Trainer
Todd Pletcher inspected his Breeders’ Cup brigade early Sunday morning, and then left the barn. His
assistant trainer reported that all of the stable’s runners came
back in good order from their Saturday runs and would remain at Monmouth Park for a day or two before heading to new
destinations.
Pletcher’s only winner on Saturday was ENGLISH CHANNEL (Smart Strike), who won the
Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) by seven lengths and will now be heading off to stud
duties at a farm to be announced on Tuesday.
“We have a deal worked out with a farm in Kentucky, but I promised I wouldn’t say
anything,” said
James T. Scatuorchio, owner of English Channel. “There will be some kind of press release on Tuesday.
“He is a very popular horse around here,” Scatuorchio added. “He’s been very
special to us. He was our socializer — he took us all over the world and all
over this country.”
Earlier in the
week, Pletcher said he expected the Breeders’ Cup to be the last race for
several of his horses, including the six-year-old mare HONEY RYDER (Lasting
Approval), who improved on her third in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare
Turf (G1) to be second this year.
The conditioner’s horses earned a total of $2,394,250, shooting him past four others
and landing him in fifth place among the Breeders’ Cup’s all-time money-earning
trainers with $7,911,650. In the Classic (G1), ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (Distorted
Humor) and LAWYER RON (Langfuhr) ran sixth and seventh, respectively, while
OCTAVE (Unbridled’s Song), UNBRIDLED BELLE (Broken Vow) and INDIAN VALE (A.P.
Indy) filled the third, fifth and ninth respective spots in the Distaff (G1).
ICY ATLANTIC (Stormy Atlantic) could do no better than ninth in the Breeders’
Cup Mile (G1) and THE LEOPARD (Storm Cat) began Pletcher’s Breeders’ Cup weekend
on Friday with a seventh in the inaugural Juvenile Turf.
Trainer Angel Penna Jr. reported that his two Breeders’ Cup starters were
settled nicely in their respective stalls at Belmont Park on Sunday morning. The New York-based trainer said he was proud of
SHAMDINAN (Fr) (Dr Fong) for his
performance in the Turf, in which he stalked the pace and held the runner-up
spot behind runaway winner English Channel.
“He’s a good horse who’s really coming around,” Penna said. “The older he gets, the
better he’ll be. I was happy with his race. He got beat by a very good horse. He’s a resilient horse with everything he’s been through the last
couple months.”
Shamdinan, who will remain in training for a 2008
campaign, was shipped from Europe in August for a victory in the Secretariat
S. (G1) at Arlington, followed by fifths in the Man o’ War S. (G1) and Jamaica H.
(G2), both at Belmont.
Penna’s other Breeders’ Cup contender, REMARKABLE NEWS (Ven) (Chayim), experienced a wide trip from post
13 in the Mile,
faltering late after entering contention on the turn into the homestretch and
crossing under the line in seventh.
“I’m happy that he came out of the race fine, but I’m sorry that he
couldn’t show the kind of horse he is,” Penna said. “He just couldn’t get hold of the track.”
Remarkable News, who was supplemented to the Mile for a $300,000
fee, will be retired and begin his stallion career next year.
Defending Turf champion RED ROCKS (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) finished a good third in
Saturday’s edition and remains in training for trainer Brian Meehan. The
four-year-old colt, who is under serious consideration for the Japan Cup
(Jpn-G1) on November 25, was booked on the 11 p.m. (EDT) FedEx flight to London.
Joining Red Rocks on that flight will be much of the European Breeders’ Cup
contingent. Plans call for JEREMY (Danehill Dancer), a disappointing 10th in the
Mile, to begin a new career as a stallion at the Irish National Stud. SIMPLY PERFECT
(GB) (Danehill), who was pulled up in the Filly & Mare Turf, is supposed to
race again for trainer Jeremy Noseda, while his STRIKE THE DEAL (Van Nistelrooy),
fourth in the Juvenile Turf, will be sold at Tattersalls this autumn. PASSAGE OF TIME (GB) (Dansili [GB]), just a length back in third
in the Filly & Mare Turf as the 5-2 favorite, will also be on the flight for
conditioner
Henry Cecil, as will Irish-based
Dermot Weld’s DOMESTIC FUND (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who was fifth in the
Juvenile Turf.
The only European not flying back will be TIMARWA (Ire) (Daylami [Ire]), who
was sixth in the Filly & Mare Turf. The
John Oxx trainee will be shipped to Kentucky to be bred in the spring.
BETTER TALK NOW (Talkin Man), who finished fourth in his fourth straight appearance in the
Turf, will remain in training with Graham Motion. A return to the Breeders’ Cup next year
is a distinct possibility for the 2004 winner of the championship event.
“We’ll see. I think he’s just as good as he’s ever been,” Motion
said. “That being said, if he gives us any reason to think that
he’s not, we won’t hesitate to stop with him.”
Motion also saddled REBELLION (GB) (Mozart [Ire]) for an eighth-place finish in the Mile, in which
the four-year-old bay experienced traffic throughout the race.
Turf fifth-placer DYLAN THOMAS (Ire) (Danehill), who was the heavy 4-5
favorite, will join fellow Aidan O’Brien trainees ACHILL ISLAND (Ire) (Sadler’s
Wells) (second Juvenile Turf), ALL MY LOVING (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) (fifth Filly & Mare Turf)
and EXCELLENT ART (GB) (Pivotal) (second Mile) on a KLM Airlines flight Monday
scheduled for departure at 3 a.m. from Newark International Airport bound for
Amsterdam and then on home to Ireland. The four-year-old Dylan Thomas entered the Turf off a head score in the prestigious Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
(Fr-G1).
Despite being in tight on the rail during the stretch run, Distaff winner
GINGER PUNCH (Awesome Again) emerged unscathed and was full of energy Sunday.
“She was charging the webbing this morning,” said Chad Brown,
assistant to trainer Bobby Frankel. “There are no
marks on her or anything. I thought there would be because it looked like she
hit the rail with her shoulder.”
Brown said Ginger Punch and ARGENTINA (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells), who was ninth
in the Filly & Mare Turf; were being shipped back to Belmont on Sunday and that
he did not know whether they would stay in training or be retired.
Brown, who is opening his own stable after spending five years as a
Frankel assistant, added that he didn’t know about any future plans for Mile
12th-placer SILENT NAME (Jpn) (Sunday Silence).
“He came out of the race a little banged up,” Brown said. “It’s nothing serious.
He hit himself a little bit.”
Frankel trainee PRECIOUS KITTEN (Catienus), who finished one spot in front of
Argentina in the Filly & Mare Turf, is scheduled to be flown to California Monday, where she will be prepared
for the Matriarch (G1) at Hollywood Park on November 25.
TOUGH TIZ’S SIS (Tiznow), seventh in the Distaff, flew out of New Jersey on
Sunday with stablemates INDIAN BLESSING (Indian Charlie) and MIDNIGHT LUTE (Real
Quiet). The latter two made trainer Bob Baffert the only conditioner on Saturday
to take two Breeders’ Cup events, winning the Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Sprint
(G1), respectively. Cry and Catch Me (Street Cry [Ire]), withdrawn from the
Juvenile Fillies due to a fever, stayed behind to fully recover before joining
the stable.
LEAR’S PRINCESS (Lear Fan) was sent off the lukewarm 9-2 favorite in the
Distaff, but could do no better than 10th for conditioner
Kiaran McLaughlin. The trainer did get a winner on the day in LAHUDOOD (GB)
(Singspiel [Ire]), who captured the Filly & Mare Turf by three parts of a
length in her final career race.
“They both got back to Belmont Park this morning,” McLaughlin said. “Lahudood will
go to Shadwell and be bred next year. She is officially retired. I don’t know
yet about Lear’s Princess as for what is next.”
Mile winner KIP DEVILLE (Kipling) remained at Monmouth
Park on Sunday while trainer
Richard Dutrow Jr. headed back to New York. The four-year-old gray was
supplemented to the Mile at a cost of $300,000.
COSMONAUT (Lemon Drop Kid), third in the Mile, was scheduled to leave for his
home base in Lexington Sunday afternoon along with stablemates DANZON (Royal
Academy) (10th Filly & Mare Turf), IRISH SMOKE (Smoke Glacken) (12th Juvenile
Fillies) and SLEW’S TIZNOW (Tiznow) (scratched from Juvenile [G1]). Plans for
the quartet have not been announced.
All five of the runners saddled by Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott came out of
their races without any serious problems and were shipped from Monmouth Park
around noon on Sunday. MY TYPHOON (Ire) (Giant’s Causeway), who ran last while
taking on the boys in the Mile her career finale, has been retired to Live Oak
Plantation near Ocala, Florida.
Z HUMOR (Distorted Humor), fifth in the Juvenile, and ZEE ZEE (Exchange
Rate), eighth in the Juvenile Fillies, were sent to Mott’s barn at Payson Park
in Indiantown, Florida, where they will be freshened and might even race again
this year, according to their conditioner.
PRUSSIAN (Danzig) joined his juvenile counterparts at Payson Park after a 10th in the Juvenile Turf.
FOREFATHERS (Gone West), who was scratched out of Friday’s inaugural Dirt Mile
in favor of Saturday’s Sprint, where he ran 10th and last, was shipped to
Belmont Park. Mott said Forefathers would not race again this
year.
Trainer Nick Zito was still celebrating WAR PASS’ (Cherokee Run) victory in
the Juvenile one day after the undefeated colt likely wrapped up championship
honors with the score.
“The beautiful part of it is there is no explanation needed,” Zito said. “He put
an exclamation point on that. If you don’t like that, you don’t like racing. I don’t care what you say, 1:09 is 1:09. I don’t care how fast the track is
or how wet the track is, you still have to run all the way.”
The conditioner said that War Pass was being sent to his stable at Churchill Downs
and would then go
to Florida, where he will be prepared for his three-year-old season and the Triple Crown series.
“He has to stick with us, obviously,” Zito said. “I don’t know which race yet,
but he will not run until February, that’s certain. We just have to do what’s
right and make sure everything goes good, and not over-use him in Florida and just get
him ready for what we’re supposed to get him ready for.”
Zito also saddled COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor) to a seventh in the Sprint
and WANDERIN BOY (Seeking the Gold) to a fourth-place finish in the Dirt Mile.
“Everybody came out of their race good, thank God,” Zito said. “We got a little
scare with Wanderin Boy with his right rear ankle after his race on Friday, but
he was OK on Saturday and he is OK today. We were hoping that all the horses
came back good and they did.”
Commentator will be sent back to Saratoga while
Wanderin Boy will be shipped to owner Arthur Hancock’s Stone Farm in Kentucky. Zito said
he did not know whether the the latter six-year-old will stay in training.
NASHOBA’S KEY (Silver Hawk), who suffered her first career loss when fourth
in the Filly & Mare Turf, will be flown back to her Santa Anita base on Monday,
according to trainer Carla Gaines.
“My first Breeders’ Cup
was fun until the race,” Gaines summed up her Breeders’ Cup experience,
before adding,
“She’s a pretty tough filly. She was bright this morning and ate
up her grain. We took her out and grazed her.”
California-based
Doug O’Neill was on “Cloud Nine” at his Hollywood Park training base Sunday
morning after winning the inaugural Filly & Mare Sprint Friday with MARYFIELD
(Elusive Quality) and the Select S. with Cobalt Blue (Golden Missile) on the
undercard Saturday.
“Maryfield was flown to Kentucky today for the (Fasig-Tipton Kentucky) sale
(next Sunday),” O’Neill said. “The other three come back to California
tomorrow. Cobalt Blue ran fantastic. He’s built to sprint. He’s got a good
burst. We’ll keep him sprinting.”
O’Neill said that seventh-placers OVEREXTENDED (Monarchos) (Juvenile) and
GRACE ANATOMY (Aldebaran) (Juvenile Fillies), would probably be aimed at
Hollywood Park stakes, with the former targeting the December 22 Futurity (G1) and Grace Anatomy
the December 15 Hollywood Starlet (G1).
Maryfield will be joined in the Fasig sale by fellow Filly & Mare Sprint
runner DREAM RUSH (Wild Rush), who finished fifth on Friday after recording
Grade 1 scores in the Test and Prioress.
“It was quite disappointing,” trainer Richard Violette said. “We looked
for some good things, and nothing good happened for us.”
Violette trainees HIGH FINANCE (Talk Is Money), GLOBALIZATION (Touch Gold)
and PHANTOM INCOME (Montbrook), who finished last in the Dirt Mile, Juvenile and
Juvenile Fillies, respectively, will remain in training.
“It’s still too early to tell where they’ll race next,” said Violette, who
reported that none of his starters seemed to handle the sloppy track but came
out of their respective races in good order and were back in their stalls at
Aqueduct.
Don Little, the president of Centennial
Farms, reported that his stable’s CORINTHIAN (Pulpit), winner of the inaugural running of the
Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, was happy and healthy in his stall at Belmont Park. The
four-year-old chestnut, who also scored in the Metropolitan H. (G1) and
Gulfstream Park H. (G2) this season, went out a winner and
will enter stud at Gainesway Farm next year.
Rick Mettee, assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor, said that Dirt Mile third
DISCREET CAT (Forestry) was back at Belmont and that no future plans have been
announced.
“He came out of the race OK, but he was tired,” Mettee said. “He’s been
through so much, but he still tries hard. We’re trying to figure him out. No
decision has been made for his future.”