Jersey Town, last year’s Grade 1 Cigar Mile winner, worked five furlongs in 1:01.74 on Friday morning over the Belmont main track. He shaded 24 seconds in his final quarter, according to Robin Smullen, assistant to trainer Barclay Tagg.
“It was a nice overall work,” Smullen said. “The track was heavy. He’s fit now, we’re just looking for maintenance works right now. We shouldn’t need another speedy work.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – A change of venue may help Belle of the Hall change the result when she meets Kid Kate for the third straight time in Sunday’s $60,000 Miss Golden Circle Stakes at Belmont Park.
At Saratoga, Kid Kate twice defeated Belle of the Hall, first by 1 1/4 lengths in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes on Aug. 1 and then by two lengths in the Lady Tak Stakes on Aug. 31. Kid Kate ran her Saratoga record to 4 for 4.
At Belmont Park, Kid Kate is 1 for 5, while Belle of the Hall is 2 for 2, including a victory in a race similar to this, the Catinca Stakes, last Oct. 27.
Though trainer Chad Brown hasn’t completely ruled out the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic for his undefeated champion Awesome Feather, he is more likely to wait for the Grade 1 Gazelle at Aqueduct on Nov. 26 to run the 3-year-old filly.
Awesome Feather returned from a lengthy layoff to win a seven-furlong overnight stakes race here Oct. 5 by two lengths. Brown said trying to run in the Ladies’ Classic at 1 1/8 miles off one race might be “a tall task.”
Brilliant Speed, runner-up to Western Aristocrat in the Grade 1 Jamaica here Oct. 8, is being pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Turf, trainer Tom Albertrani said Friday.
Brilliant Speed, a 3-year-old son of Dynaformer, won the Grade 3 Saranac on turf and the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes over Keeneland’s Polytrack earlier this year.
In the Jamaica, he chased the front-running Western Aristocrat all the way around the track, finishing a length behind that European invader while finishing three-quarters of a length in front of Wilkinson.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Mucho Macho Man, one of just three horses to have competed in all three Triple Crown races this year, is nearing a return to the races.
On Friday, Mucho Macho Man worked six furlongs in 1:11.40 over the Belmont Park training track. Working out of the starting gate, Mucho Macho Man was timed in fractions 22.87 seconds, 45.82, and 57.47 by New York Racing Association clockers. His work was timed from the 5 1/2-furlong pole to a half-furlong past the wire.
Trainer Phil Sims was elated to see Don’t Tell Sophia live up to her 8-5 favoritism by winning a first-level allowance Thursday. Sims, 50, intends to race the 3-year-old Congaree filly next in the Nov. 12 Mrs. Revere at Churchill Downs or the Nov. 26 Pago Hop at Fair Grounds after she rallied from well back to win going away under leading jockey Julien Leparoux.
Don’t Tell Sophia “had the worst trip in the world in her last race,” said Sims, referring to a 13th-place finish in the Sept. 17 Pucker Up on the Arlington turf. “It was great to see her show her true colors.”
Friday at Hollywood Park, Mr. Commons and Harmonious had their next-to-last works for their respective Breeders’ Cup races. Both are trained by John Shirreffs, who guided Zenyatta through her sensational career.
Although both are pointing for grass races, they worked on the synthetic Cushion Track surface at Hollywood, where Shirreffs is based. Mr. Commons worked five furlongs in 59.60 seconds, the third-best time of 35 at the distance, while Harmonious went seven furlongs in 1:25.20, the best time of four at the distance.
