ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Stormy Lord, with three turf stakes wins under his belt this season, looms as the horse to beat here in Sunday’s $100,000 Labeeb.
The Labeeb, an overnight stakes for 3-year-olds and up, is scheduled for one mile on turf and attracted a field of 11.
Stormy Lord, an Ontario-foaled 4-year-old gelding, won the Grade 2 Connaught Cup over seven furlongs of soft turf in his seasonal bow and later won the Ontario Jockey Club over the same distance of firm going.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Ariana D, the leading candidate for champion female sprinter honors in Canada this year, heads Sunday’s $150,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes, a six-furlong dash for fillies and mares at Woodbine.
Ariana D notched her local debut in the seven-furlong Bessarabian Stakes last November, a race that trainer Laurie Silvera also has in mind for her again this year. She commenced her current campaign by running second in two consecutive Grade 3 sprint stakes, including the six-furlong Whimsical.
Twitter updates from DRF's Mike Welsch in Kentucky for morning Breeders' Cup workouts on Friday, Oct. 28. Check back later today for Welsch's full Clocker Report and video analysis of today's training and works at Churchill Downs. Welsch has been in Lexington and Louisville since Saturday, check here for the rest of his Breeders' Cup clocker reports and a list of Breeders' Cup workouts by key contenders.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The string gets played out this week at Keeneland, where only one stakes remains during the final four-day stretch of the fall meet. Still, there are some quality races to while away the afternoons in anticipation of another Breeders’ Cup in Kentucky, including a pair of two-turn allowance races to be run Wednesday on the turf.
At Hollywood Park on Thursday, Ultra Blend completed her serious training for the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic with a five-furlong drill in 1:02.20 with her regular rider, David Flores, aboard.
“It was real nice. She galloped out in 1:15, and David said she felt good,” said Art Sherman, the trainer of Ultra Blend.
Sherman said Ultra Blend was scheduled to leave Friday morning for Kentucky. He said she was unlikely to work again at Churchill Downs before the race on Nov. 4.
Gio Ponti will make his final career start in the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs, his connections announced Thursday. Gio Ponti had been pre-entered in both the Mile and Breeders’ Cup Classic, with the Classic listed as his first preference.
“Having discussed the options with [trainer] Christophe Clement, we both feel that we should aim Gio Ponti for the Mile as eight furlongs looks to be his perfect distance given his impressive repeat victory in the Shadwell Mile at Keeneland,” said Shane Ryan, president of Castleton Lyons, Gio Ponti’s owner.
Though it was widely expected that Jackson Bend would run in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, he was pre-entered for both that race and the $1.5 million Sprint at six furlongs.
On Thursday, trainer Nick Zito said he will wait until the last minute before deciding in which race to run. Jackson Bend went 2 for 2 at six furlongs in his juvenile year of 2009.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Unzip Me was held out of a trip to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 5 in favor of Saturday’s $125,000 California Cup Distaff at Santa Anita.
The decision by the partners who own the mare and trainer Marty Jones was based on racing opportunities and the convenience of racing in Southern California. The Distaff, which is run over about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course, is an easier spot.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Twelve 2-year-old fillies, including four returning from the Alcibiades Stakes, have been entered at Churchill Downs for the $150,000 Pocahontas Stakes, the richest of the 11 Stars of Tomorrow races that open the 21-day fall meet Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – The shortest race is the best race Saturday at Santa Anita.
With a quality-packed field that includes three Grade 1 winners and another that could have won a Grade 1 with any luck, the six-furlong, $100,000 California Cup Sprint (race 8) is the deepest race on the nine-race Cal Cup card. Even without Amazombie.
