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Summer Bird turned in his first local work for the Breeders’ Cup Classic
(Benoit Photos) |
Three-time Grade 1 winner SUMMER BIRD (Birdstone), prepping for the
$5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on November 7, worked five
furlongs over the Pro-Ride at Santa Anita on Saturday in 1:02, breezing,
under jockey Alonso Quinonez.
“I got him in 1:01.96 and he finished the last eighth of a mile in
eleven and one, so we got out of it what we wanted,” trainer Tim Ice
said. “We’ll see how he comes back. It looked to me like he handled it
fine. He started off a little slow and then picked it up down the lane,
which is what we wanted.”
After scoring in his initial stakes win in the Belmont S. (G1),
Summer Bird ran second to Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) in the
Haskell Invitational (G1) and won the Travers S. (G1) and Jockey Club
Gold Cup (G1).
Ice plans to work Summer Bird on October 25 with regular rider Kent
Desormeaux flying in from Kentucky for the assignment.
“Kent will be in to work him, and we’ll try to see if we can’t get a
work set up in between the races,” Ice said.
Summer Bird has a record of 8-4-1-1 with earnings of $2,023,040 for
owners Kalarikkal and Vilasini Jayaraman.
Meanwhile, undefeated champion mare ZENYATTA (Street Cry [Ire])
galloped Saturday at her Hollywood Park headquarters, but trainer John
Shirreffs had no word on whether she would defend her crown in the $2
million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (G1) on November 6 or face males
for the first time in the Classic.
“We’re in no hurry,” he said.
Richard Mandella remains undecided on the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1)
or Dirt Mile (G1) for the 2008 Robert B. Lewis S. (G2) winner CROWN OF
THORNS (Repent), who was second to Gayego (Gilded Time) in the Ancient
Title S. (G1) on October 11.
“It depends on who runs in each race and how tough they are,” said
the Hall of Fame trainer, who made history by saddling four Breeders’
Cup winners at Santa Anita in 2003. “I think I could go either way. I
don’t know which would be my better chance, but I’m leaning toward the
(Dirt) Mile.”
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