ARCADIA, Calif. – Runhappy was sent through his final workout leading into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile when breezing five furlongs under the cover of darkness Saturday morning at Santa Anita.

Runhappy, the winner of the BC Sprint and the Eclipse Award for top sprinter last year, was timed in 58.55 seconds in a work that came at about 5:20 a.m. Pacific, before many other horses were out for exercise over a fast surface.

“Yay,” trainer Laura Wohlers said afterward. “He looked good down the stretch. It was a nice, strong work.”

SANTA ANITA
Track: Fast
Weather: Overcast
Temp.: 63

ARCADIA, Calif. – The threat of rain that forced many trainers to alter workout schedules for their Breeders’ Cup horses the past couple of days was a false alarm, so the main track was fast and dry throughout Friday morning’s five-hour training session.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Twice in recent months, Metaboss has turned into the stretch of a Grade 2 turf marathon at a California track with the rest of the field in front of him.

In the Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 20, Metaboss caught all of his rivals but one, losing by a nose to Ashleyluvssugar. In the John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Oct. 2, Metaboss rallied to finish fourth, a length behind Ashleyluvssugar.

Three Rules, undefeated in five career starts, blazed five furlongs in 57.64 seconds Friday morning at Gulfstream Park in his last serious move before the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita next Saturday.

With a strong wind at his back, Three Rules, under exercise rider Patrick Harris, was timed by track clockers in fractions of 21.80 for the quarter-mile and 32.80 for three furlongs, and he galloped out five furlongs in 1:12.40. It was the fastest of 21 moves at the distance, with the second-fastest time 57.88 seconds.

STICKNEY, Ill. – He parks a rented Hyundai on a wan industrial Chicago morning and walks into a barn on the Hawthorne backstretch. A couple of jockey agents and two apprentice riders cluster near the office. Everyone smiles and greets him. “Hey, Ganbat!”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Runhappy, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner and the nation’s champion sprinter, has had a busy schedule since arriving here at Santa Anita for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, to be run next Friday. He goes out to train well before dawn every morning, and every day has spent time at a nearby farm, taking advantage of outdoor paddocks, a bit of grass on which to graze, and sand pits in which to roll, something he can do in one facility at his home base in Kentucky.

ARCADIA, Calif. – With a five-furlong work in 1:00.40 here on Friday, La Force is being prepared as if she will start in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4.

It may take the whole weekend to determine whether it was a necessary dress rehearsal.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Forgive Bob Baffert if he has other things on his mind, such as slaying California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup Classic with a 3-year-old named Arrogate.

Still, there are other Baffert horses for other Breeders’ Cup races, as evidenced by all the multi-tasking the Hall of Fame trainer undertakes every morning at Santa Anita. Two of the younger Baffert horses, Noted and Quoted and American Gal, will be in the starting gate for the $2 million BC Juvenile Fillies, the first of the nine BC events here next Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tepin put in her final maintenance move in advance of her Breeders’ Cup Mile defense on Friday morning, leading a bevy of workers for trainer Mark Casse in the pre-dawn darkness at Churchill Downs.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Based on how well she trained the past month and an impressive workout Friday morning at Santa Anita, Stellar Wind will not bounce in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Stellar Wind worked six furlongs Friday, and she could not have looked better.

She worked soon after the 6:30 a.m. renovation, broke off two lengths behind graded stakes winner Hard Aces, collared him in the lane, and finished strongly. Stellar Wind galloped out with run and acts like she is ready to reproduce the career-best 110 Beyer Speed Figure she earned last out.