ARCADIA, Calif. – Dank arrived from Europe on Saturday, and the classy import, whose most recent start was a romping win in the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington, is expected to be favored Nov. 2 in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
Meanwhile, a key defection softened the pace scenario for the East Coast-based Laughing. With the withdrawal of front-runner Vionnet, Laughing could be loose on the lead in the 1 1/4-mile race.
ARCADIA, Calif. – New Year’s Day only has a maiden win to his credit in two starts, but the quality of that win Aug. 31 at Del Mar was flattered when Bond Holder, who finished second, came back to take the Grade 1 FrontRunner in his next start.
New Year’s Day sat out that race, but he has had four works since then – three that were the best of the morning, and then an aggressive six-furlong drill in 1:13 on Sunday at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Sweet Lulu, the most accomplished 3-year-old in a lineup filled with talented older horses, had her final work toward the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint when breezing a half-mile just before dawn Sunday at Santa Anita.
Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer said he shipped Sweet Lulu from her Betfair Hollywood Park base to get a feel for the Santa Anita track and that, “We’re not trying to set any speed records here. She already had her major work last weekend [six furlongs at Hollywood].”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Her fast workouts before she ever raced indicated to trainer Mike Hushion that Artemis Agrotera was a talented filly. If she was ever able to harness some of that speed, Hushion felt Artemis Agrotera could be special.
On Sunday, Artemis Agrotera relaxed extremely well in a five-furlong workout timed in 1:01.70 over Belmont Park’s training track, a move that should only enhance her status as one of the favorites in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies on Saturday at Santa Anita.
ELMONT, N.Y. – When Chad Brown received the French-bred and -based filly Alterite from owner Martin Schwartz this summer, the Breeders’ Cup was the furthest thing from the trainer’s mind. The pair of Grade 1 races restricted to 3-year-old fillies – the Garden City at Belmont Park and the Queen Elizabeth II at Keeneland – run four weeks apart, seemed like an ambitious enough fall campaign.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Ismene will be among the longshots in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, but her impact will be unmistakable – the California-bred front-runner will set the pace as far as she can.
On Sunday, the filly signaled that she is ready.
Bill Spawr trains early, and Ismene was the first Breeders’ Cup candidate on the track at 5 a.m. A few minutes later, she broke off from the five-eighths pole under exercise rider Ricky Ramirez.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Early on in the process, trainer Shug McGaughey admitted to doubting whether he could get Point of Entry to the Breeders’ Cup Turf less than four months after the horse suffered a hind-leg fracture in winning the Grade 1 Manhattan here in June.
“Probably not,” McGaughey said when asked Sunday if he felt he could get there. “I was hoping.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – The busiest day for Breeders’ Cup workers at Santa Anita also turned into one of the saddest in recent memory when Points Offthebench, the potential favorite for the Sprint, broke down suddenly nearing the completion of his final work for the race and had to be euthanized on the racetrack.
Groupie Doll, the likely favorite when defending her title this coming Saturday in the Filly and Mare Sprint, had her final work for the seven-furlong race when going a half-mile in 47.79 seconds shortly after the Santa Anita track was cleared in the aftermath of the Points Offthebench tragedy.
“Last year, I watched her train here all of one day,” said trainer Buff Bradley, who will be here for an entire week this time around. “When she had her last work here last year, I was watching on TV back home [in Kentucky].”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Quick five-furlong workouts are rare for Little Mike, the 2012 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf. The 6-year-old gelding often works that distance in times of between 1:01 and 1:03 when exercising at Churchill Downs or Gulfstream Park, where he has been based with trainer Dale Romans the past few years.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, in his final workout before the $3 million BC Turf this coming Saturday, Little Mike was timed in 59.80 seconds for five furlongs on the main track.
