Sun, 10/30/2011 - 17:21

Breeders' Cup: Sidney's Candy learning to relax for Mile

Barbara D. Livingston
Sidney's Candy appears to be over his problems with a quarter crack, working four furlongs in 49.82 seconds Sunday at Churchill Downs.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The quarter crack Sidney’s Candy had coming out of his third-place finish in the Oct. 8 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland has been brought under control, and after working a half-mile in 49.82 seconds in company with the 2-year-old Finale on Sunday morning, Sidney’s Candy is on track to start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Saturday.

Sidney’s Candy, trained by Todd Pletcher for WinStar Farm, was cross-entered in the Dirt Mile as his second preference, but will stick to turf racing this weekend.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 17:01

Woodbine: Atlantic Hurricane strengthens Sovereign credentials by taking Ontario Fashion

Michael Burns
Atlantic Hurricane puts herself in position for for the Sovereign Award as Canadian champion female sprinter by winning Sunday's Ontario Fashion.

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Atlantic Hurricane  wore down the 16-1 shipper Waccamaw in deep stretch to capture the $151,500 Ontario Fashion Stakes at Woodbine on Sunday.

Waccamaw set fractions of 22.44 and 45.01 seconds in the six-furlong  sprint, while being tracked by Atlantic Hurricane, who’s normally on the early lead. Waccamaw began to weaken inside the sixteenth pole, where her rider dropped his whip, and Atlantic Hurricane ($8) went on to prevail by a half-length, in a time of 1:09.23.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 16:45

Los Alamitos: Favorite Cartel gets up by neck in Challenge Championship

LOS ALAMITOS, Calif.- Favorite Cartel won the biggest race of his career in Saturday’s $353,500 Bank of America Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos in what was likely his second-to-last start.

Earlier on Saturday, a deal was finalized that will result in Favorite Cartel going to stud at Burns Ranch in Southern California in 2012. With the win on Saturday, Favorite Cartel earned an automatic berth to the $750,000 Champion of Champions on Dec. 10, likely his final start.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 16:12

Breeders' Cup: Stacelita will merely gallop up to Filly and Mare Turf

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Stacelita, the likely favorite in $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, had an easy first morning at Churchill on Sunday after shipping in Saturday from New York, going through moderate exercise on the main track. And that will be Stacelita’s routine through her start here Friday. Trainer Chad Brown said Stacelita won’t visit the Churchill grass course until she races on it, and that she will only gallop into the race. Stacelita’s last work came Thursday at Belmont, when she went five furlongs in 1:02.96.  

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 14:51

Breeders' Cup: Caleb's Posse bound for Dirt Mile

Coady Photography/Keeneland
Caleb’s Posse works six furlongs in 1:13.20 on Polytrack at Keeneland on Saturday.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -  While a great deal of the focus of Sunday morning’s activity at Churchill Downs centered around Uncle Mo, the last horse to beat last year’s 2-year-old champion continues to fly under the radar.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 14:07

Breeders' Cup: Euroears, Plum Pretty fire bullets for Baffert at Santa Anita

Lynn Roberts
Euroears, winning the Thanksgiving Handicap, will skip Saturday's Bonapaw in favor of the Mr. Prospector.

Led by bullet workouts from the Grade 1 winners Euroears and Plum Pretty, trainer Bob Baffert worked four of his Breeders’ Cup hopefuls at Santa Anita on Sunday.

Euroears, bound for Saturday’s BC Sprint, zipped five furlongs in 57.80 seconds. Plum Pretty, a leading candidate for Friday’s BC Ladies’ Classic, had the fastest of 20 works over six furlongs, 1:11.60.

Earlier in the morning, Secret Circle, a starter in Friday’s BC Juvenile Sprint, worked five furlongs in 58.40 seconds. Game On Dude, a top contender for Saturday’s BC Classic, breezed six furlongs in 1:12.20.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 13:08

Breeders' Cup: Grace Hall in peak shape approaching Juvenile Fillies

HoofprintsInc.com
Grace Hall will be heading to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies after winning her two-turn debut in the Blue Hen.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -  Shortly after Grace Hall won the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga in early September, trainer Tony Dutrow was already looking forward to the filly’s 3-year-old season. He seemed indifferent about running in the Breeders’ Cup.

In the eight weeks that have passed, Dutrow’s attitude has changed and now he is very much looking forward to running Grace Hall in Friday’s $1 million Juvenile Fillies at Churchill Downs.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 12:44

Breeders' Cup: Pletcher pleased by Uncle Mo's final work before Classic

Barbara D. Livingston
Uncle Mo breezes five furlongs in 1:01.18 Sunday under John Velazquez.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Led by Uncle Mo and Stay Thirsty, Todd Pletcher’s candidates for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, four Classic runners had their final works at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning, and two more worked elsewhere, as final preparations were made for Saturday’s $5 million race here.

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 11:29

Breeders' Cup Clocker: Flat Out, Royal Delta outshine Uncle Mo

Barbara D. Livingston
Flat Out, one of the prime contenders for the BC Classic, looked good Sunday morning, working a half-mile in 46.50 seconds.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -   Sunday morning at Churchill Downs was pretty much a carbon copy of Saturday with the temperature barely breaking the freezing mark but the action on the racetrack red hot as more and more Breeders’ Cup contenders put in their final works prior to the big event, which is now less than a week away.

The main track was fast and appeared slightly faster  for the opening session , which began at 6 a.m.,  then after the renovation break. The turf course was again listed as firm and definitely had less give to it than the previous morning.[bc_video_id:237369:]

Sun, 10/30/2011 - 11:21

Breeders' Cup: Excaper tunes up on Polytrack for Juvenile Turf

Excaper worked five furlongs in 1:00.20 over Woodbine's Polytrack surface on  Sunday morning in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Regular rider Emma-Jayne Wilson was aboard for the drill, in which Excaper was clocked in 35.60 seconds for his first three furlongs and galloped out six furlongs in 1:12.80.

 “He went off nice and relaxed, and finished up good and strong," said Ian Black, who trains Excaper for Richard Kaster and Frederick Wieting.