Neil Drysdale will not be sending out any participants in the 14 Breeders’
Cup races this weekend at Santa Anita, but the Hall of Fame conditioner has one
of the favorites in the Grade 2, $150,000
Twilight
Derby, the highlight of the Breeders’ Cup Friday undercard.
Kid Dreams, who Drysdale shipped to Chicago last month to win the Hawthorne
Derby in boggy conditions, was made the 3-1 morning line choice for the Twilight
Derby, a 1 1/8-mile turf prep for next month’s Hollywood Derby. Previously
fourth in a division of the Del Mar Derby, Kid Dreams handled the extremely
testing conditions at Hawthorne better than his rivals, scoring by 7 3/4 lengths
for his first stakes triumph.
Charming Kitten, a clear second in the Hawthorne Derby last time, might find
the firmer Santa Anita turf conditions more suitable. Winner of a $100,000
stakes named for his sire, Kitten’s Joy, last January at Gulfstream, the Todd
Pletcher trainee has not found the winner’s circle since, but has placed in
other notable fixtures including the Palm Beach, Blue Grass, Penn Mile, and
Virginia Derby.
Gabriel Charles and Gervinho, who ran one-two in the first Del Mar Derby
division on September 1, are both stakes winners over the Santa Anita turf.
Gabriel Charles defeated returning rival Den’s Legacy by 3 1/2 lengths a year
ago this weekend in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint Preview, while
Gervinho captured the $100,000 Zuma Beach 13 months ago prior to a fifth-place
effort in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
Also lining up for the Twilight Derby are Dice Flavor, winner of the La Jolla
Handicap two back; Dry Summer, a multiple stakes winner who adds blinkers here;
Procurement, who captured the $72,000 La Puente over the course in April; Rising
Legend, winner of an Oceanside division at Del Mar; and Rookie Sensation, who
makes his stakes debut for John Shirreffs after winning two of his first four
starts.
Del Mar Futurity winner Tamarando, who is bypassing Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup
Juvenile after finishing third in the September 28 FrontRunner, figures to be an
overwhelming favorite in Friday’s $200,000
Golden State
Juvenile, a one-mile test for California-bred or -sired colts and geldings.
His main competition figures to come from California Chrome, who landed the
$100,000 Graduation at Del Mar in late July.
Doug O’Neill’s recent maiden scorer Cal Gal was made a lukewarm 3-1 morning
line choice in the $200,000
Golden State
Juvenile Fillies over a mile. Among her nine rivals is the multiple
stakes-placed Moving Desert.
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