Always a Princess – Trainer Bob Baffert wasn’t necessarily pleased with the 5f bullet workout of Arnold Zetcher’s Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies contender Always a Princess on Nov. 1, but only for strategic reasons.
The 2yo daughter of Leroidesanimaux, working in company with stablemate Miss Heather Lee, passed her workmate sooner than planned before drawing off to finish her move. The filly’s time of 58 2/5 was the fastest of 61 workouts at the distance on the day.
“I was mad at myself because I got them too close to each other at the break off, but it worked out okay because she wanted to leave that other filly and she did, so that was good,” Baffert said. “My other one slowed down at the half and it messed up the work; Always a Princess came to her too early. But she’ll settle better as long as there’s more pace. She came out of the work great.”
The lightly raced filly broke her maiden for Baffert at Del Mar on Sept. 5, before finishing second in the Oak Leaf stakes here on Oct. 4. Jockey Garrett Gomez, aboard for both starts, retains the mount.
Beautician/Connie and Michael – Beautician galloped 1 1/2m on Monday at Santa Anita and trainer Ken McPeek reports she is doing well. The filly is one of two that McPeek is planning to run in the Juvenile Fillies. Last year, the conditioner finished second in the race with Dream Empress.
Jockey Robby Albarado, aboard for Beautician’s maiden victory in June at Churchill Downs, replaces Kent Desormeaux, who has opted to ride McPeek’s other runner Connie and Michael.
A daughter of Roman Ruler, Connie and Michael will make her second career start in the Juvenile Fillies rather than the Juvenile Fillies Turf, which she also pre-entered. The filly galloped 1 1/2m on Monday at Santa Anita.
Bickersons – The daughter of Silver Deputy galloped 1m around the main oval under exercise rider Humberto Gomez Monday morning in preparation for her second start over Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface in Friday’s Juvenile Fillies.
Kelly Breen trains the filly, who finished third in the Oak Leaf at Santa Anita on Oct. 4. Bickersons has been stabled at Santa Anita since that race, and turned in her final serious drill here on Oct. 23, working 5f in 59 2/5. Joel Rosario, aboard for that workout, will ride on Friday.
Biofuel – Biofuel arrived in Southern California on Monday morning on a Tex Sutton charter, landing at nearby Ontario airport at 9 am.
The daughter of Stormin Fever breezed 5f in 1:02 on the Polytrack at Woodbine on Oct. 23 and will not work again before Friday’s race.
The filly will be ridden by Eurico Da Silva, who was aboard when she captured the Mazarine Stakes at her home track last time out.
Blind Luck – Dan Ward, assistant to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, was high in his praise for Juvenile Fillies contender Blind Luck, who covered 5f in 1:01 1/5 Sunday in her final serious preparation for Friday’s 1 1/16m test.
“She couldn’t be doing any better,” Ward said. “There are no question marks at this point. She likes the track and she likes the distance. She worked spectacularly and she just continues to improve.”
Part of that improvement, Ward said, has come with a lot of gate work for the 2yo daughter of Pollard’s Vision, who was bought privately after her maiden victory in June at Calder Race Course.
“She was a little anxious in the gate before, but she got out of the gate perfectly in her last start [a win in the Oak Leaf at Oak Tree] and it looks as though she’s mastered that now.”
Ward said he and Hollendorfer are hoping for a good post and good trip for the filly. Tyler Baze will ride.
Champagne d'Oro – The only maiden among the entrants jogged 1m and galloped 1m Monday at Santa Anita under exercise rider Joe Duran.
Martin Garcia will ride the filly for Southern Equine Stable, which purchased the daughter of Medaglia d'Oro for $210,000 at the Keeneland September 2008 yearling sale.
The filly, who has not raced since finishing eighth to colts in the Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7, was shipped to Santa Anita from her Hollywood Park training base during the weekend.
Devil May Care – The Todd Pletcher-trained Devil May Care will put her unbeaten record on the line in the Juvenile Fillies. The daughter of Malibu Moon owns a Saratoga maiden win and a Grade 1 victory in Belmont Park’s Frizette.
Jockey John Velazquez will ride the filly, who has yet to start in a race around two turns or beyond one mile.
“I really think she’s crying out for distance and two turns,” Pletcher said. “She’s done everything good so far. She’s been very professional, and we’re just hoping she handles the surface.”
Ms Vanenzza – According to trainer Juan Vazquez, Florence Patitucci's Juvenile Fillies contender Ms Vanenzza is slated to arrive at Santa Anita on Tuesday afternoon.
Jockey Joe Rocco Jr., who was aboard the 2yo daughter of Successful Appeal for her recent Blue Hen Stakes triumph at Delaware Park, gets the call.
"We had agents for some big name riders calling us, but Joe rode her well for us and deserves a chance," said Vazquez, a 24-year-old native of Argentina, who will be starting his first Breeders' Cup horse.
Second in a sloppy sprint debut at Delaware on Sept. 12, Ms Vanenzza stretched out to 1 1/16m for her follow-up start three weeks later and won the Blue Hen Stakes in late closing fashion.
“I picked the filly out of the Timonium 2-year-olds in training sale in May," Vazquez said. "She showed me right away that she was a runner with class. She ran second first time out, but her mom won going long, and she acted like she wanted more distance. She was really comfortable in the Blue Hen, and overcame trouble to win.
"We were going to run back in New York, but Florence (owner Patitucci) asked me if I wanted to go in the Breeders' Cup instead," Vazquez continued. "I wasn't sure we'd get into the race, but we did, so we'll see what happens.”
In order to gauge how Ms Vanenzza would handle a synthetic surface,
Vazquez decided to work her at the Tapeta training center.
"She worked five furlongs there Friday in 1:01," Vazquez said of the work. "She really liked the (synthetic) surface, so maybe she'll like this track too."
Negligee – The 2yo daughter of Northern Afleet walked the shedrow Monday morning after breezing 4f in 46 4/5 at Santa Anita on Sunday in preparation for a start in the Juvenile Fillies.
Negligee earned her spot in the race with a triumph last time out in the Alcibiades at Keeneland, her first start since being purchased by the Sovereign Stable and turned over to trainer John Terranova.
“We ran in the Ontario Debutante with another filly I had, Franny Freud, who isn’t owned by Sovereign, and she won,” the New York-based Terranova said. “This filly, Negligee, who had just broken her maiden, got within a half-length of her (when finishing second). She ran very well and caught everybody’s eye, so we decided this was a filly we’ve got to pursue.”
Terranova took over the training of Negligee about a week later and pointed the Kentucky-bred filly to the Miss Grillo on turf at Belmont Park. A decision to run the new addition to the stable in the Alcibiades over Keeneland’s Polytrack was made when the Miss Grillo was taken off the turf due to rain.
“She had trained great and was doing amazing going into the race. She really stepped up and showed her class,” Terranova said. “She came out of the Alcibiades with a lot of energy, a lot left in the tank.”
Terranova was pleased with the manner in which Negligee handled Santa Anita’s Pro-Ride surface during her Sunday workout.
“She did it easy on her own. We just wanted to stretch her legs. She seemed to love getting over this surface,” Terranova said.
She Be Wild – According to trainer Wayne Catalano, She Be Wild arrived at Santa Anita in good order on Monday following a Tex Sutton flight from Kentucky.
The Arlington-Washington Lassie winner, who finished second in the Alcibiades at Keeneland, will be ridden on Friday by Julien Leparoux.
Last Friday at Keeneland, with Leparoux aboard, She Be Wild breezed five furlongs over the Keeneland Polytrack in 1:00 1/5.
"She worked extremely well. I was very happy with it," Catalano said. "She'll gallop up to the race."
She Be Wild drew off to win her debut for a $40,000 maiden claiming tag on May 30 at Arlington, and has developed beyond Catalano's original expectations.
"She showed speed and acted like she could run," Catalano said of She Be Wild's training leading up to her first start. "We were dealing with a shin issue, but I didn't want to miss a race. She couldn't bring $19,000 in a 2-year-old in training sale, so I checked with the owners, and they said go ahead and run her for $40,000. She ran great, came out of it okay, and we gave her plenty of time before her next race."
She Be Wild followed up with runaway scores in the Top Flight Stakes and Arlington-Washington Lassie.
"She was very impressive in both of her Arlington stakes wins," Catalano said. "If you want them to go a distance of ground, it's important that a horse can rate, and she showed us that."
The 2yo daughter of Offlee Wild followed up with a second, beaten a half-length by fellow Juvenile Fillies contender Negligee, in the Alcibiades at Keeneland.
"She didn't win, but we got just what we wanted out of it," Catalano explained. "Her other wins were too easy. She had to run this time, and proved she could handle two turns."
Catalano won the 2006 edition of the Juvenile Fillies with Dreaming of Anna.
Zilva – see Juvenile Fillies Turf
No comments:
Post a Comment