Weather forcing New York horses to scramble

ELMONT, N.Y. – As of Friday, there were still 44 possible Breeders’ Cup starters stabled in New York, and Mother Nature was wreaking havoc with the work schedules for many of them.

The tracks at Belmont and Aqueduct were wet Wednesday through Friday.

Trainer Leah Gyarmati canceled Friday workouts for Sweet Reason (Filly and Mare Sprint) and Wonder Gal (Juvenile Fillies). Both will have their final works at Santa Anita on Monday or Tuesday. Sweet Reason and Wonder Gal were scheduled to fly with V. E. Day on Saturday afternoon.

“In a perfect world, I’d have breezed today, shipped [Saturday], and done something down the lane there next week,” Gyarmati said. “But it’s not a perfect world. I planned, and God laughed.”

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Trainer Chad Brown has pushed back a scheduled work for BC Classic contender Zivo from Saturday to Sunday, when he plans to breeze nine of his Breeders’ Cup grass horses as well. All of Brown’s horses are scheduled to ship Monday.

Trainer Todd Pletcher was planning to work Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Isabella Sings on the turf Saturday but will move that work to the dirt, owing to the soft condition of the Belmont grass courses.

Tonalist, the Belmont Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, is scheduled to breeze Saturday and ship to California on Sunday. His trainer, Christophe Clement, has not ruled out the possibility of pushing the work back a day and making different travel arrangements.

Kiaran McLaughlin canceled a breeze for BC Juvenile Turf contender Imperia, who as of Friday was still based in Saratoga. McLaughlin said he will not breeze the horse prior to the Juvenile Turf. He noted that he skipped a breeze with Jazil a week before the horse’s victory in the 2006 Belmont Stakes.

McLaughlin was also waiting to decide until Saturday morning whether to work BC Mile contender Sayaad at Belmont or wait until the horse gets to Santa Anita.

Meanwhile, trainer Gary Contessa said that Combat Diver, who had moved up to first on the also-eligible list for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, will not run in the Juvenile even if he were to get in.

“The horse is a little under the weather,” Contessa said. “I don’t think he’s 100 percent himself. He needs to be 120 percent to compete; he’s 90 percent.”

Contessa said Combat Diver would be pointed to the Grade 2, $400,000 Remsen at Aqueduct on Nov. 29.