ELMONT, N.Y. – Jimmy Jerkens has the type of horses in his barn that make a trainer want to wake up in the morning and go to work.
Even a trainer who just had hip replacement surgery.
On Wednesday morning, less than 48 hours after having his right hip replaced, Jerkens was leaning against the rail on the Belmont Park training track as he watched two of his stable stars put in workouts.
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Arch-rivals Liam’s Lucky Charm and Chance It will square off in the rubber match when they meet for the third time in eight weeks in Saturday’s $400,000 In Reality Stakes, the final leg of the open division of the Florida Sire Stakes series.
Liam’s Lucky Charm and Chance It top a larger-than-expected field of 10 2-year-old colts and geldings in the 1 1/16-mile In Reality, which shares top billing on Saturday’s 14-race program with its filly counterpart, the $400,000 My Dear Girl.
Daahyeh and Jezebel’s Kitten are stabled on different continents and appear to be on the same career path this fall.
The 2-year-old fillies each won her stakes debut – Daahyeh the Group 3 Albany Stakes against 24 rivals at Royal Ascot in England in June, Jezebel’s Kitten in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Fillies Turf on Aug. 31.
They are being prepared for important stakes that could lead to a trip to Santa Anita for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile on Nov. 1.
In a world of Juvenile Turf uncertainty, at least Decorated Invader looks pretty good.
The Christophe Clement-trained, New York-based colt ran a strong losing race making his career debut at Saratoga, won a maiden there in decisive fashion, and returned Sept. 15 at Woodbine to capture the Grade 1 Summer Stakes, ridden out to a 1 3/4-length victory.
“As of today, the Breeders’ Cup is the plan,” Clement said Wednesday morning from Belmont, where he plans to get Decorated Invader back on the work tab with an easy Sunday drill.
Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner Tax has drawn post 5 in a field of 11 for the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby, to be run Sunday at Remington Park. Entries for the 1 1/8-mile race were taken Wednesday.
The Oklahoma Derby is one of eight stakes on the card, which has a special post of 3 p.m. Central. The program includes the Grade 3, $200,000 Remington Park Oaks, which drew a field of four, including Fantasy winner Lady Apple.
When Sistercharlie won last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, she did so following a 12-week layoff over soft turf, ground that is not particularly to her liking.
This year, when Sistercharlie seeks to become the first repeat winner in the 21st running of the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita, she is expected to do so with four weeks between starts and over firm turf, the type of ground over which she thrives.
Trainer Veronica Griggs has had two of the top Oklahoma-bred turf performers in her barn the past several years in Perfect to Please and Pacific Typhoon. The horses have racked up five stakes wins and a number of allowance races between them and will be looking for more Friday night when Remington Park puts on three turf stakes for horses bred in Oklahoma.
While we wait to see whether the connections of Bricks and Mortar decide to run their horse in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, it might be a good time to wonder if there’s not another North American horse better suited to winning the race.
The filly Got Stormy finished second to outsider La Tormenta on Sept. 21 in the Woodbine Mile, but don’t let that defeat obscure the signs she figures to be a major player in the Mile.
“I don’t like to sound cocky, but we’ll be going out to Santa Anita with the utmost confidence,” trainer Mark Casse said Tuesday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Midnight Bisou is coming back to where it all began, back to Santa Anita as presumptive favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Undefeated this year in six starts, with 11 wins overall and $3.2 million in earnings, Midnight Bisou will be heavily favored Saturday in the Grade 2 Beldame at Belmont Park, after which another low-odds scenario is likely for the Distaff.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Santa Anita will be the subject of international attention beginning Friday and through its 23-day autumn meeting, and not just because of the 10 graded stakes on the opening two weekends or the Breeders’ Cup races on Nov. 1-2.
