Point of Entry, the 3-1 Breeders’ Cup Turf morning-line favorite, took his
first tour of Santa Anita on Tuesday morning, galloping a mile over the main
track. The four-year-old colt arrived from New York on Monday.
“He was really good, very relaxed, but in the bridle taking everything in,”
said Jennifer Patterson, exercise rider and an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer
Shug McGaughey, who is scheduled to fly from New York to Southern California on
Wednesday. “I couldn’t be happier with how he’s been since he got here.”
The four-year-old will bring a five-race win streak into the 1 1/2-mile Turf,
recording Grade 1 scores in the Man ‘o War, Sword Dancer Invitational and Joe
Hirsch Turf Classic in the last three.
“He’s always been a big, powerful horse, but he’s really matured this summer.
Every time he runs he gets stronger. He’s really grown up mentally,” Patterson
said. “He’s been a bit of a late bloomer. We knew that was going to happen,
anyway, but between mentally and physically, everything has come together.”
Mile favorite Wise Dan, who had his travel plans delayed a day due to the
storm on the East Coast, jogged one turn and galloped a turn and a half on the
Keeneland training track Tuesday before his scheduled departure on Wednesday.
“He is going to tack-walk in the morning and is being picked up at 8 (a.m.
[EDT]) to leave,” said Amy Lopresti, wife of trainer Charles Lopresti who caught
an early morning flight out of Lexington for Southern California. “It was a
little breezy and cool here this morning and we got everything done before a
little rain started.”
John Velazquez, fifth all time in Breeders’ Cup victories with 11, has the
mount on Wise Dan, the 9-5 choice on the Mile morning line. The five-year-old
gelding will attempt to win his fourth straight on Saturday, posting easy Grade
1 victories in the Woodbine Mile and Shadwell Turf Mile in his last two outings.
Team Valor International’s Animal Kingdom, who will return from a nine-month
hiatus in the Mile, galloped 1 1/2 miles over Santa Anita’s main track Tuesday
morning before walking through the paddock on the way back to Barn 4. Exercise
rider David Nava was aboard the morning exercise for the 2011 Kentucky Derby
winner, who is slated to make his first start since February in the $2 million
Breeders’ Cup Mile.
“He handled everything well,” said Alice Clapham, assistant to trainer Graham
Motion. “He knows he’s going to run. He’s pretty happy with himself.”
Motion, who is scheduled to fly to Southern California Wednesday morning,
waited out Hurricane Sandy at Fair Hill Training Center.
“We really dodged a bullet. We missed the brunt of it,” Motion said by phone
from the Northern Maryland training center.
Animal Kingdom’s long layoff was caused by an injury to his pelvis discovered
following an allowance turf win at Gulfstream Park on February 18. It shouldn’t
come as a surprise that the son of Leroidesanimaux will make his return in the
Mile.
“To be honest, it was something I thought about even before I started him
back training this summer. It was something that I thought was within his
grasp,” Motion said. “Of course, everything had to go perfectly to get there,
but it wasn’t like it was a last-minute decision.”
Trainer Dale Romans watched his Turf hopefuls, Dullahan and Little Mike,
gallop over the main track Tuesday.
Dullahan, with trainer Dale Romans’ significant other Tammy Fox aboard, went
to the track following the 8:30 (PDT) renovation, stood in the gate and then
galloped 1 1/2 miles. Little Mike followed a similar routine in the last set
before the break.
“I couldn’t be happier with both of them,” Romans said.
The last time Santa Anita hosted the Breeders’ Cup, Romans won his first
Breeders’ Cup race when Tapitsfly pulled a mild upset in the Juvenile Fillies
Turf. Despite that win, Romans felt like the West Coast horses had a distinct
advantage that Breeders’ Cup and decided to send his horses from Kentucky to
California nearly three weeks ago. That decision looks like a good one in light
of the weather that has delayed one Kentucky flight until Wednesday.
“I don’t know if it will give us an advantage, but I wanted to take shipping
out of the equation,” Romans said. “I felt like the West Coast horses had an
edge last time and I wanted to give our horses plenty of time.”
Trailblazer, who will represent Japan’s hopes in the Turf, worked five
furlongs Tuesday in a bullet 1:00 1/5 on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track. Jockey
Yutaka Take was up for the move, which was accomplished in thick fog. It was the
fastest of 40 horses clocked at that distance.
“It was a nice work, according to plan,” trainer Yasutoshi Ikee said through
interpreter Mikki Tsuge.
Trailblazer worked in tandem with a maiden from the Gary Mandella barn, whom
he passed on the turn and drew off from in the stretch.
Several Japanese journalists and photographers followed the Japanese-bred
horse, who has won six of 21 starts and prepped for the Turf with a second-place
finish in the recent Grade 2 Arroyo Seco Mile at Santa Anita October 6, the
five-year-old’s U.S. debut.
Ikee explained that he was persuaded to test the Breeders’ Cup after a visit
to Japan in June by Craig Fravel, president and CEO of Breeders’ Cup Ltd., and
that he stabled at Betfair Hollywood Park — arriving on September 14 — because
of familiarity with the facility.
“I worked for Neil Drysdale here twice for six months each, 16 years ago and
again 10 years ago,” said Ikee, 43, who went on his own nine years ago and
currently trains 60 horses in Japan.
“He’s acclimated well,” Ikee said. “He acts a bit immature on the grounds but
once on the track, he’s all business.”
Trailblazer is scheduled to be shipped to the quarantine barn at Santa Anita
early Wednesday morning and will return to Japan after the Breeders’
Cup. Japanese owner Koji Maeda is scheduled to arrive Wednesday.
Aron Wellman, president of Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, was on hand Tuesday
morning to watch his talented and versatile three-year-old filly In Lingerie
gallop over the main track at Santa Anita as she prepared for her first try on
grass in Friday’s Filly & Mare Turf. Wellman and his partners opted for the
Filly & Mare Turf over the Ladies’ Classic.
“Any way you slice it, it was going to be tough,” said Wellman, a Southern
California native who branched out onto his own syndicate after spending several
years with Team Valor International. “We looked at the two options and thought
that the turf was probably the lesser of two evils.”
The well-bred daughter of Empire Maker hasn’t been off the board in seven
career starts with four wins, including the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on dirt at
Pimlico. Her last start was a victory over older females in the Spinster on
Keeneland’s Polytrack.
“With the affinity she’s shown for the synthetic (three-for-three) we’re
hoping it transfers over to the turf,” said Wellman, who was in the Team Valor
partnership that included 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom. “She’s
worked twice well here over the turf in the last two weeks, which sort of
convinced us it was the right opportunity.”
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