ARCADIA, Calif. – California Chrome was well into a routine gallop at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning when assistant trainer Alan Sherman reflected on the popular horse’s stride.
“He doesn’t have any wasted motion,” Sherman said. “His stride is so efficient.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Jockey Flavien Prat spent most of September on a small tour of North American racetracks, riding at Kentucky Downs, Woodbine, and Presque Isle Downs. Rafael Bejarano spent part of that time on vacation before returning to race riding last weekend at Parx and Remington Park.
On Friday, they will be back in familiar territory, riding at Santa Anita on opening day of the autumn meeting. There is an excellent chance that they will have each other to beat through the 23-day season, which ends Nov. 6.
This weekend is expected to result in the greatest shake-up on the list of contenders for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 5.
Flintshire, the dominant runner in New York, and Postponed, the star in Europe this year, run on Saturday and Sunday. Flintshire will be a heavy favorite in Saturday’s Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Belmont Park. Postponed will have as many as 17 rivals in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly on Sunday.
The Grade 1 Chandelier Stakes on Saturday is a course and distance prep for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, which will be held at Santa Anita in five weeks and run at 1 1/16 miles.
The Chandelier also is the third of five Win and You’re In races for the division. Sweet Loretta and Pretty City Dancer earned fees-paid berths in the Juvenile Fillies for their dead-heat win in the Spinaway at Saratoga. Daddys Lil Darling punched her ticket by winning the Pocahontas at Churchill Downs.
The second annual Fall Festival of Racing at Parx begins Saturday. Overnight purses during the festival will be increased 50 percent and average between $450,000 and $470,000 a day, according to Sam Elliott, the track’s director of racing. The festival runs through Oct. 25.
On Saturday, a third-level optional $40,000 claiming race at six furlongs has a purse of $80,000. A $5,000 claiming sprint earlier on the card has a purse of $31,000.
After both were soundly defeated by Songbird last weekend in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx, it appears that both Carina Mia and Cathryn Sophia will now be pointed to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita.
Both 3-year-olds stand to benefit not only from avoiding Songbird, a shoo-in for a divisional Eclipse Award, but also the shorter distance of the Filly and Mare Sprint. Both figure among a core of major contenders in the seven-furlong race, with a handful of remaining preps helping to determine the other favorites.
A crowded picture for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint should become significantly clearer in the coming days, as host track Santa Anita opens its fall meet with the major local prep – the Grade 3, $100,000 Eddie D Stakes, providing an important chance to get a prep over an idiosyncratic turf course.
Santa Anita’s configuration cards the Turf Sprint at 6 1/2 furlongs on the downhill turf course, and in the previous five runnings of the event on that course, four of the winners had previously won there.
OKLAHOMA CITY - Ivan Fallunovalot overcame a difficult trip to win the $150,000 David M. Vance for the third time in his career Sunday at Remington Park and was none the worse for wear Monday.
After being boxed in down the backside of the six-furlong race, Ivan Fallunovalot attempted to advance along the inside on the turn and coming into the stretch but was not able to get through for a while. He won by a length and covered six furlongs on a track rated “good” in 1:09.29. Ivan Fallunovalot earned a 94 Beyer.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Trainer Chad Brown said Sunday he most likely will run both Practical Joke, the winner of the Grade 1 Hopeful, and Favorable Outcome, a sharp debut winner at Saratoga, in the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont on Oct. 8.
Both horses are owned by Seth Klarman and William Lawrence. The two horses worked five furlongs in 1:00.91 together over the Belmont main track on Sunday.
