ARCADIA, Calif. – Chriselliam was reported to have come out of her 2 1/2-length victory in Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in good order and will soon head back to England to prepare for the spring classics.
The early season target for Chriselliam is the 1000 Guineas, conducted at one mile and held at Newmarket in May. Chriselliam won the Shadwell Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in September, which prompted her connections to come here.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Goldencents, the dominant winner of the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Friday at Santa Anita, could make his next start in the Grade 1 Malibu on Dec. 26 at Santa Anita, trainer Doug O’Neill said Saturday morning.
Goldencents, ridden by Rafael Bejarano, seized the lead from his outside post early in the first turn of the Dirt Mile before opening a huge lead in the upper stretch and coasting to a 2 3/4-length triumph over late-running Golden Ticket. Goldencents earned a 105 Beyer Speed Figure.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Caracortado was scratched early Saturday from the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita because of a sore front foot.
Trainer Mike Machowsky said Caracortado was still not 100 percent because of a small abscess just above a front hoof. Machowsky said the 6-year-old gelding “popped a gravel on his coronet band” earlier in the week and he had reason to believe it would be healed by race day, but it was not to be.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The 50-cent pick five on Breeders’ Cup Saturday at Santa Anita will begin with a carryover of $891,813.
A string of consecutive longshots Friday clinched the carryover. The winners of Friday’s pick five races were Pure Loyalty ($10.80), Heir of Storm ($77.60), Better Bet ($96), Swiss Lake Yodeler ($18), and Rookie Sensation ($18.20).
It is hard to gauge what the pool of new money will be on Saturday’s high-profile program, but it is likely to exceed $3 million.
Saturday’s pick five covers the first five races on a 12-race program.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer John Sadler will start the Betfair Hollywood Park autumn meeting Thursday with a strong group of 2-year-old males.
Next Sunday, Sadler plans to start Kobe’s Back in the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs. Owned by Lee and Susan Searing, Kobe’s Back has made one start, winning the Willard Proctor Memorial Stakes at 5 1/2 furlongs in June. He was sidelined in the summer because of soreness in a knee.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Taptowne, who would have given trainer Tim Glyshaw his first Breeders’ Cup starter, was ordered scratched by the state veterinarian’s office at Santa Anita early Friday from the BC Dirt Mile because of a bruised foot.
Owned by a four-partner group that runs under the stable name of Clovertowne Farm, Taptowne was 15-1 on the morning line after drawing post 1 for the Dirt Mile. The gray 5-year-old gelding, an earner of more than $550,000 from 28 starts, has ample speed and was expected to be part of the pace in the race.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Friday afternoon's Woodbine Thoroughbred card has been scrapped due to high winds and strong wind gusts.
“The wind gusts have compromised our ability to safely run today’s card,” said Steve Koch, Woodbine’s vice president of Thoroughbred racing.
Racing will resume Saturday with an excellent 11-race card, beginning at 12:50 p.m. Simulcast wagering is still available today.
Dance Card and Summer Applause, two of the challengers to Groupie Doll in the seven-furlong Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, have raced primarily in longer races, and their presence represents an angle frequently favored by handicappers: route horses going short.
Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he hopes Dance Card breaks more alertly than in her return from a 10-month layoff in the Sept. 21 Gallant Bloom at Belmont Park, where she finished third.
Trainer Steve Asmussen said Thursday that he plans to have a stable at Santa Anita this winter for the fourth consecutive season.
Asmussen said the number of runners and which horses will be sent will be determined in the coming weeks. He said he would send horses to California “if I think it’s the best thing for them.”
Marketing Mix, who starts in Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita, will be retired at the end of this year, but a successful race Saturday could lead to another start in December.
Craig Bernick, president of Glen Hill Farm, said Thursday that the $250,000 Hollywood Turf Cup at Betfair Hollywood Park over 1 1/2 miles on turf Dec. 14 or two turf races in Hong Kong on Dec. 8 – the $2.8 million Hong Kong Cup over 1 1/4 miles or the $1.9 million Hong Kong Vase over 1 1/2 miles – are being considered for Marketing Mix.
