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Sunday, October 17, 2010
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- Pletcher's Breeders' Cup hopefuls tune up at
- Godolphin trio works towards Breeders' Cup
- Eye of Taurus emerges from Athenia in excellent shape; McLaughlin mulls next start
- Buddy's Saint on target for comeback; Levine could start three on New York Showcase Day
- NYRA to offer free shuttle service between
Quality Road, Todd Pletcher's hopeful for the Breeders' Cup Classic, breezed six furlongs in 1:13.46 as he continues to build stamina in the lead up to the 1 ¼-mile race, which will be his first start following an easy victory in the Grade 1, 1 1/8-mile Woodward on September 4.
"We're running 1 ¼ miles off a little bit of a layoff, so we want to make sure we have him fit enough," said Pletcher said of the Edward P. Evans homebred. "He finished strongly and galloped out well, which is what we wanted."
Grade 1 Three Chimneys Hopeful runner-up Stay Thirsty, who will be joining fellow Repole Stable representative and Grade 1 Champagne winner Uncle Mo in the starting gate for the Juvenile, covered five furlongs in 1:00.27 in the second quickest of 28 moves over the course and distance.
"We were looking to get a good, solid five-eighths into him," said Pletcher. "He galloped out strongly, and we are pleased."
Joining
Life At Ten and Malibu Prayer, both probable starters in the Ladies' Classic, turned in separate works on Saturday, and Pletcher expressed satisfaction with their progress.
Winner of four graded stakes this year, including the Grade 1 Beldame on October 2 last time out for owner Candy DeBartolo, Life At Ten breezed four furlongs on the training track in 49.90
"That was Life At Ten's first workout since the Beldame, and she looked good," said Pletcher.
Malibu Prayer, an Edward P. Evans homebred who captured the Grade 1 Ruffian Handicap at
"I thought she worked well and galloped out strongly," said Pletcher.
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Godolphin Stable's Vineyard Haven and Gayego continued their preparations for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile this morning at
The trio, along with Sprint hopeful Girolamo, who went three furlongs Thursday morning in his first timed move since his Grade 1 Vosburgh victory, will have two more works at
"None of the races are easy, but our hopes are higher this year than last year, with the races on dirt instead of synthetic," he said. "Last year, we had a lot of horses going, but we knew we were up against it, especially with the way some of them worked out there [Santa Anita]. You could see going into it with
Vineyard Haven, who will be supplemented to the Breeders' Cup, and Gayego should appreciate both the conventional dirt and the one-turn mile, said Mettee.
"They both have a lot of speed; it should be a good race for both of them," he said. "Then you have Sara Louise going seven furlongs – her comeback race was good, not great, but she's done well since then and worked well this morning. You'd like to think Girolamo will run well in the Sprint; it's a much tougher race than he won, but at least you know it's a dirt track."
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Eye of Taurus was a happy horse Sunday morning after her victory in the Grade 3 Athenia, and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he was exploring options for the 4-year-old Aldebaran filly.
"She loves the fall, and she loves the soft turf," said McLaughlin, who trains Eye of Taurus for Harvey A. Clarke. "She won the [Grade 3] Valley View at Keeneland last fall over a yielding course, too."
Among the races under consideration is the Grade 3 Long Island Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, November 6, the final graded stakes of the year for fillies and mares on the turf in
"It's a little quick back, and it's a mile and a half," said McLaughlin. "But if the course is soft, we might have to enter."
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Buddy's Saint, winner of the Grade 2 Nashua and Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct last fall, turned in a bullet half-mile move over the main track at
Sidelined by an ankle chip in March following a troubled trip and disappointing ninth-place finish as the favorite in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park on February 20, Buddy's Saint has been working steadily since late August, first at Crupi's New Castle Farm in Ocala, Fla., and at Belmont since late September.
"All is good," said Bruce Levine, who trains the son of Saint Liam for Kingfield Stables. "We'll run him at Aqueduct, I just have to figure out where – an allowance race would be my choice."
While last year's 12-length
"He still wants to play, he's kind of got the baby in him, but he's a lot more mature breezing," said Levine. "When you turn him around, he knows it's time to breeze. He just gears up and goes. He's really into it. Last year, you'd breeze him by himself, he'd go 1:01, this year he goes much faster. He's a happy horse and a big ham. It's good to have him back."
Looking toward New York Showcase Day on Saturday, Levine said he expects to run City Broad in the seven-furlong Iroquois for fillies and mares, and could have two starters in the Sleepy Hollow, for juveniles, with Bug Juice and Bambi Bound.
Bug Juice has now won three straight and exits a 10-length runaway win in the New York Breeders' Futurity at Finger Lakes on October 2, while Bambi Bound graduated the maiden ranks at
"He's fast," Levine said of Bug Juice, who has wired the fields for a combined margin of 23 ¼ lengths in his last three starts. "I'll run Bug Juice or Bambi Bound in the Sleepy Hollow, maybe both, and City Broad in the Iroquois. That's the plan."
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Because of very limited
NYRA instead will provide free shuttle service between
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