Breeders’ Cup runners begin trip west

Maram (inside) will try to make it two-for-two in the Breeders’ Cup (Benoit Photos) When trainer Chad Brown sent out MARAM (Sahm) in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, he was saddling his first starter on racing’s biggest day. The dark bay miss just got her nose down on the line in the one-mile test to provide Brown with the fairytale ending. That wasn’t the end of the story, though, and Brown hopes the magic shows up once again on November 6 and 7 as he leads over two more Breeders’ Cup hopefuls. On Friday, the conditioner provided updates on his two charges for this season’s Breeders’ Cup. “Maram left this morning,” Brown said of the now three-year-old filly who will take part in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1). “SILVER TIMBER (Prime Timber) is at Keeneland, and will breeze Sunday and leave Monday.” Brown, who worked as an assistant to Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel for two years in California, originally had been pointing Maram to the Ladies’ Classic (G1), but then changed his mind. “The more I thought about it, she already showed she liked the turf course at Santa Anita and from the information I was getting, it looked like it was going to be a shorter field,” said Brown, who saddled Maram to win the John Hettinger S. at Saratoga in her first start of 2009. “The distance (1 1/4 miles) is a question, but the shorter field and the fact she liked the turf course led to the decision.”

Silver Timber, whom Brown claimed from trainer Linda Rice in April for
$25,000, has won three of his four starts for new owner Michael Dubb, including
the Jaipur S. (G3) in July and most recently the Woodford S. (G3) at Keeneland
on October 10. In between, he was second by a neck to CANNONBALL (Catienus) in
the Commentator S. at Saratoga.

“After he won the Jaipur, I started thinking about the Breeders’ Cup (Turf
Sprint) a little bit,” Brown said. “I watched the other horses in the division,
and basically started working backwards from there.”

Justenuffhumor will attempt to emulate his older half-sister with a Breeders’ Cup win (Bill Roberts/Horsephotos.com) JUSTENUFFHUMOR (Distorted Humor), winner of the Fourstardave H. (G2) and Bernard Baruch H. (G2) at Saratoga for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, also departed Friday morning for his engagement in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). The bay colt had his final breeze Wednesday morning over the synthetic surface at the Greentree Training Center adjacent to Saratoga Race Course, covering six furlongs in 1:12 3/5. “He’s doing very well,” McLaughlin said. In his last start, Justenuffhumor finished sixth, beaten 7 3/4 lengths, as the favorite in the Shadwell Turf Mile (G1) over a soft course at Keeneland. “We were surprised he didn’t handle the surface at Keeneland as he’s run well on all types of surfaces,” assistant trainer Artie Magnuson said. McLaughlin has also pre-entered HATHEER (Storm Cat), a good-looking maiden winner at Saratoga on September 7 who subsequently was third in the Jessamine S. at Keeneland, in the Juvenile Fillies Turf. “She’s been training very, very well, and we are so glad she got in,” Magnuson said. “She ran well on the Polytrack, but (jockey) Alan (Garcia) thinks she likes turf better.”

In other Breeders’ Cup news:

HRTV will televise ZENYATTA’s (Street Cry [Ire]) final Breeders’ Cup workout
live from her Hollywood Park headquarters Saturday during the premiere of its
daily version of “Pursuit of the Cup” show.

“She’ll probably go out around 9 o’clock (PDT) and go six furlongs,” trainer
John Shirreffs said of the champion mare, who is unbeaten in 13 races.

Trainer Richard Dutrow said that Futurity S. (G2) and Saratoga Special S.
(G2) winner D’ FUNNYBONE (D’wildcat) will have his final work in advance of the
Juvenile (G1) on Monday and then will leave New York for California on Tuesday.

“I can’t say that I’m concerned about it,” said Dutrow of the surface switch
from dirt to Pro-Ride. “If I was concerned, I probably wouldn’t go. I’m just
hoping he likes the track and is looking for two turns. He’s in a zone. We think
if he runs his race that we are the horse to beat.”

Grade 1 winners ZENSATIONAL (Unbridled’s Song) (Sprint [G1]), LOOKIN AT LUCKY
(Smart Strike) (Juvenile) and RICHARD’S KID (Lemon Drop Kid) (Classic [G1]), as
well as Grade 1 runner-up ALWAYS A PRINCESS (Leroidesanimaux [Brz]) (Juvenile
Fillies [G1]), will have their final major workouts on Monday, according to
trainer Bob Baffert.

“As far as the Classic, it’s all about Zenyatta,” Baffert said. “Richard’s
Kid is coming into the race as good as he was at Del Mar (prior to his 24-1
upset in the Pacific Classic [G1]). He’s as ready as I can get him, and I’m
hoping for the best. We need luck.”

Trainer Ralph Beckett is hoping that MUHANNAK (Ire) (Chester House) will
return to form and provide the stable with a second renewal of the Breeders’ Cup
Marathon. Winless since his upset win in the inaugural running of that 1
1/2-mile contest 12 months ago, Richard Pegum’s five-year-old was a latest fifth
in the Cumberland Lodge S. (Eng-G3) at Ascot on September 27.

“He’s a horse that does thrive on a change of environment and we felt his run
in the Cumberland Lodge was very good,” Beckett said Friday. “Ironically, having
whinged about the change in distance of the Marathon, he now looks like he wants
all of the new trip and his work is good and he’s in good shape. He flies out
(Saturday) morning.”

Multiple Grade 1-winning sophomore SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone), pre-entered in
both the Classic and Turf (G1), galloped 1 1/2 miles on the Pro-Ride Friday and
is scheduled to work five furlongs Saturday with jockey Alonso Quinonez aboard,
trainer Tim Ice said.

Conditioner Chip Woolley Jr. said Kentucky Derby (G1) hero MINE THAT BIRD
(Birdstone) will have his final breeze Monday for the Classic, going five
furlongs under Joe Talamo.

Trainer Paddy Gallagher said Yellow Ribbon S. (G1) winner MAGICAL FANTASY
(Diesis [GB]), headed to the Filly & Mare Turf, will work five furlongs on
Santa Anita’s grass course Saturday.

Norfolk S. (G1) runner-up PULSION (Include) is scheduled to work Sunday for
the Juvenile, conditioner Patrick Biancone said.