ARCADIA, Calif. – American Pharoah, trainer Bob Baffert’s leading 2-year-old, worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 on Tuesday at Santa Anita, preparing for the BC Juvenile on Nov. 1.
Owned by Zayat Stables, American Pharoah won two Grade 1 races in September – the Del Mar Futurity over seven furlongs Sept. 3 and the FrontRunner Stakes over 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 27.
“He worked very nice,” Baffert said. “We’re ready to run.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – Kent Desormeaux is eager for a comeback.
The 44-year-old Hall of Fame jockey has been sidelined since being powerfully kicked in the chest after falling from his mount in a post parade at Santa Anita on Sept. 28. He was hospitalized for two days after suffering a collapsed lung and fractured ribs on his left side.
On Sunday, Desormeaux was a visitor for morning workouts and said he was targeting a return to riding Oct. 25. If he makes that date, Desormeaux could ride for several days before the Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
MIAMI – After getting off to a bit of a rocky start due to a technical glitch at several simulcast sites last Wednesday and Thursday, business picked up steadily during the opening week of the inaugural Gulfstream Park West meet.
On Saturday, all-sources handle on the 10-race program was just under $3.5 million. That was the fourth-highest handle of any track in the country, behind Belmont Park, Santa Anita, and Keeneland. Fueling the business at Gulfstream Park West have been large fields averaging more than 10 starters per race.
MIAMI - East Hall, the upset winner of the Grade 2 Indiana Derby in his last start, will run next in the Grade 3 Discovery at Aqueduct on Nov. 1, trainer Bill Kaplan said.
“It’s a mile and one-eighth, which is perfect for him, and for 3-year-olds only,” said Kaplan. “He’s doing so well he can come back in four weeks.”
Kaplan also said that Naval Command, who finished fifth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland, might accompany East Hall to New York for the Grade 3 Tempted on Nov. 2.
MIAMI - Trainer Marcus Vitali said he was considering his options for Grade 1 winner Lochte following his second-place finish as the odds-on favorite in a one-mile allowance race at Gulfstream Park West on Sunday. One of those options for Lochte, who was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by former claimer Dreams Cut Short, is the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Vitali said he also must decide whether to send Valid to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile following his victory Saturday in the Eight Miles West.
The usual suspects are lining up for the Maryland Million at Laurel Park on Saturday.
The 8-year-old Eighttofasttocatch will try for his third Classic win, the 7-year-old Roadhog will attempt to win the Turf for the third straight year, and fans of the 8-year-old Ben’s Cat – already a winner of three Maryland Million races – are hoping he will opt for the Sprint rather than the Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine the following day.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for new blood in the seven-stakes series.
After an easy half-mile drill last week, Shared Belief picked up the pace this week with a sharp five-furlong drill in 1:00.60 on Tuesday at Golden Gate Fields, the second of four scheduled workouts he will have prior to the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 1 at Santa Anita.
As usual, Russell Baze, the Hall of Fame jockey, was aboard for the work for his longtime supporter, trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. Mike Smith has the mount in the Breeders’ Cup.
Hollendorfer said Shared Belief began his work “a few lengths behind a set of horses,” then breezed past them.
Big Macher may be one of the best-kept secrets in this year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint. Idle since an uncharacteristically poor sixth-place finish in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien at Del Mar on Aug. 24, Big Macher will come into the Sprint a fresh horse off a series of swift works that includes six furlongs in 1:11.40 on Monday at Santa Anita.
Big Macher is a California-bred son of Beau Genius trained by Richard Baltas for the partnership of Tom Mansor and Tachycardia Stables. The O’Brien marked the first time the former claimer had finished off the board in his last eight starts.
Delta Downs in Vinton, La., opens its 88-date meet Wednesday night, and track officials are looking for a fast start to the meet that has drawn full fields for its first week of racing and is on the countdown to its $2.3 million Jackpot program on Nov. 22.
Sweet Reason is back on target for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint after recovering from an eye injury suffered in her runner-up finish behind Untapable in the Sept. 20 Cotillion at Parx.
Trainer Leah Gyarmati said Monday from her Belmont Park base that Sweet Reason “missed maybe a week and a half of training” before returning to the track last week.
