ARCADIA, Calif. – The 2-year-old filly Saralin has impressed trainer Simon Callaghan enough in recent workouts for her to have her career debut in a maiden special weight race at a mile on Thursday and not in a sprint.

Then again, Saralin has been drawing attention since she appeared in the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale of 2-year-olds in training in March, where she was purchased for $1.3 million. Saralin was the second most expensive horse of the sale and was acquired by Kaleem Shah and the Coolmore partnership.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The monkey who jumped off John Sadler’s back has found a new ride.

Christophe Clement now holds the record for most starts among Breeders’ Cup trainers who haven’t yet won. Sadler had gone winless from his first 44 BC starters before Accelerate won the Classic last November at Churchill Downs, leaving Clement and his 0-for-36 mark as the new leader in the clubhouse.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Four years ago, jockey Flavien Prat missed three months of racing, including the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland, when he was sidelined by a back injury sustained in riding accident. The inactivity left Prat frustrated at the forced change in his life.

“Everything I was doing was about sport,” Prat recalled in late October. “I realized that when I broke my back. I couldn’t do anything. It was the worst three months of my life. I’m not into video games or stuff like this.”

ARCADIA, Calif. – When popular racing executive Brad McKinzie died a little more than two years ago from cancer at age 62, his loss impacted many people on the Southern California circuit, perhaps none more so than trainer Bob Baffert, who had grown so close to McKinzie since their days four decades earlier at the University of Arizona that they were practically brothers.

CYPRESS, Calif. – With unwavering confidence, Dan Ward had a fast answer when asked last weekend whether Danuska’s My Girl and Vasilika could win Breeders’ Cup races on Saturday at Santa Anita.

“Both,” he said. “One has won three in a row at Santa Anita, and the other has won 10 in a row at Santa Anita. How many horses have done that?”

Never mind that the two runners were beaten in prep races at Keeneland earlier this month. Ward is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s races.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Brendan Walsh was born and raised in Ireland and first started working for English and Irish trainers. Over there, things generally are much different for stable workers than they are here. Walsh would not only ride horses in the morning, he was responsible for all aspects of their care – cleaning stalls, feeding, grooming.

ARCADIA, Calif. – In an ideal scenario, Bandua will stalk the pace for the first mile of Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf under jockey Tyler Gaffalione before moving closer to the front.

“He’ll have his head in front and be there or thereabouts and give us some excitement,” trainer Jack Sisterson said on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Royal Dornoch, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Win and You’re In qualifier to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, won’t be making the trip from Ireland to Santa Anita, Breeders’ Cup racing officials said Sunday.

Royal Dornoch won the Royal Lodge Stakes to qualify for a slot in the Juvenile Turf but won’t be taking it, though he was among the pre-entered horses in the race last week.

:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2019: See DRF’s special section with top contenders, odds, comments, and more

ARCADIA, Calif. – A large portion of the overseas Breeders’ Cup contingent arrived early Sunday at Santa Anita following a long trans-Atlantic and trans-continental flight. The Sunday arrivals included horses from France, England, and Ireland and after clearing quarantine that set of horses will be permitted to train Tuesday morning.

The shipment of Aidan O’Brien-trained horses, coming on a private charter from Ireland, arrives Monday night and will clear quarantine in time to train Thursday, standard timing for O’Brien international shippers.

Santa Anita Park
Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019
Weather: Clear
Track: Fast
Temp: 60

Arcadia, Calif. – A contrast in styles between a pair of Hall of Fame trainers highlighted Sunday’s Breeders’ Cup training action at sunny Santa Anita, where weather conditions remained ideal and the racetrack fast but still somewhat on the dullish side.