INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The boss, Bobby Frankel, has been dealing with a serious illness for months, but at his Hollywood Park barn, assistants Humberto Ascanio and Sally Lundy have done their best to keep things moving smoothly. They've got 32 horses here, three of whom are Breeders' Cup runners who worked on Friday, including a new arrival, Proviso, fresh off a strong United States debut.
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DRF Past Performances
ARCADIA, Calif. - The colt with the fewest career starts among the probable starters for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 7 may be one of the most dangerous.
Zacinto has never been worse than third in five starts, including three Group 1 and Group 2 races in England in the last 14 months. Trained by Michael Stoute, Zacinto is considered a leading contender following a game second to Breeders' Cup Classic hopeful Rip Van Winkle in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Sept. 26.
Since winning the Grade 2 Sunset Handicap over the Hollywood Park turf on July 19, Black Astor has had one race - and you can forget it, trainer Lisa Lewis said.
"After a quarter-mile, we just turned to each other and shook our heads," Lewis said.
Racing in the 1 3/8-mile Del Mar Handicap on Aug. 30, Black Astor had entered into a ruinous speed duel, eventually finishing last of 10.
Last year, Desert Code finished seventh behind the victorious California Flag in the Morvich Handicap before upsetting the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
This year, California Flag led gate to wire in the Morvich again, with Desert Code seventh. Is there a pattern developing here?
"We're hoping to repeat," David Hofmans, trainer of Desert Code, said with a smile. "If there's enough speed to go early with California Flag, I'd have to think we'd have a shot."
Awesome Gem is the second-oldest horse in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, which figures. He's used to being a runner-up, the second banana. He has raced 30 times, won six, and finished second 11 times.
He's not second fiddle, though, in the barn of trainer Craig Dollase. Now 6, Awesome Gem - owned by the West Point Thoroughbreds syndicate - has become a barn favorite, a consistent, hard-knocking gelding who has made nearly $1.7 million and will be racing in the Breeders' Cup for the third consecutive year.
Half of the field for the Juvenile Fillies put in workouts Friday at six tracks around North America. At Santa Anita, Bickersons went four furlongs in 47 seconds. At Belmont, Devil May Care went five furlongs in 1:01.02. At Churchill Downs, Connie and Michael went five furlongs in 1:01. At Keeneland, She Be Wild drilled five furlongs in 1:00.20. At Woodbine, Biofuel went five furlongs in 59.40, and at Fair Hill, Ms Vanenzza covered five furlongs in 1:01.
Though the connections of Mr. Sidney made the $2 million Mile on turf their first preference when pre-entries were made Monday, they have changed their mind and will instead run their 5-year-old son of Storm Cat in the $1 million Dirt Mile over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.
ARCADIA, Calf. - The 5 a.m. darkness hides almost everything on the Santa Anita main track, but two hours before sunrise on Friday morning the white silhouette of Silver Swallow cut an unmistakable profile.
The gray 5-year-old slipped virtually unnoticed into the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint pre-entries, so it was appropriate her final big workout for trainer Bruce Headley was in the relative anonymity of pre-dawn.
A week before the 2008 Breeders' Cup, trainer John Sadler had Cost of Freedom at the very top of his game and was supremely confident heading into the Sprint. But all of that came crashing down in a swirl of controversy and frustration after Cost of Freedom was ordered scratched by the stewards on the morning of the race on advice from the track veterinarians.
One week before the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Sadler once again has Cost of Freedom primed for the opportunity he was deprived of a year earlier - to win the Breeders' Cup Sprint.