ARCADIA, Calif. — Top European jockey Ryan Moore has been booked to ride Astronomer in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, trainer Simon Callaghan said on Saturday.
The decision was finalized after trainer Aidan O’Brien withdrew top contender Paddington from consideration. Paddington, the winner of four consecutive Group 1 races in Ireland and Britain earlier this year, has been retired to stud.
Santa Anita
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature: 56
Track: Fast
ARCADIA, Calif. - A very busy morning on the Breeders’ Cup front at Santa Anita ended on a sad note after GEAUX ROCKET RIDE suffered a significant leg injury while in the latter stages of a seven-furlong work for the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
ARCADIA, Calif. — Before the significant injury suffered by Geaux Rocket Ride in a workout at Santa Anita late Saturday morning, five other potential Classic starters put in workouts at four different venues for the $6 million Classic to be run Nov. 4.
At Santa Anita, Clapton, the Lukas Classic winner, went a half-mile in 48.72 seconds while galloping out five furlongs in 1:01.22 and six furlongs in 1:13.50, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Geaux Rocket Ride, one of the leading contenders for the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic here on Nov. 4, suffered a displaced condylar fracture to his right foreleg during a workout Saturday morning at Santa Anita.
Trainer Richard Mandella said the fracture broke through the skin and while there is no sesamoid fracture, the ligaments around it are stretched, making for a potentially difficult surgery to save the colt. Surgery is planned for Sunday at a clinic on the track property, Mandella said.
ARCADIA, Calif. – All good, babe.
That was the vibe emanating from trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. after he watched Breeders’ Cup Classic contender White Abarrio work a strong five furlongs in 59.68 seconds Friday morning over Santa Anita’s main track under jockey Emily Ellingwood. Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch caught his final quarter in 23.00 while galloping out six furlongs in 1:13.26 and seven furlongs in 1:28.53.
“He looked good to me and he felt good to her,” Dutrow said. “I think anybody that watched him breeze would say that he looked good to them.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Locked and Fierceness earned the two highest Beyer Speed Figures for juveniles at the Saratoga meet, a 96 and 95, respectively, for their maiden wins.
Locked went on to win the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland for Todd Pletcher, while stablemate Fierceness finished seventh on a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Champagne.
Both were on the work tab Friday morning at Keeneland for their final serious drills for the BC Juvenile and will ship to Santa Anita this weekend.
King of Steel, winner of the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot Racecourse in Britain last Saturday, is a confirmed runner for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 4, trainer Roger Varian said on Friday.
Varian assessed King of Steel’s condition through the week before finalizing plans on Friday. King of Steel is scheduled to be flown to California on Friday.
“He jogged on Monday and has cantered since Tuesday,” Varian said. “He looks full of energy and his movement is very good. He looks like a horse that can take another start.
Dreamfyre is undefeated in three starts in stakes, and is the only candidate for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile at Santa Anita on Nov. 3 with a win over the course and distance.
Those perfect credentials will not afford Dreamfyre much respect in the nation’s richest turf race for 2-year-old fillies. In the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf, Dreamfyre faces a daunting task against a strong group of international and domestic runners.
“I won’t get a lot of attention,” trainer O.J. Jauregui said. “That’s okay for me.”
Katey Barrett’s equine photography was easy to find in the homes and workplaces of Southern California racing fans.
Barrett, who died Sunday at the age of 90, was a vital contributor to Santa Anita’s annual calendar for more than three decades, arguably the most popular racetrack giveaway in the nation.
The highly sought-after calendars were distributed on Dec. 26, the opening day of the track’s winter-spring meeting and one of the most anticipated days of the year. Opening day often draws tens of thousands of fans, most of whom go home with a keepsake calendar.
