Mon, 10/31/2016 - 12:30

Hennig and Adam team up for Nashua, Tempted

Barbara D. Livingston
Capitaine, owned by Donald Adam and trained by Mark Hennig, runs Friday at Aqueduct in the Nashua.

ELMONT, N.Y. – Mark Hennig has been on a roll with his 2-year-olds, going 4 for 15 with them at the Belmont Park fall meet, which concluded Sunday. This week at Aqueduct, he will send out his two top prospects, Capitaine in the Grade 2 Nashua on Friday and Cursor in the Grade 3 Tempted on Saturday.

Mon, 10/31/2016 - 12:00

Obviously set to join exclusive Breeders' Cup club

Joe Labozzetta/NYRA
Obviously will make his first start Saturday in the City of Hope Mile since winning the Poker Stakes in June.

ARCADIA, Calif. – He’s back in the Breeders’ Cup – obviously.

Obviously, an 8-year-old gelding, is set to become just the fifth horse to make five Breeders’ Cup starts when he races in the Turf Sprint on Saturday. And this is no vanity entry. Obviously has won only once in four starts this year, but that win was a strong one, in the Poker at Belmont, and his defeats, two seconds and a third, all were admirable performances.

Mon, 10/31/2016 - 11:26

Calgary Cat earns right to test himself in Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint

Barbara D. Livingston
Calgary Cat works at Santa Anita on Sunday in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – When trainer Kevin Attard and owners Stephen Chesney and Cory Hoffman claimed Calgary Cat for $25,000 in November 2013, they weren’t thinking they would one day get to run him in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.

Attard said the Breeders’ Cup still wasn’t in their plans at the beginning of October, but the 2014 Canadian champion sprinter made a strong statement when he won the Grade 2, $307,800 Nearctic Stakes here on Oct. 16.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 16:59

Mott arrives earlier than usual with Breeders' Cup prospects

Emily Shields
Tourist, who will be making his third Breeders’ Cup Mile start, worked a half-mile on dirt in 47.89 seconds Sunday at Santa Anita.

ARCADIA, California – Bill Mott was dead lame Sunday morning, but the two horses he worked for the Breeders’ Cup, Carina Mia and Tourist, looked much better.

Tourist, who will be making his third Breeders’ Cup Mile start, worked a half-mile on dirt in 47.89 seconds, out five furlongs in 1:00.56, according to Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Carina Mia, who figures to be among the favorites in the Filly and Mare Sprint, went the same distance in 47.91, out five furlongs in 1:00.74.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 15:49

California Chrome arrives at Santa Anita for BC Classic

Barbara D. Livingston
California Chrome, who will race in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic, arrives at Santa Anita from Del Mar on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – California Chrome on Sunday had the kind of trip traveling from Los Alamitos to Santa Anita that those closest to him hope he has in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.

“No traffic. Zipped right over,” said assistant trainer Alan Sherman, who accompanied California Chrome on the 32-mile journey late Sunday morning.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 15:18

Clocker: Baffert puts three BC entrants through works

Emily Shields
Tourist, who will race in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Mile, was the last Breeders' Cup worker of the day at Santa Anita on Sunday.

SANTA ANITA
Track:
Fast 
Weather: Cloudy 
Temp: 67

ARCADIA, Calf. - A relatively quiet Sunday at Santa Anita, where only seven potential Breeders’ Cup starters worked, all pretty much in maintenance mode with less than a week to go before the main event.

The main track was tight and fast with cloudy skies prevailing throughout the morning.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 14:01

Smith will ride Coasted in BC Juvenile Fillies Turf

Debra A. Roma
Coasted has already won twice on turf at the Miss Grillo's distance of 1 1/16 miles.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Coasted, a Labor Day weekend stakes winner at Saratoga, will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith aboard for the first time in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita on Friday.

Trainer Leah Gyarmati said the decision was finalized on Sunday. Jose Lezcano had been riding Coasted, who is by Tizway.

“I consider that to be a huge improvement,” Gyarmati said.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 13:25

Baffert says Garcia will ride Dortmund in Dirt Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Dortmund breezed five furlongs in 1:00.79 during a work at Santa Anita on Sunday.

ARCADIA, Calif. – They’re getting the band back together.

Shortly after Dortmund had his final work Sunday morning for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Friday at Santa Anita, trainer Bob Baffert said that jockey Martin Garcia – who has been working Dortmund in recent weeks – would be reunited with Dortmund in the Dirt Mile.

That is one of three mounts Baffert is giving to Garcia in the Breeders’ Cup after a thawing in the icy relationship they had had since April. Garcia will also ride Drefong in the Sprint, and Enchanting Lady in the Filly and Mare Sprint.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 12:45

Lady Eli has easy 5-furlong work in prep for BC Filly and Mare Turf

ELMONT, N.Y. - In a perfect example of how time doesn’t tell the story of a workout, Lady Eli’s five-furlong move Sunday at Belmont Park had her connections raving.

Sun, 10/30/2016 - 12:25

Gloryzapper will have 'her race of the year,' says trainer D'Amato

ARCADIA, Calif. – On paper, Gloryzapper probably wasn’t supposed to make the early lead at Santa Anita in the Oct. 9 LA Woman Stakes, a 6 1/2-furlong race that the 4-year-old filly wound up winning to stamp her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.

Gloryzapper was exiting the John Mabee, a 1 1/8-mile turf race.

“She’s a jack of all trades, I’m telling you,” said Phil D’Amato, who trains Gloryzapper for the partnership of Hebert Bloodstock, Richard Leggio, and Peter Peluso. “She’s got a lot of versatility.”