Thursday Breeders' Cup Classic Notes

Awesome Gem – The local boy will try to make good Saturday at Santa Anita Park when Craig Dollase sends out the 6yo gelding in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

“I was an Arcadia Apache,” said Dollase Thursday from Barn 7 as he waxed nostalgic about his scholastic days at Arcadia High School a few furlongs away.

“I played a little basketball and graduated in 1990. I wanted to be an athlete. I'm training the four-legged kind now.”

Dollase made headlines when he became the youngest trainer to win a Breeders' Cup race at 27 with Reraise in the 1998 Sprint at Churchill Downs, a record that still stands.

Dollase hopes to trump that feat with Awesome Gem.

“Hopefully Awesome Gem will run his race,” said Dollase of the West Point Thoroughbreds millionaire who finished third in the 2007 Classic at Monmouth Park. “I'm not excited about the post, the 13 hole, but we're in our back yard here.”

Awesome Gem galloped 1 1/4m on the main track with exercise rider Juan Olivera.

Colonel John – Trainer Eoin Harty, who sent Colonel John out for a gallop this morning and then had the 4yo colt stand in the gate, remains optimistic about the horse’s chances in the Classic.

“I’m very confident that he’s going to run a good race,” he said of the WinStar Farm homebred who finished sixth in the 2008 Classic and is the only returning starter. “He’s a very good horse and he does everything right.”

But ‘The Colonel’, as he is affectionately known around the barn, is not Harty’s all-time favorite.

“All of the good ones I’ve had are my favorites. I love Colonel John. He’s a really cool horse. He always aims to please,” said Harty, who has had nine Breeders’ Cup starters and won the 2001 Juvenile Fillies with Tempera while Imperial Gesture finished second behind her. “But my favorite horse is Dubai Escapade. She’s just like Colonel John in that she always gave you everything she had.”

Colonel John, a son of back-to-back Classic winner Tiznow, is proven on the synthetic surface and the 2008 Travers winner is certainly proven at the 1 ¼ m Classic distance. He’s got a versatile running style along with home field advantage. But will that all be enough to get him to the winner’s circle on Saturday?

“We’ll find out,” said Harty. “There’s not just one horse to beat in this race, there are 12 more. This is a great field in the Classic this year. He’s coming up to the race in great shape and Garrett (Gomez) knows him well and knows how to ride him. Now we’re hoping for a clean trip and racing luck.”

Einstein – Trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi had sore arms after putting her Classic hopeful through his paces on Thursday, galloping 1 ½ m over the main track.

“He galloped strong,” said Pitts-Blasi, who is seeking to become the first female trainer to win the Classic. “He was very strong. My arms were burning by the time we got through.”

Pitts-Blasi will give jockey Julien Leparoux a leg up on Einstein for the seventh consecutive time on Saturday and said she plans to give him very few instructions.

“I’ll just tell him to sit behind the speed and have a good trip,” she said. “With this kind of race, anything can happen.”

Einstein will school in the paddock during the third race.

Gio Ponti – “He’s a very good horse. I am sure of that. This is the best horse I have ever trained,” Christophe Clement said of his Classic hopeful on Thursday morning.

That is high praise indeed for Gio Ponti as he will be the 18^th horse that the trainer starts in Breeders’ Cup races when he leads the 4yo colt over on Saturday. While Clement has a long list of Graded stakes winners on his resume and is the only trainer to have won the prestigious Beverly D. at Arlington Park three times, he has yet to add an Eclipse Award to his trophy case

“I’m a lucky guy. I’ve had many, many good horses but I have never trained a champion,” he said.

Clement, who has also never won a Breeders’ Cup race, has high hopes that all will soon change.

“This horse has overcome so much. He won four Grade I races this year on different turf courses and in different conditions, and at different differences of one mile, a mile-and-three-eighths, and a mile-and-a-quarter, and he raced in Chicago, New York, and California,” he said.

“He should have won a fifth Grade I (in the Turf Classic at Belmont on Oct. 3). I’m the one who got him beat that day. It was my fault. The turf was extra soft that day, the worst I have seen at Belmont, and he just got tired in the last 75 yards.”

The winner of this year’s Arlington Million, Manhattan Handicap, Man o’ War, and Kilroe Handicap is widely hailed as North America’s best turf horse, but Clement remains solidly convinced that his decision to run Gio Ponti in the Classic on the synthetic track is the right one.

“Of course he has done so well on the grass and the question mark is the surface,” Clement acknowledged. “But he has been able to overcome all year long and we have one more race to go. We have nothing to lose and can only gain by running in the Classic.”

Adding the Classic victory to the multiple Grade I grass stakes he has won would make Gio Ponti an even more valuable commodity as a stallion, but he may not be quite ready for his next career.

“I don’t know if he will race again next year,” said Clement. “Shane Ryan (the owner) will make that decision in the next few weeks. But I hope to have him back next year. He is such an important horse in the barn.”

Gio Ponti, who was bred by the Ryan family, galloped 1 ¼ m this morning with assistant trainer Christophe Lorieul up and will school in the paddock this afternoon.

“I am very happy with the way this horse is training and his condition,” Clement said. “I am delighted.”

Girolamo – The 3yo son of A.P. Indy galloped at Santa Anita Thursday morning leading up to his big test in the Classic. Trainer Saeed bin Suroor was on hand to track his progress after arriving the day before.

“This is a tough race, hard race to ask of him, but we’ll give him a chance,” he said of the Godolphin runner, who comes into the Classic off a three-race win streak that includes an Oct. 11 victory in the Jerome.

Mine That Bird – For the second straight morning the Kentucky Derby winner jogged once the wrong way around track and then galloped 1 ½ m and trainer Chip Woolley continues to gain confidence in his charge

“He looked good,” said Woolley. “We’re ready.”

Woolley has been saying all week that he believes Mine That Bird’s best chance on Saturday will be to drop back early, stay covered up behind horses and make one run at the end.

“I was pretty down after the Goodwood and I think (jockey) Calvin (Borel) felt the same way,” said Woolley. “But, when you analyze the race, you see that the fractions were just too slow and he was too far back. He still may be further back, but they will be going a lot faster this time. And, it’s an eighth of an mile farther, which is key for this horse.

“I’m just going to tell Calvin to ride him like he did in the Derby -- to sit back and make one run. I’d rather be too far back early and finish third than to be too close (to the pace) and run fifth.”

Mine That Bird will be seeking to become the fifth Kentucky Derby winner and first since Unbridled in 1990 to win the Classic. The other three were Ferdinand, Alysheba and Sunday Silence, although Ferdinand and Alysheba were both four when they won.

Quality Road – The colt who enjoyed the lion’s share of the Triple Crown buzz in the springtime could salvage his sophomore season with a victory in the Classic for trainer Todd Pletcher. He galloped 1 ¼m on the main track Thursday morning.

“I think he’s coming up to the race really well,” said Pletcher, who took over the training of the Elusive Quality colt after a quarter-crack in his right front hoof sidelined plans for the Kentucky Derby. “He’s had a good series of prep races, and I thought he galloped over the track really well this morning.”

After missing more than four months and the entire Triple Crown series, Quality Road came back with a record-setting performance in the 6 1/2f Amsterdam at Saratoga, a blistering 1:13 3/5 outing that indicated the quality displayed in winning the Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby was still very much present. He lost his next two starts, but both were on drenched dirt surfaces.

“We’re been a little frustrated at having to run on sloppy tracks the last two times, but that’s the way it goes,” Pletcher said of his third in the Travers and second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

“We’re hoping this surface is something that he likes. Based on his pedigree being by Elusive Quality out of a Strawberry Road mare, there’s some turf influence there and usually that’s helpful on synthetics.

“This is an ambitious spot,” Pletcher said. “It’s typical of this type of race, loaded with the highest caliber of horse. We obviously believe he fits.”

John Velazquez rides for owner Edward P. Evans.

Regal Ransom – Trainer Saeed bin Suroor kept a close eye on his United States-based Godolphin runners -- including Classic contender Regal Ransom -- while he watched them gallop at Santa Anita Thursday morning after he arrived Wednesday afternoon.

The Godolphin trainer viewed his colt’s chances realistically considering the tough competition, but remarked upon how well the 3yo son of Distorted Humor has been training over the surface under the supervision of United States assistant Rick Mettee.

“It depends on how the pace goes,” said bin Suroor. “If they go a nice pace and he sits in nice position, I think he will be happy with this. He’s improving all the time; he’s in good form and working well.”

Regal Ransom last worked a handy 5f in 59 1/5 at Santa Anita Nov. 1. Coming off a win in the Sept 18 Super Derby, he’ll break from post 11 in the Classic’s 13-horse field under Richard Migliore. He ran eighth in this year’s Kentucky Derby.

Richard's Kid – The Pacific Classic upset winner galloped at Santa Anita Thursday morning, gearing up for his longshot tackle of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Trainer Bob Baffert didn’t have much to say about his 4yo son of Lemon Drop Kid that hasn’t already been said.

“Things have to go right for him, he’s a horse that you’re in there and you’re just hoping you might be lucky enough to hit the board,” he said. “But then, you never know what’s going to happen.”

Richard’s Kid, who comes off a third-place finish in the Oct. 10 Goodwood here after winning the Pacific Classic at odds of 24-1, will gallop Friday leading up to his Saturday start.

Rip Van Winkle – Trainer Aidan O’Brien said Thursday that he is pleased with the way the 3yo son of Galileo looked during his visit to the track. Rip Van Winkle, who has had foot issues all year, cantered on the main track.

Rip Van Winkle’s feet were affected by a severe infection last winter. Both front feet and the left rear had problems during the year. In mid-October, the colt had some trouble in the right rear. However, O’Brien said the problems areas have responded to treatment – which include patches on the hoofs - and Rip Van Winkle is ready to compete Saturday in the Classic.

“What happened in the spring we couldn’t undo and the only way we could have was not to race this year,” O’Brien said. “The issue we had with him a week or two ago, was the last that we’ve had with him.”

O’Brien liked what he saw of Rip Van Winkle Wednesday morning and had the same opinion Thursday.

Rip Van Winkle has only raced five times this year. He returned to competition on May 2 with a fourth-place finish behind the now-retired standout Sea the Stars in the 2000 Guineas. He was fourth again in the Epsom Derby and was beaten a length by Sea the Stars in the Eclipse Stakes. Rip Van Winkle completed his spring and summer campaign with a win in the Sussex Stakes on July 29. He returned in September to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.

“I’m amazed really that ‘Rip’ has been through the season that he has and run in the races. He’s run in all top races all the time,” O’Brien said. “Usually when a horse suffers those things, the season does catch up to them. I was obviously a bit worried and when he was asked to travel he was a little bit dejected looking. Yesterday (Wednesday) and again this morning he was very happy on the track.”

O’Brien described the colt as “a beautiful mover,” and after the trip to the track Wednesday ranked him at the top of his 52 Breeders’ Cup starters.

“There's no doubt that this is a very special horse and we haven't come here with a horse of this caliber before,” O'Brien said. “But he's had a lot of issues and he's swum against the tide all season.

“He's the most natural athlete and you could see that this morning, the movement and athleticism and enthusiasm. George Washington was like that, but this one maybe doesn't have the attitude issues that George Washington had.”

Rip Van Winkle will be ridden by jockey John Murtagh.

Summer Bird – The Belmont Stakes winner will school in the paddock at Santa Anita along with the field for the second race, trainer Tim Ice said Thursday morning.

They have all that stuff that they put up for the Breeders’ Cup and I just don’t want it to be something new for him,” Ice said. “He’s been to the paddock before, schooling here in the mornings, but now they have everything set up in there and I just want him to see it before he’ll have to see it on raceday.”

The 3yo son of Birdstone has been to the paddock about 10 times after training on his way back to the barn, but hasn’t gone home that way since preparations for Breeders’ Cup began.

“I didn’t want to take him through there while they were still working on it,” Ice said. “Basically today what it’s going to be is just let him get up there, look around, see all the new stuff that they’ve done – not that it’s going to bother him – but I don’t want to take any chances come raceday.”

Summer Bird jogged 1m and stood in the gate Thursday after the break. He will gallop Friday in preparation for his Saturday test, when he seeks a third straight victory off wins in the Travers and Jockey Club Gold Cup. The Classic will be his first start on a synthetic surface.

Twice Over – Trainer Henry Cecil sent the 4yo Observatory colt out to the main track for some light exercise Thursday morning.

“He just had an ordinary canter of seven furlongs,” Cecil said.

Twice Over earned a trip to the Classic with a victory in the Champion Stakes, at odds of 14-1, at Newmarket on Oct. 17. It was this third consecutive victory and first in Group I company. He finished second in the Champion last year.

Irish jockey Tom Queally, 25, making his debut in the Breeders’ Cup this year, is Twice Over’s regular rider.

Zenyatta – The unbeaten champion mare galloped on the main track early Thursday with regular exercise rider Steve Willard after arriving from her training base at Hollywood Park on Wednesday.

“We went out at 6:20 and she stood around and looked around,” said Willard. “She jogged off and galloped once around and came back through the paddock. She did it really terrific. Just superb.”

Trainer John Shirreffs said the 5yo mare, unbeaten in 13 starts, will gallop again on Friday before her date with destiny when she attempts to become the first female to win the Classic.

“Optimism is high,” said owner Jerry Moss with his wife and co-owner, Ann, and racing manager Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs, wife of the trainer.

“She's ready,” said Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. “If she fires, she's certainly going to be the one to beat. I think you're going to see something amazing.”

Smith, tied for second in Breeders' Cup wins with Pat Day with 12, seeks to move closer to leader Jerry Bailey with 15.

Wednesday Breeders' Cup Classic Notes

Awesome Gem – “He's been great for the partners,” said Terry Finley, president of West Point Thoroughbreds, from trackside at Santa Anita Park Wednesday after watching the 6yo gelding gallop for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.

“Look at the places he's taken us,” added Finley. “It's really been fun to be part of the ride.”

The chestnut son of Awesome Again, purchased for $150,000 as a 2yo at a Barretts sale, has taken his owners from California to New Jersey to Hong Kong to Washington to Illinois while earning $1,695,682 in 30 starts for trainer Craig Dollase.

Third in the 2007 Classic as a 28-1 longshot in the slop at Monmouth Park, Awesome Gem will again try to produce a surprise as a 30-1 morning-line outsider from post 13 under David Flores.

“You'd like to be a little more inside,” said Finley. “But the post isn't going to get us beat. The competition is.”

Colonel John – Colonel John, the only Classic contender returning from last year’s edition of the race, jogged 1m this morning under Paul Turner rather than regular exercise rider Yutta Lang.

“When he breezes, Lang is on him because he’s lighter,” Turner explained. “The horse is doing just great. He went as good as ever this morning. You’d never know he was sick.”

A 4yo son of Tiznow, Colonel John was extremely sick earlier in the year and that was only one of the setbacks that sidelined him for the first half of his 2009 campaign. While training for the Santa Anita Handicap on Mar. 7, he pulled a muscle that knocked him out of the race. To make matters worse, he came down with a fever that morning that ultimately turned into pneumonia and put his life in jeopardy.

Colonel John’s recovery lasted until July, but trainer Eoin Harty’s patience and excellent horsemanship paid off.

In the first start back for the WinStar Farms homebred on July 31, Colonel John closed strongly on Del Mar’s turf course to capture the Wickerr in 1:32 3/5. His final time was just 2/5 off the course record.

Einstein – Trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi was relaxed and happy as she held her Santa Anita Handicap winner while he had his feet washed following a 1m gallop on Wednesday. Einstein also stood in the gate before his morning exercise.

“It’s going to be a tough race, but with a good trip, I think we can get a piece of it,” said Pitts-Blasi. “I love our post and I think we’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know what the plans will be for him after the race, but I hope if he wins they retire him. He deserves it. He deserves to have a good race. He ran good in the Pacific Classic and needs to take a shot here.”

Einstein, a 7yo Spend a Buck horse, has won 11 races from 28 starts over four seasons of racing. In addition to winning the “Big ‘Cap”, he also won the Turf Classic at Churchill and most recently finished second in the Pacific Classic. When asked what makes him so special, Pitts-Blasi replied “It’s his personality and heart, his will to win. He just loves to run.”

Gio Ponti – After arriving on a flight from New York yesterday, Classic hopeful Gio Ponti went to the track Wednesday morning to gallop 7f under Christophe Lorieul, the assistant to trainer Christophe Clement.

“He shipped well and is in tip-top physical shape,” said Lorieul. “Shipping was a problem with him when he was younger and he would get nervous, but now that he is a four-year-old, he handles the travel much better. His coat, his weight, and all else looks very good since he’s arrived.”

The son of Tale of the Cat, widely regarded as one of the top turf horses in North America during his 2009 campaign, had no problem with the synthetic surface of the main track this morning even though his regular exercise rider, Jerry Fogarty, did not make the trip with him.

“I got on fine with him today,” said Lorieul. “He handled this surface very well.”

Gio Ponti, who drew post 7 in the 13-horse field and is a 12-1 morning line choice, competed at Santa Anita twice before and won the Sir Beaufort on Dec. 26, 2008 when the race was taken off the turf and moved to the main track.

He has won four of his last five races and finished a solid second in the other. All were Grade I events, but all were on the grass and at different distances ranging from 1m to 1 3/8m.

“The distance and the synthetic here at Santa Anita were why we chose the Classic instead of the Turf,” Lorieul said. “He’s won here before and the mile-and-a-quarter is probably his best distance of all.”

Clement is scheduled to arrive from New York Thursday to supervise final preparations.

Girolamo – The 3yo son of A.P. Indy headed out with the second set of Godolphin Stables’ U.S.-trained Breeders’ Cup starters at 5:50 a.m. on Wednesday, galloping around the Santa Anita track ahead of the Classic.

Winner of the Jerome Handicap last out on Oct. 9 at Belmont, Girolamo stretches out to the 1 1/4m distance of the Classic for the first time in his six-race career, and will also be making his first start on a synthetic surface. He comes off a trio of victories in New York, two at one mile and another at 7f, and breaks from post nine in a field of 13.

“He’s coming out of those one-turn races where he’s stalked 45 and change; he’s not usually quick coming out of the gate,” said Rick Mettee, United States assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

“In a big field like that you don’t know if they’re standing in the gate longer how they’re going to break out of there, but once he does get out I expect him to be forwardly-placed.

He’s been stalking in all of his races, albeit at a shorter distance. Since he’s going from a mile to a mile and a quarter, that last quarter you’re going to be holding your breath.”

Mine That Bird – This year’s Kentucky Derby winner back-tracked to the ¾-pole and then proceeded to gallop 1½ m on Wednesday under the watchful eye of trainer Chip Woolley and co-owner Mark Allen.

“He went good and looked good,” said Woolley. “I’m really excited. I guess for sentimental reasons, I would have liked the eight hole like we had in the Derby, but the one is perfect. The thing is this is the Classic and you’re running against the best 13 horses in the world. You could run the best race of your life and still be eighth.

“The thing about the Derby is that it’s the first time the horses are going a mile and a quarter and we had confidence because we knew our horse would love the distance. In the Classic, these are all seasoned racehorses that have gone the distance.”

Despite the fact that Mine That Bird has yet to run back to his Derby performance, Woolley feels he has the Birdstone gelding back in top form. He enters the Classic off a sixth-place finish in the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 10.

“When we had to miss the Travers, things started to go downhill. Waiting 10 weeks between races wasn’t good. But, the Goodwood did what it was designed to do and it set him up great for this race.”

Quality Road – The 3yo colt, who arrived on the grounds Tuesday, jogged a mile Wednesday morning in his first visit to Santa Anita’s track in preparation for his date in Saturday’s Classic.

The early favorite for the Kentucky Derby after winning the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March before incurring an injury, Quality Road made his first start against older horses in the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Oct. 3 and was a solid second to Summer Bird.

“We feel like a mile and a quarter is not an issue,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who confirmed the Classic was always the target in his comeback that started with a victory in the 6 1/2f Amsterdam at Saratoga after a four-month layoff. “He’s certainly run races that have shown us he can go the distance.”

Quality Road’s last two starts have both come on “off” tracks, an issue Pletcher won’t have to deal with here. It will be his first start on a synthetic track.

John Velazquez will be aboard the son of Elusive Quality, who was moved from trainer Jim Jerkens’ barn to Pletcher’s in April.

Regal Ransom – The 3yo Distorted Humor colt was on the track Wednesday morning with fellow Godolphin starters Gayego (Sprint) and Midshipman (Dirt Mile) at about 6:40 a.m., completing a gallop over the Santa Anita track en route to a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

The Super Derby winner drew post 11 in a field of 13 at the Breeders’ Cup draw on Tuesday.

“He’s a pretty handy horse around the gate and he usually breaks fairly sharp,” said Rick Mettee, United States assistant to trainer Saeed bin Suroor. “You would think in a race that doesn’t have a lot of speed on paper, he would be forwardly-placed if he breaks good.

“He’s in the 11 hole, but that’s a pretty good run; you’ve got from the head of that chute to the turn so naturally he should be able to get a good spot in there. If not on the lead then he might just sit off it; I don’t know what Quality Road will do and he’s drawn outside of us.”

Richard's Kid – The 3yo son of Lemon Drop Kid galloped the Santa Anita oval Wednesday morning following his final tune-up on Monday for the Classic. He went 4f for trainer Bob Baffert in 47 2/5 in that move in company with stablemate Limestone Edge.

Richard’s Kid is coming off a solid third-place finish in the Oct. 10 Goodwood Stakes here under jockey Alex Solis, who retains the mount in the Classic.

Baffert, watching his runners work from the Santa Anita apron, said he expects the 24-1 Pacific Classic upset winner to come running at the end of Saturday’s 1 ¼m test.

“If he’s in the lead I’ll head back to my car,” Baffert dead-panned. “He’s a horse that falls back and lays off the pace. When he gets a run in he’s got about a good two-and-a-half furlong move, so pace is going to be a factor.

“He’s a small horse so hopefully they don’t jostle him around too much. He’s gotta really step it up in this company. And you know with those European horses, they’re the X-factor, they came in here last year and humiliated everybody and they’re good horses this year too.”

Rip Van Winkle – Trainer Aidan O’Brien said some questions he had about the 3yo colt vanished after Rip Van Winkle went to the track Wednesday morning. He said the son of Galileo showed him he is ready for the Classic.

“It’s his movement and his enthusiasm,” O’Brien said. “The way he was when he came over, he was a bit quiet and maybe a little bit lethargic after the long journey. So it worries you. But the moment he stepped out here it all came rushing back. That’s what makes him different.

“Whatever kind of a mind he has everything else just goes away. He must get a massive rush of adrenaline and then he has the movement to go with it. It’s very unusual.”

Rip Van Winkle has not competed since winning the 1m Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at a Ascot on Sept. 26, where he edged Zacinto and Delagator, both of whom are entered in the Mile. The colt has had some foot problems in the interim and O’Brien didn’t like the way he looked after the flight from Europe. But his opinion changed once the colt left the quarantine area went to the track.

“This morning going around the track I was very happy,” O’Brien said. “You get that feeling. He won’t do much the next few days and you won’t really know until you run. Listen, I was really happy with him and I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s going to happen.

O’Brien said Rip Van Winkle is completely recovered from problems with his right rear foot.

Summer Bird – The 3yo son of Birdstone blew along through a 2-minute clip at Santa Anita Wednesday morning, breaking off from the quarter pole to the wire in his traditional pre-race training pattern under exercise rider Leo Atempa.

Trainer Tim Ice said he’ll jog Thursday and gallop Friday en route to a start in Saturday’s Classic.

“I’m very happy with how he’s going,” said Ice. “As far as strategy goes, we’ll see how he breaks; hopefully he’ll break how he has in his previous races and be up close. It looks like the other speed is on the outside so I figure (jockey Kent Desormeaux) can get him ducked down there on the rail and maybe start moving his way out to make sure he’s got room down the backside when he asks him to run.”

Summer Bird breaks from post position 3, inside the unbeaten Zenyatta who drew post 4.

“I like our post, I think it’s a good post,” Ice said. “I think it’s great for racing that Zenyatta is in there, but I’m not scared of her. The way I look at it, there’s 12 horses in there that I have to beat. But it’s great for racing that she’s in there.”

According to Ice, Summer Bird heads into the Classic in fine form. He’s been subjected to weekly weigh-ins at trainer Patrick Biancone’s barn (where he is stabled for the Classic) and last Monday he tipped the scales at 1,150 pounds.

“We weighed him the Tuesday after he got here and he was 1,120 pounds,” said Ice. “We weighed him the following Tuesday he had gained 10 pounds, up to 1,130. Then Sunday we worked him in the afternoon between races and the Tuesday after that we weighed him and he was down to 1,119; we gave him Lasix for that work and he drew up a little bit, but they’re going to do that with Lasix. But when we weighed him again this past Monday, he had gained 31 pounds in a week. That’s a horse that’s doing good.”

Summer Bird also received a visit from retired Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day on Wednesday. Day stopped by the barn to drop off a halter for the White Horse Heroes Award Luncheon to be held at Santa Anita on Thursday. Classic contenders wear the halters, which are then auctioned off at the auction honoring horse racing’s unsung heroes. The funds go to the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.

Twice Over – Veteran trainer Henry Cecil watched the 4yo colt make his first visit to the track early Wednesday morning. Twice Over, a Juddmonte Farms homebred, enters the Classic off a half-length victory in the Champion Stakes at Newmarket on Oct. 17 that is the biggest victory of his 15-race career.

Cecil said the Classic was not a target for Twice Over prior to the Champion.

“In the back of my mind I always hoped that he was up to doing that, but having won the Champion Stakes and come back in very good form, I think he’s entitled to take his chance,” Cecil said. “Take a look at the betting. If he’s fourth or fifth favorite, he’s entitled to run, isn’t he? There’s nothing to lose and hopefully everything to gain.”

Regular rider Thomas Queally will be up on Twice Over, who will be competing over a synthetic surface for the first time.

Zenyatta – The unbeaten champion mare was scheduled to arrive in Barn 66 late Wednesday morning after being vanned across town from her training base at Hollywood Park, where she galloped on the main track under regular exercise rider Steve Willard.

In addition to facing males for the first time in her career, Zenyatta will run 1 1/4 m for the first time, a furlong longer than she has ever tried. The added distance should not be a deterrent, according to trainer John Shirreffs.

“A Street Cry won the Melbourne Cup at two miles,” said Shirreffs in reference to the sire of Zenyatta. Shocking, a 4yo son of Street Cry, won the Melbourne Cup, Australia's biggest race, on Tuesday.

Zenyatta, unbeaten in 13 starts for owners Jerry and Ann Moss, will leave from post four in a field of 13 under regular rider Mike Smith.

Zenyatta, a 5yo mare, seeks to punctuate her career by becoming the first female to win the Classic. Three others have tried – Jolypha was the closest, finishing third as a 3yo in 1992. Horse of the Year Azeri finished fifth as a 6yo in 2004, and Triptych was sixth as a 4yo in 1986.

Breeders' Cup Classic Notes

To keep everyone up to date on the Breeders' Cup, I am going to share with you the official notes that the Breeders' Cup Notes Team puts together.

Below are the notes on the Classic.

Awesome Gem – The 6yo gelding jogged on Cushion Track at Hollywood Park Monday under exercise rider Juan Olivera before shipping to Santa Anita for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic Saturday.

Assistant Sergio Martin supervised for trainer Craig Dollase, who was at Santa Anita.

David Flores, who rode the chestnut to victory in the Hawthorne Gold Cup in his last start on Oct. 3, has the call back.

Awesome Gem, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds, will be making his third Breeders' Cup start. He finished third in the Classic in 2007 and sixth in the Mile last year. Dollase said the veteran came out of a 6f work in 1:13 here Friday in top shape.

He was cross-entered in both races this year but Dollase said he will go in the Classic.

"I liked the bigger purse and the mile and a quarter," explained Dollase.

Bullsbay – see Dirt Mile

Chocolate Candy – see Dirt Mile (second on preference list in Classic)

Colonel John – Trainer Eoin Harty said that Colonel John, who was pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Classic and the TVG Breeders' Cup Mile, definitely will run in the Classic on Saturday.

The 4yo son of two-time Classic winner Tiznow, who finished sixth here in last year's Classic, worked 5f in 59 4/5 handily at Santa Anita under regular exercise rider Yutta Lang after the break on Monday morning.

This was the final work for Colonel John, who will be "eased on up to the race" according to Harty. Garrett Gomez, the horse's regular jockey, will ride him in the Classic.

Einstein – Trainer Helen Pitts-Blasi reported that Einstein was doing well one day after working a half mile in 47 4/5 at Santa Anita on Sunday in his final major preparation for the Classic.

On Monday, the Santa Anita Handicap winner walked the shedrow and will return to the track on Tuesday to jog.

“Turf is probably his preferred surface and I know he loves Churchill, but I have to say this is his favorite track,” said Pitts-Blasi referring to Santa Anita. “I was happy with his work. This track plays fast and I never moved on him. He did it well within himself.”

Jockey Julien Leparoux was aboard for Einstein’s last seven races, including a second last time out in the Pacific Classic at Del Mar, will be back aboard on Saturday.

Gio Ponti – The Classic-bound Gio Ponti galloped 1 1/4m on Belmont Park’s main track this morning. Gio Ponti, a four-time Grade I winner on turf this season, will be ridden by jockey Ramon Dominguez in the Classic Saturday.

Gio Ponti is flying to California Tuesday morning.

“The horse had his final workout Saturday (4f over Belmont Park’s Widener turf course in 52 2/5, breezing) and is doing very well,” trainer Christophe Clement said.

Gio Ponti is widely regarded as the most accomplished American-based turf horse currently in training and would have been one of the favorites in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. His connections, however, have opted to run the 4yo on a Pro-Ride surface that Gio Ponti won the Sir Beaufort over last December at Santa Anita.

“It’s a bigger question mark than running him on the turf that’s for sure, but he’s won over it before,” Clement said. “I’m very excited about running him Saturday and think he deserves a shot in the Classic.”

Girolamo – The 3yo son of A.P. Indy walked the Godolphin shedrow Monday morning following his final prep for Saturday, a Nov. 1 move through 5f in 59 1/5. This speedy frontrunner, unbeaten in his 2009 season, carries a three-race win streak into the Classic. His most recent score came in Belmont Park’s Oct. 11 Jerome Handicap.

That 3yo season has been much better than the bay colt’s 2yo campaign, when he broke his maiden at first asking but ran fourth in the Belmont Futurity in September of 2008, then finished sixth in the Champagne less than a month later after being bumped at the start. He missed nearly 10 months of training following that start.

“He was off from October of his 2-year-old year until August of his 3-year-old year, which left only a few options for bringing him back,” said Godolphin assistant trainer Rick Mettee.

“It was either run him off the layoff in a race like the King’s Bishop or shoot for an allowance race, and we didn’t want to go into that tough of a race off that long of a layoff, so we picked a couple of easy spots for him for overall fitness and confidence reasons both.”

Jockey Alan Garcia, aboard for all but one of the colt’s six lifetime starts, will be in the saddle for Girolamo’s Breeders’ Cup start. He is cross-entered for the Classic and the Dirt Mile, with the Classic listed as his first preference. Mettee said his chosen race will be announced tomorrow at the post position draw.

Mastercraftsman – see Dirt Mile

Mine That Bird – The Kentucky Derby winner, with jockey Joe Talamo aboard, worked five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 on Monday morning at Santa Anita in preparation for his start in the Classic.

“He worked super, really super,” said trainer Chip Woolley just moments after watching the workout. “I was looking for 1:02, but it was just what we wanted. He really looked good getting over the ground and was just gliding out there. I was a little concerned after that last workout (58 1/5 on 10/26) that he would get into the bridle today, but he was nice and relaxed and galloped out really strong.

“The last work doesn’t look like it did any damage. Whenever you have a bullet workout, a horse tends to get into the bridle in a race. Let’s just say that I was really glad that that work was two weeks before the race.

“What really has helped him is that they’ve tightened the track. It’s really helped him fire off the ground. He’s like a jackrabbit with the way his hind end pushes him forward.”

Woolley said that Mine That Bird has really come around since finishing sixth in the Goodwood Handicap at Santa Anita on Oct. 10.

“He really needed that last race,” said Woolley. “He had gone flat on me and I trained him all I could, but it’s not the same as a race. He’s gotten stronger, you could see it a few days after that race. He has really blossomed. Even (trainer) Richard Mandella (who had the horse when he finished last in the Juvenile last year) said he looks good.”

Jockey Calvin Borel, aboard for the Derby win and the Goodwood, has the mount in the Classic.

Quality Road – Florida Derby winner Quality Road had an “easy jog” over Belmont Park’s main track this morning according to the colt’s trainer, Todd Pletcher.

Quality Road, who most recently finished a narrowly beaten second to Summer Bird in a thrilling Jockey Club Gold Cup Oct. 3 at Belmont Park, is flying to California Tuesday with the rest of Pletcher’s Breeders’ Cup horses.

Off his strong placing to Summer Bird in the 10f Gold Cup last month, Quality Road appears to be back on the top of his game. He did miss the Triple Crown series and a good chunk of his 3yo campaign because of foot/hoof issues earlier this season.

“The horse is doing great, I mean we’re really pleased with him,” Pletcher said. “We’re just like everybody else trying the synthetic for the first time, hoping he handles it.”

Jockey John Velazquez has the mount aboard Quality Road, who has never raced on the West Coast before.

Regal Ransom – The 3yo Distorted Humor colt walked the shedrow of Godolphin’s Santa Anita barn one day after clicking through a handy 5f in 59 1/5, seventh of 61 timed works at the distance.

His Nov. 1 move under jockey Richard Migliore was a hair slower than his previous drill at Santa Anita on Oct. 26 when he went 5f in 58 2/5 for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Assistant Rick Mettee said the UAE Derby winner was the most impressive worker of nine Godolphin Breeders’ Cup contenders sent through their final paces over the weekend.

“I think he’s impressed the most since he’s been here,” Mettee contended. “He seems to really grab this track. Of all the ones, he’s impressed the most, but obviously he’s in a tough spot.”

Regal Ransom shipped in to Santa Anita from New York on a Tex Sutton flight Oct. 19 along with stablemate Girolamo and several other New York-based runners.

“We had a group of nine or ten ship out about a month ago and then Girolamo and Regal Ransom came,” Mettee said. “Regal Ransom shipped about two weeks after he ran in the Super Derby and Girolamo had just run in the Jerome, so those two came via charter. We had a private plane bringing the first load out.”

Regal Ransom comes into the Classic off a Sept. 19 victory in the Super Derby with Migliore in the irons. The UAE Derby winner, who finished eighth in the 2009 Kentucky Derby, had one start at Santa Anita as a 2yo. He tired to eighth as the beaten favorite in the 1 1/16-mile Norfolk Stakes after pressing the pace into the stretch.

Although the Classic is listed as his first preference, Regal Ransom is also pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Mettee said the colt’s connections would wait until entry time to announce the call, but either way Richard Migliore retains the mount.

Richard's Kid – The Pacific Classic winner stepped onto the track around 6:45 a.m. under exercise rider Joey Steiner, breezing in company with stablemate Limestone Edge through 4f in 47 1/5.

He tracked the workmate through the head of the stretch, then passed him and drew off coming down to the wire. The 4yo son of Lemon Drop Kid has been training steadily at Santa Anita since Baffert purchased him for owner Arnold Zetcher in May. He last turned in a 6f breeze in 1:12.80 here on Oct. 27.

“The workmate was under control,” Baffert said of Limestone Edge, who broke off in front of Richard’s Kid under exercise rider Janell Gruss. “I had the radio on him so (Gruss) just held (Limestone Edge) a little. It wasn’t a race, just a little target for him to run at.

“He’s ready, that was just a nice little cruising to keep him fresh. All he runs is the last half of a mile anyways, that’s his style, so I don’t have to do too much with him.”

Richard’s Kid comes off an Oct. 10 third-place finish behind Gitano Hernando and Colonel John in the Goodwood at Santa Anita. He won the Pacific Classic Sept. 6 at odds of 24-1.

“I wish I had bet on him,” Baffert joked. “I had no idea (he was going to win), are you kidding me? But he looked great today, everything went well. I’m so relieved right now, as long as they can all come out of their works great, we’ll be in good shape.”

Jockey Alex Solis, who rode Richard’s Kid in the Goodwood, will have the mount for the Classic. Richard’s Kid will walk the shedrow in Baffert’s Barn 5 Tuesday morning.

Rip Van Winkle – The Sussex Stakes winner trained by Aidan O’Brien arrived at Santa Anita at 7:15 Sunday evening with the Coolmore contingent of seven horses. The 3yo colt will be eligible to clear the 42-hour quarantine Tuesday and is expected to visit the track for the first time on Wednesday morning.

O’Brien was traveling from Ireland on Monday and is expected at Santa Anita on Tuesday.

Summer Bird – The 3yo son of Birdstone returned to the track for the first time after drilling 5f under exercise rider Leo Atempa in a speedy 59 2/5 on Oct. 31, his final work at Santa Anita in preparation for the Classic.

He stepped on following the maintenance break around 8:15 a.m. and jogged a simple circuit under the watchful eye of trainer Tim Ice, who said he will gallop Tuesday and two-minute lick a quarter of a mile Wednesday morning.

Ice has been tightening his colt up for his first race over the Pro-Ride surface since the Belmont Stakes winner arrived via Tex Sutton flight from New York on Oct. 12 after an Oct. 3 score in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He quickly got a chance to check out the Santa Anita oval, jogging over the surface Oct. 13.

“He’s a good shipper,” Ice said. “It wasn’t a long flight, the trip was pretty easy, and he looked great when he got off the plane. He was feeling too good to leave him in the stall another day, so we just took him out and jogged him.”

Summer Bird’s most recent work was fourth of 72 timed at the distance and his third over the Pro-Ride surface – he turned in 5f works in 1:00 2/5 and 1:02 on Oct. 25 and Oct. 17 respectively, the former between races at Santa Anita with regular rider Kent Desormeaux in the irons, the latter with jockey Alonso Quinonez up.

“I thought he handled the October 17 work well, he got off the pole a little slower than I would have liked but he picked it up,” Ice said. “The rider was just unsure because it was his first time getting on him, but once he got him into the work I thought he worked great. We weren’t looking for anything faster than that anyways, and overall, I thought the work was great because he handled the track; he just looked smooth going over it. Our big work was when Kent worked him and he told me he handled it well, like a duck to water.”

Summer Bird is a leading Eclipse Award contender in the champion 3yo male category after his sweep of the 2009 Belmont, Shadwell Travers Stakes, and Jockey Club Gold Cup, a feat that had not been accomplished since Easy Goer’s trio of wins in 1989.

Twice Over – The recent upset winner of the Champion Stakes arrived at Santa Anita Saturday afternoon following a flight from England. He cleared the 42-hour quarantine Monday morning and went to the track.

The 4yo Juddmonte Farms colt trained by Henry Cecil arrives at the Breeders’ Cup on a three-race winning streak. He returned to the races on Sept. 9 after a two-month break between starts and scored a win in a conditions race at Doncaster.

He followed that victory with a win in a listed stakes at Goodwood on Sept. 23 and then won the Champion on Oct. 17 at Newmarket at odds of 14-1.

Zenyatta – The unbeaten 5yo mare jogged twice around the 4f training track adjacent to trainer John Shirreffs's barn at Hollywood Park Monday morning to the satisfaction of her conditioner.

Shirreffs said a final decision as to whether Zenyatta runs in the Classic or Ladies’ Classic will be reached Tuesday after he confers with owners Jerry and Ann Moss.

“The Mosses were in New York the last couple of days and flew home last night,” said Shirreffs of the Beverly Hills residents. “They stopped on the way back and picked up two poodles in Tennessee. Cocoa, their old dog, just passed away.”

Shirreffs said Zenyatta would gallop on the main track here Tuesday and, if she is entered in the Classic, ship to Santa Anita Wednesday. Regular rider Mike Smith has the call.

Zenyatta worked 6f in 1:12 4/5 under Smith at Hollywood Park Saturday.

Zenyatta, undefeated in 13 starts, won the Ladies Classic last year. She has never raced against males and would seek to become the first female to win the Classic if she starts in that race.

Zenyatta went to the training track at 9:40 with her regular team. Groom Mario Espinoza led her out of her stall, and pony boy Fred Wilson escorted her to the track with exercise rider Steve Willard.

The champion mare was easy to spot with four blue bandages and her name printed on a purple Breeders' Cup saddle towel.

“She looked good,” said Shirreffs.