LEXINGTON, Ky. - A week after working together, Breeders’ Cup Distaff co-favorites and stablemates Nest and Malathaat had different partners Saturday at Keeneland as they put in their final breezes for next Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Malathaat, last year’s 3-year-old filly champion and recent Grade 1 Spinster winner, worked a half-mile in 49.61 seconds, per Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch, in company with the 3-year-old maiden colt Old Point.
LEXINTON, Ky. - The Breeders’ Cup overseas contingent, which saw three defections among pre-entered horses earlier in the week, lost two more runners late this week. Neither Cairo, selected into the Juvenile Turf field, nor Aesop’s Fables, who was in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, are shipping for trainer Aidan O’Brien.
The three horses taken off the overseas shipping lists earlier were Saffron Beach for the Filly and Mare Turf, Bayside Boy for the Mile, and Never Ending Story for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - It was more of the same Saturday morning from Flightline and Life Is Good, both of whom put in their final workouts at Keeneland in preparation for a clash in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic here on Nov. 5.
KEENELAND
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 46
Track: Fast
Turf: Good
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Two year olds dominated Friday’s Breeders’ Cup work tab at Keeneland with their respective races now just a week away. The group was led by leading Juvenile Fillies contender WONDER WHEEL and a quartet of trainer Todd Pletcher juveniles breezing in sets immediately after both the first and second renovation breaks.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rich Strike returned to the track Friday morning with a spirited gallop, alleviating any concerns that there might be something amiss with the Kentucky Derby winner heading into the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.
“He was super strong,” trainer Eric Reed said. “He’s fine.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was a routine work for Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint favorite Golden Pal on the Keeneland turf Friday morning, with trainer Wesley Ward saying he was trying not to overthink things as he comes into the final days of preparation with his two-time Breeders’ Cup winner.
Under regular work rider Julio Garcia, Golden Pal breezed five furlongs in 1:01.08 on the watch of Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. The turf course was officially rated good for training, but had some cut to it.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Even though she grew up in a racing family, Kylee Jordan didn’t grow up watching the major races on TV, dreaming of one day participating in the sport’s biggest events. In fact, she says she somewhat fell into her current career as a jockey.
“A couple of months before I started riding [races], I was working a ton of horses, and everything just sort of fell into place,” Jordan said. “I just went with it. I was going with the flow. But as a kid, I didn’t grow up being like, ‘Hey, I want to be a jockey.’ It just kind of happened.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Awesome Strong, who swept the three-race Florida Sire Series as part of a 4-for-4 campaign, will miss the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 4 due to “a minor shin problem,” trainer Jorge Delgado said Friday.
Delgado said that Awesome Strong, who has had two works at Keeneland, will soon be shipped to a farm in Ocala, Fla., and get 60 days off.
“We’re doing what’s best for him,” Delgado said Friday morning. “We want him to have a 3-year-old career, a 4-year-old career. We have high expectations for him.”
Bayside Boy, upset winner of the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over Breeders’ Cup Mile favorite Modern Games, is one of three overseas pre-entrants into Breeders’ Cup races not expected to make the trip to Keeneland this weekend.
Bayside Boy’s connections hinted from the time of pre-entry they were leaning against coming to the BC Mile, a race into which they had free entry since the QE II is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series.
