday’s work was his second breeze back after missing a work two weeks ago. Tribhuvan appeared quite strong on the inside of Domestic Spending at the wire.

“I backed off one work, freshened him a couple of days, he bounced right back into the bit,” Brown said. “He wasn’t quite himself about three weeks ago. He’s really come back and worked great, so I think that did the trick.”

Rockemperor, who won the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 9, worked an easy half-mile in 51.31 seconds by himself.

“That horse has really come around,” Brown said. “Fantastic work, solo, maintenance, but he did it right.”

Brown’s pair of BC Filly and Mare Turf runners, My Sister Nat and Pocket Square, worked five furlongs over the turf in 1:02, getting their last half-mile in 49.99 seconds. Brown noted that the pair broke off a bit quick, “but my riders really did a great job to settle them down and executed it fine,” he added.

Also over the turf, Portfolio Company (Juvenile Turf) worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 in company with maiden winner General Ken. Verbal, possible for the Juvenile Turf, worked a half-mile in 49.05 seconds over the main track in company with Ridley’s Major, an unraced 2-year-old Gun Runner colt.

Consumer Spending and Kinchen, probable and possible for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, respectively, worked five furlongs together in 1:02.19 over the turf course.

At Keeneland, Dunbar Road (Distaff) worked a half-mile in 49 seconds while Blowout, possible for the Mile, worked a half-mile on turf in 50.80 seconds. Raging Bull, Brown’s confirmed Mile contender, was scheduled to work Sunday at Belmont.

Gufo works, BC likely

Gufo, the Grade 1 Sword Dancer winner, worked a half-mile in 48.66 seconds over the Belmont turf course Saturday and trainer Christophe Clement said later that owner Stephen Cainelli is on board with pre-entering the colt in the $4 million BC Turf.

Working under Joel Rosario, Gufo dropped several lengths behind workmate City Man on the turn, but made up the ground - along with the John Terranova-trained Backtohisroots to his outside - to finish on even terms at the wire.

“He gave him a lot to do, he was four or five lengths out of it at the half-mile pole and he finished very well,” Clement said. “The work was good, he came back perfectly sound.”

Clement said Gufo will have one more work at Belmont before he is scheduled to get on a flight on Oct. 31.

The Clement-trained Slipstream, the Grade 3 Futurity winner, worked a half-mile in 52.10 seconds outside of Gal in a Rush. While the time may not stick out, Joel Rosario had plenty of horse aboard Slipstream, who is pointing to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

“Finished well, easy, Rosario was under control and he worked with a nice horse,” Clement said.

*** Firenze Fire, pointing to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, worked an easy five furlongs in 1:03.66 over the Belmont Park training track.