ARCADIA, Calif. – Graydar, who likely would have been the favorite in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Friday, was declared out of the race Monday because of a quarter crack in his left front hoof, according to a press release from Twin Creeks Racing Stables, which owns the 4-year-old colt.
The injury is believed to be minor enough to allow Graydar to run in the Grade 1, $500,000 Cigar Mile on Nov. 30 at Aqueduct, trainer Todd Pletcher said in the release.
Fort Larned, seeking to defend his title in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Santa Anita, worked five furlongs in 1:01.80 on Monday at Churchill Downs, his final prep for the race.
Brian Hernandez Jr., the regular rider for Fort Larned, was aboard. The horse worked by himself.
"Everything's good. It was a nice work," said Ian Wilkes, who trains Fort Larned. "He came back happy. He wanted to do more."
ARCADIA, Calif. – The California-based runners for Saturday’s $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita are likely to be overshadowed by shippers from New York and Europe. Indy Point, the winner of the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship here Sept. 29, could keep the prize on the West Coast.
On Sunday, Indy Point worked a half-mile on turf in 48.20 seconds, an effort that trainer Richard Mandella described as “easy.” Exercise rider David Neusch did not urge Indy Point through the stretch.
ARCADIA, Calif. – For a Breeders’ Cup runner, Blueskiesnrainbows has had an unconventional schedule in advance of the $500,000 BC Marathon at Santa Anita on Friday.
Not many Breeders’ Cup horses have their final two prep races at the Los Angeles County Fair and the Big Fresno Fair in California.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The Breeders’ Cup picture is starting to come into sharper focus after a couple of weekends of watching workouts on both coasts. Things might be even clearer were it not for the fog that rolled in at Santa Anita on Saturday and again Sunday morning, obscuring the view of many works from high atop the grandstand.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Arpinati, the Italian 2-year-old pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, did not travel with the international shipping contingent and is out of the race.
Arpinati was reportedly to have been sold and race for new connections in the Juvenile Turf, but the transaction fell through, and his trip was abandoned.
Diamond Bachelor, Dance With Fate, Smarty’s Echo, and We Miss Artie all are pre-entered with first preference in the Juvenile, leaving the Juvenile Turf with a prospective field of 13.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Mike Pender’s two Breeders’ Cup pre-entrants, Boat Trip and Jeranimo, are cross-entered in the Mile and the Turf Sprint, and though Pender said no decision has been made, it seems clear that he and both horses’ owners are leaning toward the Turf Sprint.
“In all likelihood, you’re going to see both of them wind up in the [Turf] Sprint,” Pender said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – A group of 12 foreign-based runners for Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita next weekend arrived in Southern California on Saturday.
The runners – 11 Thoroughbreds and one Arabian – remained in quarantine Sunday.
Three Thoroughbreds will clear quarantine in time to train Monday – Outstrip (a candidate for the Juvenile Turf), Vorda (Juvenile Fillies Turf), and Romantica (Filly and Mare Turf). The Arabian No Problem Al Maury will train Monday for Friday’s $150,000 President of the United Arab Emirates Cup. They arrived on a flight early Saturday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Sweet Reason is heading into the Breeders’ Cup as the likely favorite for the $2 million Juvenile Fillies on Saturday at Santa Anita, but in her lone local work here Sunday, she dawdled around the track in 1:46.80 for a mile.
Trainer Leah Gyarmati said the work was designed more to familiarize Sweet Reason with having to negotiate two turns for the first time in the Juvenile Fillies than to get her fit.
