The 3-year-old filly Teona has shown such improvement in recent months that she will start against males in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar next Saturday and not in the Filly and Mare Turf the same day.

Roger Varian, who trains Teona in England, said in a phone interview on Friday that the BC Turf distance of 1 1/2 miles is better for Teona than the Filly and Mare Turf at 1 3/8 miles.

“We think she’s a true mile and a half filly,” Varian said. “We’ve gone for the trip.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – Medina Spirit on Friday morning at Santa Anita finished off his serious training for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, going six furlongs in company in 1:11.60, followed by an extensive gallop-out.

The work occurred shortly after the track opened following the first of the day’s renovation breaks, with the sun still below the horizon. Medina Spirit broke off at the 5 1/2-furlong pole and galloped out well into the backstretch before being brought to a stop.

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Annapolis, the 3-1 favorite on Daily Racing Form’s morning line for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, will be forced to miss the race due to a hind ankle chip, trainer Todd Pletcher said Friday morning.

Pletcher believes the horse will need surgery to remove the chip but was awaiting confirmation of that from Dr. Larry Bramlage of the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital.

“It’s minor, but horrific timing obviously,” Pletcher said.

At Belmont Park on Thursday, trainer Todd Pletcher worked a quartet of 2-year-olds scheduled to run in Breeders’ Cup races at Del Mar.

Annapolis, a top contender for the Juvenile Turf, worked a half-mile in 50.37 seconds in company with Nest, who was a late addition to the Juvenile Fillies field. The pair went their opening quarter in 25.84 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.51 over the training track.

Pletcher said he wanted to work Annapolis over the turf, but since the course was soft, he opted to keep him on the dirt.

The unbeaten One Timer, headed to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Nov. 5, was the lone Breeders’ Cup runner to work Thursday at a relatively quiet Del Mar, where he went a half-mile on the main track in 49.80 seconds.

The well-traveled One Timer defeated maidens on debut at Arlington before capturing the Victoria Stakes at Woodbine and then the Speakeasy at Santa Anita. The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint will mark his fourth race at four different tracks.

DEL MAR, Calif. – Hidden Connection, one of the top contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies here at Del Mar on Nov. 5, turned in her final work for the race on Thursday morning at Churchill Downs, going five furlongs in 1:00.80 under her regular rider, Reylu Gutierrez.

Her trainer, Bret Calhoun, said he had originally planned to work on Friday, but moved the work up 24 hours owing to rain being in the forecast for Friday.

An active campaign since late August has taken a toll on the 2-year-old filly Diamond Wow, who will miss the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 5.

Trainer Patrick Biancone said a decision was reached on Thursday not to send the Florida-based Diamond Wow to California.

“After her last work, we found her a little stiff and the blood was not good,” he said. “We didn’t want to cross the country with a horse that was not 100 percent perfect. It’s disappointing for the team, but the horse’s health is important.”

Imperador, winner of the Grade 2 Calumet Turf Cup at Kentucky Downs last month, will miss the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 6, trainer Paulo Lobo said on Thursday.

“I did not like the way he galloped,” Lobo said from Kentucky. “He was a little off.”

Lobo said Imperador is scheduled to undergo veterinary tests on Friday with the hope the 5-year-old will remain in training in 2022.

“That’s why we are checking him tomorrow and hope that we can bring him back for next year,” he said.

European-based horses have won eight of the 14 renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, North American runners six, but the North Americans outnumber the Europeans 9 to 5 among the 14 pre-entered 2-year-olds who are assured of spots in the $1 million Juvenile Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Six pre-entrants – Credibility, Ready to Purrform, Verbal, Jasper Krone, Detroit City, and Royal Spirit, listed in their ranked order – are excluded from the race barring defections.

There is a strong possibility the winner of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 5 at Del Mar will produce a double-digit payoff, even if the favorite prevails.

Wednesday, the Breeders’ Cup organization announced 18 pre-entries for the one-mile race, a group that includes seven stakes winners from throughout the United States but not a standout candidate.

There are familiar trainers behind a few American-based runners.