Bayern and three of the horses he defeated in Saturday’s $1 million Pennsylvania Derby – including Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner California Chrome – returned Sunday to Southern California and will most likely be pointed to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, trainer Bob Baffert said Sunday.
“I want to run him in the Classic,” Baffert said Sunday by phone from Southern California. “He has to show me leading up to it he’s holding his form.”
Untapable and Sweet Reason, the top two finishers Saturday in the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx, are bound for the Breeders’ Cup.
Untapable is being pointed to the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Oct. 31, where she will face older rivals at 1 1/8 miles. Sweet Reason’s plans are still up in the air as trainer Leah Gyarmati said Sunday morning that she and owner Jeff Treadway will discuss whether to point to the Distaff or the $1 million BC Filly and Mare Sprint at seven furlongs Nov. 1.
There aren’t many sprint races contested in New York in which the half-mile is run faster than 44 seconds. In Southern California, there are plenty.
When trainer Mike Hushion sends Artemis Agrotera to Southern California for the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, he will do so confident his filly can be effective regardless of how fast the early fractions are.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Close Hatches probably doesn’t need any help to work fast, but she got it by way of a tremendously fast surface and a workmate as Close Hatches blazed five furlongs in 57.92 seconds over Belmont Park’s main track Saturday morning at Belmont Park.
Close Hatches, the leading older female horse in training, is preparing for the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 5.
The two-time champion Beholder may be peaking at an ideal time this fall.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Beholder worked seven furlongs in 1:24.60, her final major exercise before she starts as a heavy favorite in the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares over 1 1/16 miles next Saturday.
Beholder won the Grade 1 Zenyatta Stakes in 2013 and followed with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita. The same race on Oct. 31 is the primary goal for the 4-year-old Beholder this year.
ELMONT, N.Y. - With Belmont Park’s main track playing like the Autobahn Saturday morning, Wicked Strong put in a solid, controlled six-furlong work in 1:13.17 in preparation for his engagement in next Saturday’s Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup.
Del Mar will continue to offer an incentive program to owners who ship horses from out of state for the autumn meeting, which runs from Nov. 7-30.
The Ship and Win program will have terms similar to those in place for the track’s summer meeting. Del Mar will pay $1,000 to owners who start a horse at the meet who have not run in California this year. Such horses will also be eligible for a 30 percent purse bonus in overnight races.
Horses making their first start are not eligible for the bonuses.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Fashion Plate, the winner of two Grade 1 race for 3-year-old fillies at Santa Anita earlier this year, will not race before she is offered for sale in Kentucky in November, trainer Simon Callaghan said.
Fashion Plate is nominated for the $300,000 Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita on Sept. 27, but will pass the race after finishing fifth in the Torrey Pines Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 31, her third consecutive defeat. The Zenyatta Stakes field is expected to be led by the two-time champion Beholder.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Masochistic, second in the Los Alamitos Mile on Sept. 6, could make his next start in the $200,000 Bold Ruler Stakes at Belmont Park on Oct. 25, trainer A.C. Avila said.
Friday at Santa Anita, Masochistic worked a half-mile in 44.80 seconds, the fastest of 24 works at the distance.
The Grade 3 Bold Ruler is run over seven furlongs, which Avila said has greater appeal than the $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship over six furlongs on Oct. 4.
“I want to run him seven furlongs or a mile,” Avila said.
Trainer Steve Flint has a number of quality 2-year-olds in his care, and a few of them could see stakes action soon at either Delta or Remington Park. Flint is a private trainer for Whispering Oaks Farm and operates out of the Evangeline Training Center near Lafayette, La.
