**For video of Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational winner Haynesfield in his stall Sunday morning, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPpU80AKyU8 **
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Contact: NYRA Press Office
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- Haynesfield in fine shape after Jockey Club Gold Cup victory; Stall undeterred by Blame's runner-up effort
- 1-2-3 finishers from Joe Hirsch Turf Classic exit race in good order
- Girolamo gets coveted Grade 1 victory for Godolphin
- Life At Ten "very good" after Beldame win, Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic next; Persistently fine after third-place finish
- Beldame runner-up Unrivaled Belle to Ladies' Classic; plans undetermined for Mott's other Super Saturday starters
- Attfield delighted with Ave's gutsy Flower Bowl win, ponders Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf
- Hopefuls tune up for next weekend's stakes
"It's taken lots of time," Sheets said of Haynesfield's steady progression to his first Grade 1 win. "It's nice to have an owner like Mr. Weinstein [of Turtle Bird Stable] who's not in a rush and gives them time to develop."
Reached by phone Saturday evening after the race, Asmussen said that a run in the Breeders' Cup Classic on November 6 at Churchill Downs was "absolutely under consideration," but that no decision would be made until the colt's connections had a chance to assess how he emerged from the race.
Blame, runner-up and beaten favorite in the Gold Cup, will fly back to Kentucky tomorrow and remains on target for the Breeders' Cup Classic, trainer Al Stall, Jr. said Sunday morning.
"We're disappointed that we didn't win, but he's still on track for the Breeders' Cup," said Stall, who added that the 4-year-old son of Arch will train at Keeneland in the lead up to the Classic. "We're going to keep doing what we had been doing with him. He didn't run his 'A' race, but we believe having him compete on his home track will help."
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Christophe Clement, trainer of Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational winner
"Everyone looks great," said Clement, who noted after Saturday's race that the November 6 Breeders' Cup Turf would have to be taken into consideration for Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone's
The 3-year-old Paddy O'Prado, who ran second in the Turf Classic, his first effort against older horses, also appeared well on Sunday.
"I'm blaming his loss on the fact that Al [Stall] and I showed up a day late and both ran second," joked trainer Dale Romans of the travel delays both Paddy O'Prado and Blame experienced due to stormy weather in the Northeast on Thursday and Friday. "Really, I was pleased. I thought he ran very well and answered a lot of questions. I think a lot of the naysayers will have to give him a little more respect now."
Romans said he would discuss plans with Jerry Crawford of Donegal Racing and that it was likely that Paddy O'Prado would advance to the Breeders' Cup Turf.
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Girolamo entered yesterday's race having won last year's Grade 2 Jerome Handicap, but owner Godolphin Stable was eager to further bolster his resume before the well-bred 4-year-old by A.P. Indy out of the Mr. Prospector mare Get Lucky is retired to stud.
"We wanted to enhance his value," said Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. "That's why we left him in training this year."
With Girolamo exiting the Vosburgh in good shape, Godolphin will now point the colt to the Breeders' Cup Sprint on November 6 at Churchill Downs.
"He'll go in the six-furlong race,' said Mettee. "We have multiple horses who could go in the Dirt Mile, so we're likely to send him to the Sprint."
Girolamo's victory in Vosburgh was the first North American Grade 1 success in 2010 for Godolphin, which hours later added a second Grade 1 score when Hibaayeb captured the Yellow Ribbon at Oak Tree.
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Life At Ten, who with her victory in Saturday's Grade 1 Beldame Invitational has taken seven of her last eight starts, emerged healthy, happy and hungry following her two-length win over Unrivaled Belle, trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday morning.
Plans call for the 5-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon to make her next start in the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Churchill Downs on Friday, November 5. Owned by Candy DeBartolo, Life At Ten is not Breeders' Cup-nominated and would have to be supplemented for $160,000 – not a big issue as the mare has earned $999,000 this year.
"We had talked about running in the Breeders' Cup a while ago, and it was decided that she had earned much more than the supplemental fee this year and deserved a chance," said Pletcher of Life At Ten, who in addition to the Beldame counts the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps and the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap among her 2010 victories. "The owner was more than willing to put up the fee."
Third-place finisher Persistently, who entered the Beldame off an upset victory in the Grade 1 Personal Ensign, exited the race in good shape, according to her Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey.
In the Personal Ensign, Persistently rallied to defeat pacesetters Rachel Alexandra and Life At Ten, but was unable to make up adequate ground in the Beldame, which featured a softer pace.
"I thought she ran fine," said McGaughey of Persistently's effort in the Beldame. "The race didn't develop exactly the way we were hoping for."
Where the Phipps Stable homebred will make her next start will be decided at a later date.
"It's up in the air," said McGaughey. "We'll think about it later."
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Among Bill Mott's four horses to have competed in yesterday's Grade 1 stakes at Belmont, only one, Unrivaled Belle, has been confirmed for the Breeders' Cup.
Second in yesterday's Beldame, Unrivaled Belle remains on target for the Ladies' Classic.
"She's good," said Mott. "She's lying down, but she ran hard."
Mott added that Changing Skies, second in the Flower Bowl, and Treat Gently, fourth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic against males, were also doing well, but that plans remain undetermined for both turf mares.
The Hall of Fame conditioner expressed disappointment over Snapshot's last-of-nine performance in the Vosburgh.
"He didn't run much yesterday," said Mott. "We don't have any plans for him."
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Trainer Roger Attfield said this morning that Ave exited her dramatic victory in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational over Changing Skies and Red Desire in fine form and that the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf is under consideration for the Great Britain-bred filly.
"I really have not talked with the owners [Three Chimneys Racing and Trevor Harris] other than a quick text to say 'well done'," Attfield said by telephone from
The 4-year-old daughter of Danehill Dancer is not Breeders' Cup-nominated and like Life At Ten would have to be supplemented for $160,000. Ave earned $300,000 for her Flower Bowl victory, which was her first North American win after four close finishes and a very rough trip as the favorite in the Grade 1 Beverly D.
"I was so upset at what happed in the Beverly D.," said Attfield. "I was very proud of her race yesterday, and it was a thrilling finish. I think most of us were not 100 percent sure that our horses would handle the yielding turf, but she did very well."
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Taking advantage of a crisp fall morning, nearly 500 horses turned in official timed workouts at
Trainer Todd Pletcher sent out the likely favorite for the one-mile
Pletcher said that both Repole Stable colts will be entered in the
Pletcher also had all four of his Frizette hopefuls working, with R Heat Lightning going a half-mile over the training track in 50.06 and Valiant Passion going five furlongs in 1:02.98, also over the training track. At
Working on the main track in preparation for the 1 1/8 mile Jamaica were Leon Blusiewicz's Admiral Alex, who breezed five furlongs in 59.14; Krypton, who went the same distance in 1:00.06 for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and Citrus Kid, who worked a half-mile in 49.72 for trainer John Terranova. At
Other notable works included Quality Road (5f, 1:01.33, training track); Malibu Prayer (5f, 1:00.98, training track); Devil May Care (4f, 49.23, training track); Bribon (4f, 50.03, training track); Vineyard Haven (4f, 49.45); Gayego (4f, 48,97), and Giant Moon (4f, 49.26).
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