ARCADIA, Calif. – American Pharoah, trainer Bob Baffert’s leading 2-year-old, worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 on Tuesday at Santa Anita, preparing for the BC Juvenile on Nov. 1.
Owned by Zayat Stables, American Pharoah won two Grade 1 races in September – the Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs Sept. 3 and the FrontRunner Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 27.
“He worked very nice,” Baffert said. “We’re ready to run.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kent Desormeaux is eager for a comeback.
The 44-year-old Hall of Fame jockey has been sidelined since being powerfully kicked in the chest after falling from his mount in a post parade at Santa Anita on Sept. 28. He was hospitalized for two days after suffering a collapsed lung and fractured ribs on his left side.
On Sunday, Desormeaux was a visitor for morning workouts and said he was targeting a return to riding Oct. 25. If he makes that date, Desormeaux could ride for several days before the Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
After an easy half-mile drill last week, Shared Belief picked up the pace this week with a sharp five-furlong drill in 1:00.60 on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields, the second of four scheduled workouts he will have prior to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
As usual, Russell Baze, the Hall of Fame jockey, was aboard for the work for his longtime supporter, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Mike Smith has the mount in the Breeders’ Cup.
Hollendorfer said Shared Belief began his work “a few lengths behind a set of horses,” then breezed past them.
Big Macher may be one of the best-kept secrets in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Idle since an uncharacteristically poor sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar on Aug. 24, Big Macher will come into the Sprint a fresh horse off a series of swift works that includes six furlongs in 1:11.40 on Monday at Santa Anita.
Big Macher is a California-bred son of Beau Genius trained by Richard Baltas for the partnership of Tom Mansor and Tachycardia Stables. The O’Brien marked the first time the former claimer had finished off the board in his last eight starts.
Sweet Reason is back on target for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after recovering from an eye injury suffered in her runner-up finish behind Untapable in the Sept. 20 Cotillion at Parx.
Trainer Leah Gyarmati said Monday from her Belmont Park base that Sweet Reason “missed maybe a week and a half of training” before returning to the track last week.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Three of the potential starters in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita worked at two different tracks Monday, with Tonalist and Cigar Street tuning up at Belmont Park, while in California, Footbridge drilled at Santa Anita.
Both Tonalist and Cigar Street worked on a fast track at Belmont Park on a cloudy morning. Footbridge worked at Santa Anita on Monday, later than originally planned because trainer Eoin Harty waited for thick, early-morning fog to finally lift.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Two fillies who will keep the pace honest in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff worked five furlongs within minutes of each other Monday at Santa Anita, while a turf specialist has joined the list of possible starters.
Iotapa worked in company at 8:10 a.m.; Tiz Midnight worked alone at 8:20. Neither drill was crucial; the key works for Distaff contenders, including early favorite Beholder and longshot turf mare Parranda, will take place next weekend.
Wise Dan, a two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Mile, will miss the 2014 Mile because of an injured ankle.
Wise Dan’s injury, a non-displaced fracture in his right foreleg, was revealed in a press release Monday from the Breeders’ Cup. The injury, Wise Dan’s connections surmise, occurred when Wise Dan won the Shadwell Turf Mile on Oct. 4. Whether Wise Dan, a 7-year-old, can continue racing won’t be known until the injury fully heals.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Mike Battaglia, part of major racing broadcasts on NBC for more than 20 years, said recently at Keeneland that he will not be working the upcoming Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita and instead will call the races live at Churchill Downs while Larry Collmus is on leave.
ARCADIA, Calif.- Silentio will race in sprints this autumn, with the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1 the next goal for the 5-year-old horse.
Trainer Gary Mandella said on Sunday that Silentio will be cross-entered for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile, a race in which he finished third last year. Mandella emphasized that he would prefer to run Silentio in the Turf Sprint.
“That’s my first preference,” Mandella said. “I think he might really like it.”
