O’Brien gives updates on Breeders’ Cup runners

The Fugue gleamed in the early morning sun at Santa Anita (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

“He’s been a great horse and a great servant to the yard — he owes us
nothing,” the horseman went on, speaking of Marathon contender Fame and Glory.
“This is a bit of an experiment, I suppose. He stays well, and it’s really a
question of whether, being a Montjeu, he handles the surface or not.

“As he’s gotten older he’s maybe just started to keep a little for himself;
started to think a little, so we might try things a little differently. We’ll
put a pair of blinkers on him. Jamie (Spencer) might just try and jump him out
and let him roll along and we’ll see how he goes from there.

“As he’s got older he appears to have got stronger and faster,” O’Brien noted
on Mile hopeful Excelebration. “When he won at Ascot, the ground was obviously a
lot softer than he’ll meet on Saturday, but hopefully he’ll handle that OK. It
was always the plan to come on to the Breeders’ Cup after Ascot, and I suppose
there is always the chance that two Group 1 races in two weeks is asking too
much of the horse, but he seems in very good form.”

The trainer will also saddle two in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in George
Vancouver and Lines of Battle.

“In terms of their work at home, there’s not much between the two, and Lines
of Battle might just shade George Vancouver,” he said. “But Ryan (Moore) picked
George Vancouver as he felt that the step up to a mile, and the track here,
would suit him. He’s a ‘Henry’ (sired by Henrythenavigator) and he loved the
fast ground and didn’t act on the soft, and I think George Vancouver is the
same. I have a lot of ‘Henrys’ at home who haven’t had their ground this season
as we’ve had such a wet year back in Ireland.”

Fantastic Moon kept an eye out for any trouble on Wednesday (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

“I’m happy enough with my filly, happier today than I was yesterday when I
thought she might still be a little tired after the flight over, but she wasn’t
tired this morning,” Beckett said. “Everything’s going OK. She didn’t draw that
well (in post 10 of 14), but she’s got Frankie (Dettori) on board, and I’ll
leave him to overcome that.”

Rafael Bejarano was given the leg up on Tom Dascombe’s Juvenile Sprint
entrant Ceiling Kitty, who once again took a while to get used to the strange
surroundings. She was put into the gate and gave the impression that she was not
happy at all by planting herself firmly on the Santa Anita dirt. She then went
for a circuit of the track, but never really settled.

I’m A Dreamer, headed to Friday’s Filly & Mare Turf, went a nice steady
canter for a circuit in the hands of English jockey Laura Pike. The daughter of
Noverre will be hoping she can make it two wins in a year in America having
already won the Grade 1 Beverly D. at Arlington Park

The focus for the Europeans then moved to the turf track where Jeremy Noseda
and John Gosden were on hand to witness their Breeders’ Cup hopefuls stretch
their legs. Filly & Mare Turf contender The Fugue, who will be bidding to give
Gosden his fifth Breeders’ Cup victory, did a steady canter for a circuit.
William Buick who was on board was happy enough with his filly.

Shareta will take on the boys in the Turf (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Noseda’s duo of The Gold Cheongsam and Fantastic Moon, headed to the Juvenile
Fillies Turf and Juvenile Turf, respectively, also stretched their legs with
Fantastic Moon doing a slightly stronger canter than his stablemate.

Joining those four on the turf was the Roger Charlton-trained Dundonnell,
also going in the Juvenile Turf. Dundonnell was once again ridden by James
Doyle, walking a circuit of the track with his pony before going around again in
a canter.

Having left the track, all the horses went through the tunnel and did a few
laps of the walking ring before returning to the barn.

The French were the next to come out on to the track with Mile runner
Moonlight Cloud at the head of the group. She had a gentle walk of the main
track before going a couple of circuits at a gentle canter. Trainer Freddy Head,
who flew to California Tuesday night, was trackside to watch his Group 1 Prix du
Moulin winner.

Flotilla is one of four European runners in the Juvenile Fillies Turf (Lauren Pomeroy/Horsephotos.com)

Turf hopeful Shareta, trained at Chantilly by Alain de Royer-Dupre, did the
strongest piece of work of the French horses. Having warmed up with a gentle jog
and a canter for two circuits, the daughter of Sinndar was then asked to move up
a gear and did a much stronger canter for almost three-quarters of a lap.

The remainder of the French, Mikel Dezangles’ Ridasiyna and Flotilla
stretched their legs with a gentle canter. Ridasiyna is in the Filly & Mare Turf
while Flotilla will try her luck in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Roger Varian’s Nahrain, trying to go one better after being runner-up in last
year’s Filly & Mare Turf, saw the Santa Anita track for the first time and did
nothing more than walk a circuit of the course.

Juvenile Fillies Turf entrant Sky Lantern did a more solid canter than
Tuesday and went a circuit and a half of the track under the surveillance of
Richard Hannon Jr.

Godolphin’s Artigiano, headed to the Juvenile Turf, once again followed the
same pattern as the past couple of mornings by first going out on to the
training track before coming back and having a stretch on the dirt.

By design, the Breeders’ Cup brings together horsemen from around the world,
and this week has facilitated reunions for American-based trainer Simon
Callaghan, a native of England.

“It’s kind of nice to see and talk to the old European owners and trainers,”
said Callaghan, who will saddle Slim Shadey in the Turf on Saturday. “It’s not
that I know a lot of people, but it’s kind of fun with everyone being here to
socialize a little with some of the people I’d worked with and know from
England. I went to a client’s place in Marina del Rey last night and there’s a
few of us going out for dinner tonight. So it should be fun.”