Habibti, the winner of the Del Mar Debutante who missed the Oak Leaf Stakes on Sept. 30 because of illness, worked a half-mile in 48.40 seconds on Thursday. Trainer Bob Baffert pronounced her on schedule for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
"She looked good and was full of herself," Baffert said. "We're back. We're lucky she didn't get really sick."
Kamsack, second to Officer in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 5, will not contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile, according to trainer Christopher Paasch.
Seventh in the Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland last Saturday as the 3-2 favorite, Kamsack will be pointed for the Hollywood Park fall meeting, Paasch said. Earlier this week, precautionary X-rays taken on one of Kamsack's knees revealed no damage after the colt sustained cuts during the race.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - John T. Ward Jr. has saddled the winners of Grade 1 races at Gulfstream, Woodbine, Belmont, and Churchill Downs. The most recent win came in May at Churchill, where Monarchos gave Ward his greatest career thrill by winning the 127th Kentucky Derby.
But Ward has never won a Grade 1 at Keeneland, even though he has lived just outside the back gate virtually his entire 56-plus years. "Never gotten one of those gold julep cups" that signifies a Grade 1 win at Keeneland, he said.
The decision by owner John Amerman not to supplement Lido Palace to the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 27 at Belmont Park will deprive the World Thoroughbred Championships of perhaps the nation's best older horse, and has raised anew the annual debate regarding the supplemental fee.
The retirement of Secret Status and a lingering injury to Gourmet Girl on Wednesday forced two possible starters out of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff. But this race, which historically has had the smallest fields on Breeders' Cup Day, still should have a large field this year, come Oct. 27 at Belmont Park.
With a pair of third-place finishes from three Breeders' Cup starters, trainer Ken McPeek has had a hint of success on racing's championship day.
"I tasted the wine and I want the whole bottle," said McPeek, who finished third in the 1994 Juvenile with Tejano Run and third in last year's Juvenile Fillies with She's a Devil Due.
As a former assistant to Bob Baffert and current head trainer of Godolphin Racing's North American juvenile division, Eoin Harty has been around his share of top 2-year-olds.
But, he says he has never seen anything like Officer, his former boss's new top gun, who likely will be the heaviest favorite in the eight Breeders' Cup races on the World Thoroughbred Championships card at Belmont Park Oct. 27.
Following Officer's demonstrative 3 3/4-length victory in Saturday's Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont - which made him 5 for 5 - Harty paid Officer the ultimate compliment.
Spook Express is in, Aquarelliste is out, and both Janet and Tout Charmant remain on the fence following the final major weekend of preps for the $1 million Filly and Mare Turf.
Trainer Tom Skiffington confirmed Wednesday that Spook Express owners Janice and Robert Aron decided to put up $200,000 to supplement the mare to the Filly and Mare Turf following her last-to-first victory in Keeneland's WinStar Galaxy Stakes.
Three days after Val Royal's victory in the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile on Sunday, trainer Julio Canani was amazed at the 5-year-old's condition.
Twice in his two-year American career, Val Royal has returned from major stakes with injuries. He suffered a bowed tendon following the 1999 Del Mar Derby and had foot problems following a second in the Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita last March.
But on Wednesday, Canani pronounced Val Royal ready for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Belmont Park on Oct. 27.