Following is a look at the Sunday morning activity and planned activity for the horses set to compete in the $2-million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, plus comments from their trainers.
Horse: A Mo Reay
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs.
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California.
Horse: Adare Manor
Trainer: Bob Baffert
Set: 7:45 a.m. PDT
Morning Activity: Worked 4f in :48 1/5 as final tune-up for Distaff.
Planned Activity: Will walk on Monday, then return to the track Tuesday and gallop up to the race.
Closer Look: Adare Manor is a filly who goes to great lengths. In nine career starts at Santa Anita Park, home of the 40th Breeders' Cup World Championships, the daughter of Uncle Mo has won six —five of them stakes — by an average margin of almost seven lengths, including lopsided triumphs by 12 and 13 lengths, respectively. And as her trainer, Bob Baffert, is quick to note, “She's an Amazon with a huge stride.”
But the 4-year-old will need all of her impressive talent for Saturday's $2-million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) against a stellar field of fillies and mares in the 1 1/8-mile race.
“She'll be running against a different type of filly on Saturday,” Baffert said. “She's a big, fast filly and she has a great mind. But this will be a class test. Her last race was great, but this is a step up. To win this race, you need to have a really good horse and have real good luck. Winning these races,” he concluded, “is not easy.”
Baffert, who has won more money with his trainees at the Breeders' Cup, is but two victories behind the all-time leader D. Wayne Lukas, with 18. Yet, amazingly, the Distaff is one of the rare major events that he never has won.
The Hall of Fame conditioner was keen on Adare Manor when she was plucked from a 2 year-olds-in-training sale in Ocala, Florida, for $375,000. Baffert had trained Indian Charlie, winner of the 1998 Santa Anita Derby (G1), who was the filly's paternal grandsire.
“Indian Charlie was a really nice horse. I also trained his dam, Soviet Sojourn, who was one of my earliest stakes winners. I knew the family well,” Baffert said.
Adare Manor, who is named for the luxury golf hotel in Ireland, was slow to develop, going winless in her first two starts as a juvenile. But once the calendar flipped to her 3-year-old year and the distances of her races increased from sprints to two turns, she blossomed. In back-to-back starts, she won by a combined 25 lengths, including her first stakes victory at Santa Anita. It was no surprise to Baffert that the filly would improve over more ground, given her massive stride. She had two narrow losses in two Grade 2 races before distant sixth at Parx Racing in the Cotillion (G1) sent her to the sidelines for the rest of the year.
Observed Baffert, “I gave her some time off because she didn't act like she was enjoying herself. The freshening was what she needed. She's had a chance to fill out.”
During her 4-year-old campaign, Adare Manor has reeled off five consecutive wins from six starts, the past four of which were stakes capped by a resounding front-running domination in the Zenyatta Stakes (G2) at her home track of Santa Anita. With the triumph, her career earnings stand on the cusp of $1 million. A win in the Distaff would both push her into the seven-figure category and provide her trainer with his initial victory in the race.
Horse: Clairiere
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Morning Activity: Worked 4f in :50 1/5 at Santa Anita
Planned Activity: Will walk Monday
Horse: Desert Dawn
Trainer: Phil D'Amato
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked at the barn following Saturday's final prep before the Distaff.
Planned Activity: Will return to the track to jog on Monday.
The Quote: “All systems are go.” – Phil D'Amato
Horse: Hoosier Philly
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Set: 7:45 a.m. ET at Churchill Downs
Morning Activity: Stood in starting gate and jogged a mile over sloppy track
Planned Activity: Ships to Santa Anita on Monday
The Quote: “It was her first day back on track after her work (:47 1/5 half-mile on Friday). She had a light day and the track conditions didn't affect us.” – Tom Amoss
Horse: Idiomatic
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California
The Quote: “She's as good as she's ever been right now.” – Brad Cox
Horse: Le Da Vida (CHI)
Trainer: Ignacio Correas IV
Set: Keeneland
Morning Activity: One day after breezing 4f in :49 flat at Keeneland, the Spinster Stakes (G1) runner-up jogged an easy lap at the Lexington oval.
Planned Activity: Expected to ship from Kentucky to California on Monday.
Horse: Pretty Mischievous
Trainer: Brendan Walsh
Set: Churchill Downs
Morning Activity: Light day of training over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.
Planned Activity: Scheduled to ship to Santa Anita on Monday.
Horse: Randomized
Trainer: Chad Brown
Set: NA
Morning Activity: En route to Santa Anita following 4f breeze in :49 breeze at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Horse: Search Results
Trainer: Chad Brown
Set: NA
Morning Activity: En route to Santa Anita following 4f breeze in :48 2/5 at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Horse: Wet Paint
Trainer: Brad Cox
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shedrow at Churchill Downs
Planned Activity: Will ship Monday to California
Closer Look: Godolphin LLC's cleverly named Wet Paint was one of the top 3-year-old fillies early in the year, going off as the Kentucky Oaks (G1) favorite, but she is coming into the Distaff in the shadows of several top older fillies and mares, including her own stablemate, Idiomatic, who figures to be the Distaff favorite.
Wet Paint came into the Kentucky Oaks riding a three-race win streak, but had to settle for fourth behind another Godolphin filly, Pretty Mischievous. That was followed by a disappointing second in the Monomoy Girl Overnight Stakes before her first career Grade 1 victory in the Coaching Club of America Oaks at Saratoga July 22. She has not started since she finished second to the front-running Randomized in the Alabama Stakes (G1) Aug. 19 at Saratoga and comes into the Distaff fresh by design.
“She's doing excellent right now,” trainer Brad Cox said. “We had never really given her a break and we love what we are seeing from her right now. She's developed over the fall. She's put on weight, she's lengthened a bit. We've loved what we've seen in her last three or four works.”
While Godolphin will be represented by both Wet Paint and the Kentucky Oaks winner in the Distaff, there are several ladies at the farm that are slightly partial to Wet Paint having helped name the filly after a funny incident involving Tammy Masterson, who has worked for Godolphin for 22 years.
Masterson was at Saratoga when Godolphin's Essential Quality won the Travers (G1) and in her excitement to have her picture with the jockey statue painted in the colors of the winning Travers owner, she didn't realize the paint was still wet and got her hand covered in the Godolphin royal blue, which promoted the artist to hang a sign on the statue saying “Wet Paint.” Vicky Van Camp, Godolphin's racing research coordinator was with Masterson that day and remembered the incident when it came time to name a filly by Blame out of the mare Sky Painter and quickly suggested the name Wet Paint.
“I'm really fond of the filly,” Van Camp said. “She's been so honest and consistent. Brad's done a great job with her. I was with Stonerside Farm before coming to Godolphin and I go back five generations with the family. I had actually named her mother as well. It's been wonderful to watch the family continue to develop. And, Tammy is just such a great person, so much fun to be around. I don't think if it had happened to any other person, we would have laughed so hard or had so much fun with it that day.”
Masterson says she gets more and more embarrassed about that day every time she tells the story, but really enjoyed watching Wet Paint develop into a top 3-year-old filly.
“It was my first big race day and I just got super, super excited,” Masterson said. “As we were leaving the track we saw the statue and I just ran right up to it. I remember everyone scream 'wet paint,' 'wet paint,' but I was completely oblivious. When I looked at my hand it was a solid blue and my group caught some funny pictures with the artist's face. She was just in disbelief.
“Vicky did a great job naming the filly. It's been a lot of fun, it's been a blast being associated with her name and having her do so well on the track. When our other filly won the Oaks I had to hide my disappointment because I was rooting for Wet Paint. It will be a lot fun to watch both of them run on Saturday.”
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