Monday's Classic Notes

Zenyatta – The defending Breeders’ Cup Classic champion jogged on the training track at Hollywood Park at 9:00 PT Monday morning with exercise rider Steve Willard aboard ahead of her trip Tuesday morning aboard the Tex Sutton Forwarding charter carrying the final contingent of California-based Breeders’ Cup contenders, tentatively scheduled to arrive in Louisville by noon or early afternoon.

A more detailed report on Zenyatta will follow separately.

Blame – One of the top contenders expected to take on the unbeaten Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the Al Stall Jr. trainee turned in an easy final workout on Monday morning at Churchill Downs when he breezed 4f in 49 4/5 under jockey Garrett Gomez.

The 4yo son of Arch came onto the track accompanied by a pony around 6:10 a.m. and jogged the wrong way down the stretch to the far turn before coming back and breaking off from the pony just past the wire. He appeared eager to run and on the muscle, but settled nicely into a smooth gallop before being set down to the task along the backside. Clockers caught him galloping out 5f in 1:03 1/5.

“It was just a little maintenance work,” Stall said. “He started out comfortable, did his job, pulled up with a little buck and a squeal, and came on home. That’s him. Garrett said he’s becoming like a movie star; he loves all the cameras and attention out there. When he cut loose from the pony he tried to take off a little, but he settled down well.”

“The last time I went to work him at Saratoga before the Whitney, I had trouble getting him to the pole, he was pulling that hard,” Gomez said. “This morning he started out like that, but I was able to kind of con him around there and play with him and get him into a nice little gallop and kind of trick him that he was just going to gallop around there. Then, when we got to the backside, he started pulling and I actually broke him off at about 4 ½ furlongs. I just kind of tried to let him hit his stride and pick it up as we went along like he does in all his races. His work was just what we were looking for, just enough to open his lungs and get him a little more on edge getting closer to race day.”

Stall had talked of potentially breezing the runner, a homebred owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, on Sunday. But he decided early last week to wait until after Churchill Downs’ opening day and scheduled the work for Monday instead.

“I thought the track would be in really pristine shape after all the harrowing of opening day, and it looked really good this morning,” he said.

In his last start, Blame was runner-up to fellow Classic contender Haynesfield by four lengths in the Oct. 2 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Before the recent loss, he carried a four-race win streak toward the Breeders’ Cup, with 2010 victories in the Aug. 7 Whitney Handicap at Saratoga, the June 12 Stephen Foster here at Churchill Downs, the May 15 William D. Schaefer Stakes at Pimlico, and a 2009 score in the Clark Handicap here last November.

Blame will be retired to stand at Claiborne Farm following his start in the Classic. 

“I’m glad were considered one of the top horses,” said Stall. “It’s a tough race but I feel like we belong.”

All of the colt’s wins this year came under Gomez.

“He did what he was supposed to do and turned into a really good racehorse, and hopefully now he can turn into a great one,” the jockey said.      

Lookin At Lucky – Lookin at Lucky walked the shedrow at Hollywood Park Monday morning after working 5f in 59 3/5 Sunday.

“I asked Bodie (his son), ‘Who is the fastest in the world?’ and he said, ‘Zenyatta,’ so I guess it’s all uphill,” said trainer Bob Baffert.  “Seriously, he’s doing great.  We just need some racing luck.”

Quality Road –It was a quiet morning for the Woodward winner, who walked the shedrow  after his final work on Sunday over the main track at Churchill Downs. The son of Elusive Quality went 4f and was timed in 48 3/5, seventh-best of 60 on the tab.

“I thought it was a very good work and he galloped out well,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who had the colt ready for last year’s Classic only to suffer the misfortune of having him scratched at the gate when Santa Anita’s assistant starters were unable to get him loaded.

“That was disappointing, but we were fortunate that he didn’t get injured and we’re able to come back and try again.” said Pletcher, who sent his formerly high-strung star to former NYRA starter Bob Duncan after the Breeders’ Cup to get him to learn how to relax before racing.

“Bob worked with him shortly after that, and there haven’t been any problems this year,” said Pletcher, who pre-entered 11 Breeders’ Cup runners. John Velazquez, who has been aboard in all but two of Quality Road’s 12 starts, will ride the Edward P. Evans color bearer.  

Espoir City – The 5yo Japanese Classic hopeful was walked in the shedrow Monday morning, the day after he worked 4f in 48 3/5.

            “All is well. He came out of his breeze in good condition,” said Mikki Tsuge, West Coast Representative for the Japan Racing Association, who has been serving as the connections’ liaison at Churchill Downs.

            Trainer Akio Adachi and trainer Tetsuzo Sato are scheduled to arrive in Kentucky on Monday and be at the track for training Tuesday morning. Tsuge said it is possible that Adachi may work the son of Gold Allure again on Wednesday.

            Espoir City has won 11 of 20 career starts, including two Group 1 races, the 2009 Japan Cup Dirt and the 2010 February Stakes, and has purse earnings of $5.9 million  

Etched – The Monmouth Cup winner galloped 1 3/8m over the Polytrack at Darley USA’s Greentree Training Center in Saratoga Springs Monday, the morning before he is scheduled to board a van bound for Churchill Downs and is expected to arrive early Wednesday.

“He’s stabled at Greentree at Saratoga, so it’d be a four-hour van ride down here and then he’d have to be boarded onto a plane,” said trainer Kiaran McLaughlin from Belmont Park. “We figured it would be easier for him to put him in a box stall and van him down there.”

Etched, a 5yo son of Forestry, will be ridden by Alan Garcia.

           First Dude/Paddy O'Prado – First Dude,  Donald Dizney’s Stephen Got Even colt who has held his own against the top 3yos this year, was feeling good Monday  morning as he went to the track to jog 2m on Monday with exercise rider Tammy Fox aboard. It was the colt’s first time to the track since his 5f workout on Saturday in 1:01 1/5.

“He was saying ‘Hi ho silver and bucky, bucky, bucky’,” said Fox, a former jockey and the longtime partner of trainer Dale Romans.

“He was just playing out there,” said Romans. “He’s feeling good. He came out of the work really well.”

Jockey Robby Albarado, who was aboard Romans’ first Breeders’ Cup winner, Tapitsfly last year in the Juvenile Fillies, has the mount on First Dude in the Classic.

Paddy O’Prado, Donegal Racing’s multiple stakes-winner walked the shedrow of Romans’ barn on Monday and will return to the track on Tuesday to jog. The El Prado colt completed preparations for the Classic on Saturday with a 5f workout in 1:01 on Saturday.

Paddy O’Prado had been pre-entered in both the Turf and Classic, but his connections have opted for the Classic.

“It was a breeding decision,” said Romans. “He’s already proved he can run on turf. If he proves can run well in here on dirt, it will really increase his stud value. He ran well on the dirt in the Kentucky Derby and it’s not like the Turf was going to be an easier race. Realistically, we felt he has as good a chance in the Classic as we would have in the Turf.”

Regular rider Kent Desormeaux keeps the mount in the Classic.

Fly Down/Morning Line – Assistant trainer Stacy Prior attended to the training of Fly Down and Morning Line Monday morning at Churchill Downs as trainer Nick Zito was en route to Louisville.

“Everything’s good. Both horses galloped 1 ½ miles,” said Prior, reporting that exercise rider Carlos Correa was aboard both Classic hopefuls.

Gio Ponti – Gio Ponti, who finished second in last year’s Classic, galloped over Belmont Park’s main track this morning.  Gio Ponti was pre-entered in both the Classic and Mile this year.

            “He’s doing great, really excited about running him Saturday,” trainer Christophe Clement said.  “He’s leaving (for Kentucky) Tuesday.”

            Jockey Ramon Dominguez has the mount.

            “I’ve never had a horse like him,” Clement said.  “He’s been top class at two, three, four and five.  He’s a pleasure to be around.”

Haynesfield – Turtle Bird Stable’s Haynesfield, who breezed 4f in 50 on Sunday in his final major move prior to Saturday’s Classic, is “very sharp right now” according to trainer Steve Asmussen.

“The horse is doing well, I’m very pleased,” he said. “With him, it’s all about the gate and how he acts in it, and if he doesn’t lose his race there.”

Such was the case in the Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7 when Haynesfield broke through the gate pre-start, and wound up finishing fourth behind Blame. He would turn the tables on that Classic foe seven weeks later, wiring the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont by four lengths.

“He schools very well in the morning, it’s just the afternoon,” Asmussen said. “The gate setting on the front side is a huge concern.  Ironically, you are able to school at the quarter-pole here, exactly where the gate is set for the race. Hopefully that will be the difference for him.  He has given a few performances away in the past.”

Haynesfield hasn’t run in a race at Churchill before, but he’s worked three times over the track in advance of the Classic.

“We got him in here early because of his quirks, and the horse has responded extremely well,” Asmussen said.  “He’s comfortable with his surroundings, and I’m very happy with the way he travels over this racetrack.”

Asmussen confirmed that Jockey Club Gold Cup winning rider Ramon Dominguez retains the call for the Classic

Musket Man – The 4yo colt, who ran third in his two starts at Churchill Downs, was scheduled to get on a van at Monmouth Park late Monday night for the trip to Kentucky, trainer Derek Ryan said. He is scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon.

“He had his final work at Monmouth Saturday (5f breeze in 1:00 4/5),” Ryan said, “and he’ll gallop up to the race at Churchill Downs.”

Ryan said he’ll arrive at Churchill Downs on Wednesday.

Musket Man, owned by Eric Fein and Vic Carlson, will be housed in Barn 41 on the Churchill backside, taking the same stall he occupied when he ran third in the 2009 Kentucky Derby and third in the Churchill Downs Stakes this year on Derby Day.

In his recent starts, Musket Man was third behind Blame and Quality Road in the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga in August, and last out was second by a neck behind Etched in the Monmouth Cup on Oct. 9.

He’s had two breezes since, 6f in 1:17 at Monmouth on Oct. 23, and then his 5f breeze last Saturday, which was fifth best of 21 works at the distance.

Rajiv Maragh, who was aboard for the first time in the Whitney, gets the call again for the Classic.

Pleasant Prince –  With a solid 5f  workout in 1:01 3/5 on Sunday at Churchill Downs, trainer Wesley Ward’s Pleasant Prince jogged 1m Monday as he continued preparation for Saturday’s Classic at 1 ¼m on the main track.

            Ward said from his Florida base that the 3yo chestnut colt continues to train well and he’s encouraged about how he might run in the race.  The son of Indy King, owned by Kentuckians Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey, broke his maiden at Churchill Downs as a 2yo and returned to finish third the track’s Derby Trial April 24.

            Pleasant Prince will be ridden in the Classic by Southern California-based Joel Rosario, who was in the irons in the colt’s victory in the Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park in his most recent start Oct. 10.

Breeders' Cup Race Order

Here is the final race order  for both days of the Breeders' Cup. There were two changes from the initial schedule released in September. On Friday, the F&M Turf and Juvenile Fillies switched places and the Dirt Mile and Sprint swapped positions on Saturday.

Friday, November 5 – ALL TIMES EASTERN

1.          Allowance           2:00 pm                     

2.          Allowance           2:30 pm                                 

3.         Stakes                3:00 pm         

4.         Stakes                3:30 pm                                   

5.  $500,000 Breeders’ Cup Marathon (gr. III)     -   4:10 p.m.

6.  $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. II) - 4:50 p.m.    

7.  $1 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (gr. I) – 5:30 p.m.

8.  $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) – 6:10 p.m.

9.  $2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. I) – 6:50 p.m.

10. $2 million Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (gr. I) -7:30 p.m.

Saturday, November 6 – ALL TIMES EASTERN

 1.   Allowance               12:05 pm         

 2.  Stakes                    12:35 pm                                 

 3.  Stakes                      1:15 pm                                 

  4. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. II) -1:50 p.m.

  5. $2 million Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) - 2:30 p.m.

  6. $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (gr. II) -3:15 p.m.

  7. $2 million Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) - 3:55 p.m.

  8. $2 million TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I) - 4:40 p.m.

  9. $1 Million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (gr. I) -5:20 p.m.

 10. $3 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I) – 6:00 p.m.

 11. $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) - 6:45 p.m.

Now What?

There was a time when it wasn't a matter if Rachel Alexandra would win; it was simply an issue of how badly she would beat her opponents. Now we wonder if she can beat the elite horses in the nation.

On Sunday at Saratoga, Rachel looked like she might capture her first Grade 1 and major race of 2010 as the field came down the home stretch for the final time. But in the final sixteenth of a mile of the Personal Ensign, she began to get very leg weary and a very ordinary horse named Persistently went right by Rachel in the final strides.

"After we put away Life at Ten at the quarter pole, I didn't feel any acceleration and I got worried," jockey Calvin Borel said. "She wasn't really there. I knew if anyone was running behind us, we were in trouble."

If she was defeated by Life at Ten in Sunday's race, it would not have been as big of a disappointment as Life at Ten entered the Personal Ensign with a six race winning streak. But Persistently had only won three times in 13 races and had trouble beating horses that weren't in the same league as Rachel or Life at Ten.

Now, what does the future hold for the defending "Horse of the Year?"

"I'm very disappointed that she lost but I am very happy with Rachel," Rachel's trainer Steve Asmussen said. "It hurts to lose and you're disappointed for it but if that's the case, just think how happy she's made you and all the things has done for us...If she isn't exactly where she was last year, hopefully she can get back there."

As for her next race, Asmussen said  "We want to evaluate who we are and who she is and where she is at. We're just worried about her well being."

One thing about her future is certain, she will not be a two-time Horse of the Year. What is almost as certain is that she will not run in the Breeders' Cup Classic against the best horses in the country. She would have little chance to beat the likes of Blame, Quality Road and the undefeated Zenyatta. The most likely spot for her will be the Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic where she will have a chance to salvage a good year.

But a good year is not what everyone expected. We were counting on another great year with the hope that she and Zenyatta would meet to prove who was the best female horse in the country. Now her last shot to be in the spotlight will come in the Breeders' Cup.

Before all the Rachel bashers come out of the "wood works" we need to remember one thing; her 2009 campaign was still one of the greatest ever for a 3-year-old filly. Rachel was 8-for-8 last year including wins over the boys in the Preakness, Haskell and Woodward and a near 20-length victory in the Kentucky Oaks. Truly amazing.

What she has done this year should not take anything away from her accomplishments last year.

Rachel just appears to be a filly who peaked in 2009. That is very common in racing. We all just had reasonable expectations that her greatness would continue into 2010.

Strong Top Tier

Now that the Triple Crown is behind us, we start to turn our attention to the best horses in the country.

That's not a sleight against the top sophomores like Lookin at Lucky, Super Saver and Drosselmeyer. But the Triple Crown race winners are still growing and developing while the older horses are in their prime.

On Saturday, we saw some of those stars in action in Kentucky and California.

Blame stamped himself as one of the elite when he wore down the regally bred Battle Plan in the Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs. The win was Blame's fourth in a row and now has seven wins in 10 starts.

Battle Plan meanwhile suffered his first loss in his last five tries but should still be a force in the second half of the season.

Earlier in the day at Churchill Downs, defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra (right) reminded everyone she's still a super filly as she obliterated the Fleur de Lis by 10 1/2 lengths.

Her 108 Beyer Speed Figure from Saturday is identical to her record victory in last year's Kentucky Oaks and Preakness. Her record now stands at 12 wins from 17 starts. Not too shabby.

At Hollywood Park, Rail Trip pronoucned himself as the top male on the West Coast as he easily captured the California Handicap. He's now 2-for-2 this year and has won eight of 11 career starts. His only question mark for later in the year is will he duplicate his fantastic form on traditional dirt as all his victories have come in California.

On Sunday, Zenyatta, the undefeated superwoman, will likely stay perfect when she runs in the Vanity at Hollywood Park. (Post time - 7:37 EDT)

The only other horse to watch might be the best of them all. Quality Road, who captured the Met Mile on Memorial Day, has been super since he turned four. He is unbeaten in three starts this year and his win in the Donn Handicap produced the highest Beyer Speed Figure of the year - 121. In fact, Quality Road has two of the four best Beyers of 2010.

And, by the way, Todd Pletcher trains Quality Road, Battle Plan and Super Saver. Talk about a loaded barn.

The summer racing season should be fantastic and culminating with the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs in November.

Photo courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire - www.eclispsesportswire.com

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.