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Woodbine Oaks Day San Diego Hcp Day Highlander Stakes Day North America Cup Belmont Stakes Day |
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 The Breeders' Cup Torrie Horse statue at Del Mar on Wednesday morning. |
Wednesday morning training at Del Mar was conducted under clear skies with temperatures in the low 70's. The post position draw was conducted Monday afternoon, so check out all the entries, post positions, and morning line odds here. There were four timed works today: Silawi, American Stage, Forever Young, and Alice Verite. Sovereignty was scratched from the Classic on Wednesday morning due to spiking a fever on Tuesday that did not respond to treatment.
Here are photos for 51 of the horses on the track Wednesday morning. Click the small picture to see a larger version.
Antiquarian (Classic) galloped 1 1/4 miles under exercise rider Edy Quinteros, schooled in the starting gate and later in the paddock. Co-owner Don Little Jr. said, "He is (a graded stakes horse) physically and mentally. I've been driving from Boston to Saratoga every Friday to go watch his breezes and they were consistently getting better visually. Time is time, and Todd's very consistent with the breeze times. Interestingly, after the seven-furlong race, his first race at Gulfstream this year. We knew that seven furlongs wasn't going to be a forte. Even after that race (won by 2 1/2 lengths), when he crossed the finish line, Todd looked at me, and I looked at Todd, and he says, 'Wow, he showed a lot more speed than I thought he had.' He's showing that in his races, because he's been a little bit more forwardly placed. It's just neat to see the individual improve and be on the incline at the right time."
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Baeza (Classic) galloped twice around and then schooled in the paddock. Trainer John Shirreffs said, "I thought he went very well. He's smart and he's very classy, especially on the racetrack. He's matured a lot. I was really looking forward to the race with Sovereignty in it. It's a little disappointing that he's not in it. We were within two lengths of Sovereignty in the Jim Dandy, and I thought Baeza ran a terrific race. He broke from the one hole, so he never got a break during the whole race because for him to relax a little and drop back, he would have caught all the dirt, so he had to maintain his position all the way."
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Fierceness (Classic) galloped 1 1/4 miles under exercise rider Danny Wright and visited the starting gate. Trainer Todd Pletcher said, "I feel bad for the connections (of Sovereignty, scratched) and the racing public that was looking forward to seeing him run. It's just one of those things as a trainer you hate to see that happen. You put so much thought and effort into what you're going to do training-wise, where you're going to do your preparations when you're going to ship, when you're going have your last breeze and you try to cover every base and try to do everything just right and things like this can still happen."
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Forever Young (Classic) breezed 4f in 51 seconds under jockey Ryusei Sakai in company with American Stage. Trainer Yoshito Yahago said, "I thought his work might be too light by watching his breeze. His rider, Ryusei, said it was a good piece of work. Everything is going well so far, and we need to keep his condition until the race. We are here to win the Classic and I will leave it with my jockey." Sakai added, "I checked his action on the final corner as it is crucial at a tight track, Del Mar. He moved well and it was perfect work this morning. This is a redemption against last year's winner and runner-up. It is probably the last chance to beat both of them in a race so I would like to get everything out of him and become the champion in the world."
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Journalism (Classic) galloped 1 mile under exercise rider Marc Witnowski and visited the starting gate. Trainer Mike McCarthy said about the scratch of Sovereignty, "I don't think it's good. I don't think it's ever good when a horse scratches. It's unfortunate for the fans. It's unfortunate for the connections. On big days like this, all you want to do is everybody to get the starting gate doing as well as they could possibly be doing and let them figure it out on the race track."
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Mindframe (Classic) galloped 1 1/4 miles with rider Carlos Perez, visited the starting gate, and schooled in the paddock. Trainer Todd Pletcher said of the bumping incident at the Jockey Club Gold Cup that unseated Irad Ortiz, Jr., "We were, first of all, very fortunate that he came out of the race relatively unscathed. It's unfortunate that the whole thing happened and scary watching it. My biggest concern was that he was accustomed to doing his daily training on the main track and going on and off the quarter pole gap. And a lot of times when horses get loose they're looking for their way back to the barn and the quarter pole gap would have been that way. I was scared that he might try to jump, jump the gate there, where he normally goes on and off. That was, that was sort of frightening. Once he once he cleared that, I could tell the outriders were in position to catch him, and then I could kind of return my focus to watching the race itself and seeing Antiquarian."
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Nevada Beach (Classic) galloped 1 1/2 miles. Trainer Bob Baffert said, "Those things (scratch of Sovereignty) happen; it has happened to all of us. It's disappointing to the connections that worked so hard to get him here. He was really doing well. That's why we never relax until we put the saddle on. We are on pins and needles. A thousand things can go wrong."
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Sierra Leone (Classic) galloped 1 1/2 miles. Trainer Chad Brown said, "Everything went well today. He looked great."
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Clicquot (Distaff) galloped an easy mile. Trainer Brendan Walsh said, "She definitely looked to get over the track well today; moving over it great. She gate schooled today and will paddock school tomorrow. I'm very happy with her and Gin Gin going into the race. So far, so good."
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Dorth Vader (Distaff) galloped once around then schooled in the paddock. Trainer George Weaver said, "She's been a star of our stable. She is very athletic and always has been. She covers ground easily – a very forward filly. She has matured over time. Early on, she was a little edgy and could get nervous about things. She's really settled into a nice groove now as she's gotten older and it's shown in her races. She has been able to show how much she can run."
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Gun Song (Distaff) galloped 1 1/4 miles under exercise rider Gregory Benitez. Trainer Mark Hennig talked about being an assistant to the late D. Wayne Lukas back in 1988. "He had a big day that year. He won the Sprint with Gulch, the Juvenile Fillies with Open Mind and the Juvenile with Is It True," Hennig said. Asked if he was at Churchill Downs, he added, "No. I was at Belmont with his string there."
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Majestic Oops (Distaff) galloped once around. Trainer Dan Ward said, “It’s really good to be back. I know everybody. We’ll give her one bad race (4th in Delaware Handicap). The track was as hard as this road that day. She’s doing really good.”
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Nitrogen (Distaff) galloped once around. Trainer Mark Casse said, "We're ready, so it's just a matter of keeping her happy. I had to make a decision. I like her back in four weeks. That's kind of her deal. It was one of the reasons why we chose the Spinster. There were a couple reasons, but that was one of them. So, I like how we have good timing going into this race."
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Regaled (Distaff) galloped once around under exercise rider Josue Rodriguez and visited the starting gate. Trainer Whit Beckman, making his first trip to Del Mar said, "It has been a fun ride. You start out with two horses and you are out of the mainstream. You look for bigger spots and I have been fortunate enough to run in the (Kentucky) Derby and Oaks. I hope this is the springboard to take me to the next step."
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Scottish Lassie (Distaff) galloped 1 1/4 miles and schooled in the paddock. Trainer Jorge Abreu said, “She looked like she was smooth galloping around there. She’s pretty laid back. She’s been here before. So far, we’re in good shape.”
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Seismic Beauty (Distaff) galloped 1 3/8 miles. Trainer Bob Baffert said, "I am bowled over by all of them when they first come in. When we first breezed her, we knew she was special. She was a beautiful, big and long. She goes over this track so well and the track is in such great condition."
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Amiloc (Turf) drew post 3 for trainer Ralph Beckett. Rossa Ryan rides the 10-1 chance.
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Ethical Diamond (Turf) galloped once around. Trainer Willie Mullins, who mostly trains jumpers said, “He's come out of the Ebor very well. I've been very happy with him over the last few weeks. He's in great shape and the Breeders' Cup Turf might suit him.
He's had a few setbacks through his career, and he's just come right now. All he has done is kept on improving and we've figured out how best to ride him, too. He was very good at York.”
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Rebel's Romance (Turf) galloped once around on the turf. Jockey William Buick said, "It's amazing to go after history with him, but he's also an amazing horse, when it comes down to it. I think a lot of credit has to go to Charlie Appleby and his team for being able to keep him at the level he has been throughout most of his career and to keep him as interested and as happy as he is in still doing the job. Credit to the horse, but also credit to the people behind him. He's a beast of an animal and has such presence. His enthusiasm is second-to-none and he looks exceptional going around there. He steps out onto that track and he means purpose every day. He brings to the Breeders' Cup table experience and an abundance of it. The best part for us, though, as a team, is to take him around the world and see what it means to everyone else when he wins."
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Redistricting (Turf) galloped 1 1/2 miles in tandem with stablemate Chancer McPatrick. Trainer Chad Brown said, "Redistricting drew cozy (post 4) and that horse is another who will like the shorter-cut turf here at Del Mar. He had a big gap behind the favorite in the race in his last start, which doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy having to go in again and run against Rebel's Romance, but he will like this course. He's still improving and it's a $5 million race," Brown concluded. "I'm not confused about his chances, but for this purse and how he's doing, I think he could get a piece of this race with a good inside draw, especially, and he got that. I have a top jockey on him (Flavien Prat) and we will try to map out a good trip. At a minimum, we could get a nice forward trip in the pocket, which wouldn't be a bad thing."
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Wimbledon Hawkeye (Turf) drew post 6 for trainer James Owen. Frankie Dettori rides the 20-1 outsider.
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Bellezza (Filly and Mare Turf) drew post 12 for trainer Miguel Clement. Tyler Gaffalione rides the 20-1 outsider.
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Cathedral (Filly and Mare Turf) drew post 8 for trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy. David Egan rides the 30-1 outsider.
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Diamond Rain (Filly and Mare Turf) galloped once around on the turf. Trainer Charlie Appleby said, "Diamond Rain is one big girl and the challenge is going to be that track. In the E.P. Taylor, she was on the outer track at Woodbine, there, and again she sort of struggled there a bit, but she gained experience. We tried to educate as best we can at home. She gets the trip and seems to handle that ground, so she goes there as a player who takes sensible form into the race."
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See the Fire (Filly and Mare Turf) drew the outside post 14 for trainer Andrew Balding. Oisin Murphy rides the 5-1 third choice.
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She Feels Pretty (Filly and Mare Turf) drew post 13 for trainer Cherie DeVaux. Regular rider John Velazquez gets the call aboard the the 4-1 morning line second choice.
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Stellify (Filly and Mare Turf) drew post 2 for trainer Brad Cox. Florent Geroux rides the 30-1 outsider.
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Village Voice (Filly and Mare Turf) galloped once around. Trainer Chad Brown said, "She will have to take a fair move forward, but then again, I sort of worked backwards looking at the American horses first, thinking that if she fits with those, I would take my chances with who ships over. Some years they send great ones, sometimes it's not their best Euros, on top of that sometimes they don't take to our courses. The three-turn Filly & Mare Turf is not our top group. I've said it over and over again, it's two-turn horses in America, and it didn't take a lot for Village Voice to make up a lot of ground on this division because it's not our strongest group."
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Argine (Mile) breezed 5f on turf in 1:10.60 under jockey Frankie Dettori. Dettori said, "She didn't change her hand, but it was only because I was going slow, she will be fine at racing pace. Very light on her feet and that's what you need for this kind of tight track like Del Mar. Not too big, she is perfect. She is very happy and in good shape. It was just light work and for me to get a feeling of her. All the signs I got were good."
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Johannes (Mile) drew post 7 for trainer Tim Yakteen. Umberto Rispoli rides the 8-1 morning line fifth choice.
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American Stage (Sprint) drew post 9 for trainer Yoshito Yahagi. Ryusei Sakai rides the 30-1 longshot.
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Big City Lights (Sprint) drew post 5 for trainer Richard Mandella. Kazushi Kimura rides the 15-1 shot.
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Lovesick Blues (Sprint) drew post 3 for trainer Librado Barocio. Geovanni Franco rides the 10-1 chance.
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Hope Road (Filly and Mare Sprint) drew post 8 for trainer Bob Baffert. Jose Ortiz rides the 4-1 third choice on the morning line.
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Ag Bullet (Turf Sprint) drew post 8 for trainer Richard Baltas. John Velazquez rides the 4-1 second choice.
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Reef Runner (Turf Sprint) drew post 2 for trainer David Fawkes. Tyler Gaffalione rides the 6-1 fourth choice.
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Nysos (Dirt Mile) is the 8-5 morning line favorite from post 3. Flavien Prat gets the call for trainer Bob Baffert.
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Touch of Destiny (Dirt Mile) drew post 9 for trainer Mike McCarthy. His regular rider from Uruguay, Luis Caceres rides the 20-1 longshot.
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White Abarrio (Dirt Mile) drew the outside 10 post for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. The 8-1 shot gets regular rider Irad Ortiz Jr.
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Blackout Time (Juvenile) drew post 2 for trainer Ken McPeek. Irad Ortiz Jr. rides the 5-1 third choice on the morning line.
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Brant (Juvenile) galloped 1 3/8 miles. Trainer Bob Baffert said, "He is looking good. Ted Noffey is a tough horse, and he is already proven around two turns and we are not. We are not going to know until they turn for home. I feel good about him going in."
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Ted Noffey (Juvenile) galloepd 1 mile under exercise rider Carlos Perez. Ned Toffey, general manager for owner Spendthrift Farm (the horse's namesake after a trade publication misspelled his name!) said, "He's done nothing wrong so far. He's done everything we've asked of him, and he's maybe even exceeded expectations. But it's the Breeders Cup. He's got some new challenges. His last start, he did have a long van ride, a new track and two turns and he handled all of those things well. I think that that bodes well for his ability to handle shipping out to Del Mar. He'll have another long ship, new scenery, new surface, and, probably most importantly, some new and very good competition. It doesn't get any easier, but certainly he has done everything right and hopefully we'll get lucky and that will continue."
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Bottle of Rouge (Juvenile Fillies) drew post 2 for trainer Bob Baffert. Mike Smith rides the 9-2 third choice.
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Caro Buono (Juvenile Turf) is the lone also-eligible. Should he draw in Jose Ortiz rides for trainer Leonard Powell aboard the 30-1 outsider.
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Heeeres's Johnny (Juvenile Turf) drew the inside post 1 for trainer Ray Handal. Javier Castellano rides the 15-1 shot.
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Stark Contrast (Juvenile Turf) drew post 8 for trainer Mike McCarthy. Kazushi Kimura will ride the 30-1 longshot.
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Turf Star (Juvenile Turf) schooled at the gap and galloped 1 38 miles. Trainer Graham Motion said, "He really is a flashy guy, and he's so laid back. He takes everything in stride. Even in the mornings, he kind of flops around there and is disinterested. He's a very cool horse. He's got a remarkable attitude. People have been noticing on the track, and they're not wrong – he is adorable."
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Imaginationthelady (Juvenile Fillies Turf) galloped 1 1/2 miles. Trainer Brendan Walsh said, "Last time, Frankie (Dettori) did a great job on her in the Jessamine. He took her back where she was in between horses and it seemed there was plenty of pace in there. He did a hell of a job educating her, because I don't know how much she learned the first day when she broke her maiden at Kentucky Downs. He waited a while and I was like 'are you going to move on her,' but he just had so much confidence in her. He knew he had so much horse and was able to do that, which I thought was great."
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Bobrovsky (Juvenile Turf Sprint) is the third also-eligible. Should he draw in, the 15-1 shot gets Junior Alvarado for trainer Dale Romans.
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Military Code (Juvenile Turf Sprint) drew post 2 for trainer Charlie Appleby. William Buick rides the 12-1 shot.
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Photos courtesy of Amber Chalfin of Downthestretchphotos.com.
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