Stevens: Bayern won't be on the lead

Last updated: 10/30/14 6:38 PM

Bayern will be stalking Moreno — according to Hall of Famer Gary Stevens
(Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com)

Bayern, a contender in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, has picked up a
major endorsement for an event that already shaped up as, to borrow a political
phrase, a real “horse race.”

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, who’ll make his riding comeback in the two-day
Championships barely three months after knee replacement surgery, has cast his
vote for Bayern, the 6-1 fourth choice on the morning line behind Shared Belief
(9-5), California Chrome (4-1) and Tonalist (5-1).

“I’m rootin’ for him,” Stevens said
Thursday morning at Clockers’ Corner. “I’m part of the team, you know. His last
three works have been unbelievable and I’ll be rootin’ for him just the same as
I would have Beholder if she were running.”

Stevens was aboard the three-year-old son of Offlee
Wild, owned by Kaleem Shah Inc. and trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, for
victories in his first two career starts in January and February at Santa Anita
and again for a 7 1/2-length victory in the Woody Stephens in June at Belmont
Park.

Martin Garcia has been aboard for Bayern’s
last three starts, among them wire-to-wire wins in the Haskell Invitational and
Pennsylvania Derby which promote the thought that Bayern might be the Classic
pacesetter. A notion with which Stevens does not agree.

“He won’t be on the lead — Moreno will,”
Stevens said. “He doesn’t have to have the lead. If I was on him I’d ride him
just like I rode Beholder (in winning the Distaff) last year.”

Stevens had Beholder in third, 1 1/2 lengths off the pace, before
advancing nearing the three-quarter marker and pulling away to a 4 1/2-length
win.

Shared Belief is looking around for the competition
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Shared Belief, the undefeated morning-line favorite for the Classic, had his
first morning on Santa Anita’s main track this week when he galloped 1 1/2 miles
under exercise rider Sal Martinez Thursday.

Owned by Jungle Racing (Jim and Janet Rome), KMN Racing (Kevin and Kim
Nish), Jason Litt, George Todaro and Alex Solis II, the Jerry Hollendorfer pupil had arrived from his home
base at Golden Gate Fields late Tuesday afternoon.

“He had a nice gallop and stood in the gate,” Hollendorfer said.
“He will go to the paddock this afternoon and he will stand in the gate again
tomorrow. The gate is something that I do with all of my horses.”

The week got off to a banner start for the Hollendorfer barn when Notorious won
Wednesday’s 8TH race and returned a fat $97.20 to win.

“I stay pretty even keel all the time,” the Hall of Fame trainer said. “People ask me if I
ever get nervous, but I’d be nervous if I didn’t have a horse in a big race.”

Hollendorfer participated in a Thursday morning press conference with rival
trainer and longtime friend Art Sherman, who sends out
California Chrome in the Classic

“California Chrome is actually training better than he did before the Santa
Anita Derby,” Sherman said after the colt galloped 1 3/4 miles with regular exercise
rider Willy Delgado. “He’s right on his game.

“He seems really happy. Of course, he loves Santa Anita. He has always
trained well here. I hope we all have a safe trip.

“He needed his last race,” the trainer added in reference to a
disappointing sixth-place finish in the Pennsylvania Derby on September 20, his
first start in three months. “He didn’t have the best trip. I think you will see
a different horse Saturday.”

Sherman repeated his relief in drawing an outside post, 13 in a
field of 14, after a series of inside draws.

Chrome says, “Let me at ’em!”
(Cecilia Gustavsson/Horsephotos.com)

“I’m sure happy with the post,” Sherman said. “I hate to make excuses, but I rode for 23 years, and there is
trouble you can get into getting crammed in there. Maybe this time I can get a
better break. I just want to be clear turning for home, and let the best horse
win.

“Jerry (Hollendorfer) and I go back 35 years, and it’s really cool
to think we could hook up at the top of the stretch,” he noted of the race
with Horse of the Year ramifications. “It’s ironic, after all these years, that
two Northern California boys could be hooking up.”

Sherman and Hollendorfer, both longtime San Francisco-area
residents and avid San Francisco Giants baseball fans, celebrated the Giants’
3-2 victory over Kansas City Wednesday night to win the World Series.

“Go, Giants!” said Sherman as he left the podium. The 77-year-old trainer was
feted at the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters 55th annual Award Dinner at
the Derby restaurant in Arcadia Wednesday night when the Giants played. Sherman
received the Mr. Fitz Award typifying the spirit of racing.

Although the Christophe Clement-trained Tonalist may have defeated
older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup when competing outside of his age group
for the first time, he isn’t one of those sophomores who have caught up to their
elders at this time of the year in terms of maturity.

“He’s still learning. I would say there is much more to come,” said Christophe
Lorieul, the assistant to Clement, of the son of Tapit. “He’s still a big
baby. I just hope he never realizes how big he is. He’s right above 17 hands so
he’s a big horse. He’s got a real personality and is really a lot of fun to be
around.”

Yet another of the Classic’s sophomores, Magalen O. Bryant’s V. E. Day, stood in the starting gate and
galloped 1 1/4 miles Thursday morning at Santa Anita.

The New York-based winner of the Travers Stakes is scheduled to be ridden for
the first time by Southern California-based Joe Talamo, whom trainer Jimmy Jerkens thinks will suit his colt’s late-running style.

“His name just popped into my head. I just thought he’d fit him for some
reason,” Jerkens said. “Not that I follow California racing that close either.
He just struck me as a guy who wouldn’t worry about it too much if he was far
out of it. I think he blends into his way of going. I also like a jock with a
good left hand. He has that. I think it’s a big thing in the stretch.”

The 17-hand Tonalist covers a lot of ground
(Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Two of the older horses who have caught the eye are Cigar Street and Prayer
for Relief.

Jake Ballis and Rashard Lewis’ Cigar Street has turned heads
this week with his morning gallops. The five-year-old son of Street Sense out of a half-sister
to Cigar is making his third start off a 17-month layoff for Lewis, a longtime
NBA player, and his longtime friend Ballis.

“He looks great and he’s doing fine,” Hall of Fame trainer Bill
Mott said. “It looks like he’s moving very well over the track. I was very pleased
with him.”

Mott smiled when it was mentioned that Cigar Street was attracting attention
in a race in which much of the buzz has been about the three-year-old standouts.

“They’ve looked at him,” he said, chuckling. “They saw him. He’s a
big, good-looking horse.”

One of Cigar Street’s assets is his speed. He and Hall of Fame jockey John
Velazquez will leave from post 2 in the field of 14 and Mott said they ought to
be effective from that inside position.

“I’ve got a good rider on him and he’s got to ride him from whatever
post,” Mott said. “There is some speed in there. I don’t think he’ll be
challenging anybody for the lead. It looks like Bayern and Moreno have that real
early zip.”

The prospect of a sharp early pace in which others are doing the
work is fine with Mott.

“That would be good. I don’t see a problem with that,” Mott said.
“You’d almost like to see the field string out a little bit. Sometimes everybody
gets a little better shot when that happens.”

Prayer for Relief’s trainer Dale Romans knows a thing or two about pulling a
major upset in the Breeders’ Cup. In 2011, his Court Vision upset three-time
Mile winner Goldikova at a shocking 64-1. He sees some similarities between his
longshot Classic hopeful Prayer for Relief and Mile winner Court Vision.

“I feel the
same way about Prayer for Relief as I did about Court Vision,” Romans said.
“He’s also an older horse on a major uptick. When these horses build their
resumes that get them into this type of race, it causes a lot of wear and tear.
Some of them may be tailing off a little and we’re headed in the right
direction.”

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