Lucky 13? Brown Puts Breeders’ Cup Arsenal Through Final Rehearsals In New York

Trainer Chad Brown will be sending out a baker's dozen in pursuit of victories at the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. The four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner breezed the bulk of his Breeders' Cup contingent on Sunday morning at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Rushing Fall, an aspirant for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf for e Five Thoroughbred Racing, went a half-mile in 50.69 seconds in company with Peter Brant's Sistercharlie [50.66] over a soft inner turf.

Rushing Fall, a 5-year-old bay mare by leading Breeders' Cup producing stallion More Than Ready, will look to become only the fifth horse to notch victories in two different Breeders' Cup races. During her juvenile campaign, Rushing Fall won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar.

Rushing Fall is unbeaten this year in three starts, all at different tracks, while garnering triple-digit speed figures. Following a 2020 debut win in the Grade 3 Beaugay on June 3 at Belmont Park, she scored back-to-back Grade 1 wins in the Jenny Wiley on July 11 at Keeneland and the Diana on August 23 at Saratoga.

“She's been training well,” said e Five Thoroughbred Racing owner Bob Edwards. “I've been speaking with Chad quite a bit. She's a mare that works better with breaks, so we gave her a little freshening after the Diana. We know she loves Keeneland. I'm looking forward to the Breeders' Cup and hopefully she gets a good trip.”

Rushing Fall, who has earned $2,553,000 while boasting a 14-11-2-0 record, is scheduled to go through the sales ring at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale following the Breeders' Cup, where she will be consigned by Indian Creek.

“It's kind of bittersweet,” Edwards said. “Regardless of what happens, we're still proud of her. She's sound and she's training well. Coming back after last year's Keeneland race [fourth-place finish in the Grade 1 First Lady] she wasn't herself. We felt we had to race her one more year and it's all paid off.

“She's gotten more mature and confident in herself,” Edwards added. “She has a gorgeous blaze, great head, and great body. It's a test going mile and three-sixteenths since she's never gone that long before, but Chad is a phenomenal trainer and he's won this before.”

Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano has been aboard Rushing Fall in all of her starts and seeks a 13th Breeders' Cup victory in the Filly and Mare Turf.

Sistercharlie is in pursuit of a second triumph in the Filly Mare and Turf. The seven-time Grade 1 winner was third in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa and Grade 1 Diana, both at Saratoga and will attempt to join Ouija Board [2004, 2006] as the only horses to score non-consecutive wins in the Filly and Mare Turf. Brown's remaining Filly and Mare Turf hopefuls My Sister Nat and Nay Lady Nay, the second and third-place finishers last out in the Grade 1 Flower Bowl on October 10 at Belmont, also worked a half-mile on the inner turf Sunday in company with Eliade and Digital Age, respectively.

Also on the work tab for Brown was Uni, the winner of last year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Mile, who went a half-mile in 50.60 in company with Domestic Spending. Uni seeks a repeat victory in the event coming off a second consecutive triumph in the Grade 1 First Lady on October 3 at Keeneland.

The four-time Grade 1 winning 6-year-old chestnut daughter of More Than Ready was third to stablemate Newspaperofrecord in the Grade 1 Just a Game on June 27 over the Widener turf at Belmont before an uncharacteristic seventh as the favorite in the Grade 1 Fourstardave over the Saratoga Mellon turf.

“Her last couple of works have shown that she's really starting to show her old self,” said Bradley Weisbord, who manages Uni on behalf of owners Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta and Bethlehem Stables. “Going from five to six, some horses may take a few races to knock the rust off. She's got a major turn of foot and it looks like we're going to get firm ground for Saturday. She's won on many different surfaces, but firm turf is where she is best.”

Uni will attempt to become the sixth horse to notch back-to-back Mile victories following Miesque [1987-88], Lure [1993-94], Da Hoss [1996,98], Goldikova [2008-10] and Wise Dan [2012-13].

Digital Age completed his half-mile work in 51.25. Owned by Klaravich Stables, the Irish-bred son of Invincible Sprit won the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon on September 5 at Churchill Downs last out.

Peter Brant's Editor At Large [Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf], third in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 4 at Belmont Park last out, worked a half-mile in 50.75 in company with Klaravich Stables' Public Sector [Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf], second in the Grade 2 Pilgrim on October 3 at Belmont Park, who was clocked in 50.69. Brown won the Juvenile Turf last year with Structor.

On the main track, Brown sent out Klaravich Stables' Complexity, winner of the Grade 2 Kelso last out, for a half-mile breeze in 49.21. The son of Maclean's Music, who won the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont Park as a 2-year-old, has given first preference to the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile over the Sprint. Also for Brown and Klaravich, Reinvestment Risk went a half-mile in 49.04 seconds in preparation for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile, which Brown won with Good Magic in 2017. The son of first-crop sire Upstart was a recent second in the Grade 1 Champagne to likely Juvenile favorite Jackie's Warrior.

Peter Brant's Dunbar Road logged a five-furlong work in 1:00.60 for Brown. The winner of last year's Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga is targeting the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff, which she finished fifth in last year.

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Turf Sprint: Drysdale Has Oleksandra Fit Off The Layoff

Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale, currently overseeing a stable of six horses at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., said last-out Grade 1 Jaipur winner Oleksandra looked sharp in her six-furlong breeze Sunday in 1:14.04 on Big Sandy in preparation for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

“She's doing very well,” said Drysdale. “She doesn't need speed because she's very fast. She worked in company behind another horse and started a half dozen lengths back and finished well.”

The ultra-consistent Animal Kingdom mare, Team Valor homebred, sports a record of 15-7-3-3 with purse earnings of $537,353. She rallied from last to beat the boys in the six-furlong Jaipur on June 20.

Oleksandra has worked six times on the Belmont main since October 2, including a trio of half-furlong breezes in close succession, ahead of a strong five-furlong effort in 1:01.58 last week.

“That was because of the layoff to get her fit,” said Drysdale regarding the busy work pattern. “We gave her some small easy works and then we've only done two serious works – this one and the last one.”

Oleksandra won the Grade 3 Buffalo Trace Franklin County in October 2019 in her only start at Keeneland.

“She's won down there and if it comes up a bit soft she doesn't mind,” said Drysdale.

A six-time Breeders' Cup winner, Drysdale won the 1992 Belmont Stakes with A.P. Indy and added a Kentucky Derby win to his ledger in 2000 with Fusaichi Pegasus.

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Clement, Hoping For First Breeders’ Cup Win, Works Pair For Future Stars Friday Races

Trainer Christophe Clement sent out a pair of Breeders' Cup probables to the main track at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., early Sunday, with Plum Ali [Juveniles Fillies Turf] breezing three-eighths in 36.11 and Momos [Juvenile Turf Sprint] clocked in 35.20 over a Big Sandy track labeled fast.

Clement said he was pleased with both efforts before the pair ship to Lexington, Ky., for the Breeders' Cup Future Stars Friday at Keeneland. Plum Ali galloped out in 48.37 while Momos went in 49.22, according to DRF.

“They had an easy work on dirt and looked great,” Clement said. “I'm very happy with the two of them. They came back in good shape. Now, it's just about keeping them happy as they ship off to Kentucky tomorrow, and we'll go from there.”

The duo will look to give Clement his first career Breeders' Cup win after a slew of close calls, with the conditioner saddling six runners-up, six third-place finishes and eight fourth-place efforts in 38 previous starts entering this year's World Championships from November 6-7.

Owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, Plum Ali will put her 3-for-3 record on the line in the $1 million contest going one mile. The First Samurai filly made a successful debut on July 23 at Saratoga, posting a come-from-behind two-length victory going 1 1/16 miles. Cut back to the Juvenile Fillies Turf distance in her stakes debut, she again tracked the early speed before showing great closing speed, powering home a 2 ¾-length victor in the Mint Juvenile Fillies on September 7 at Kentucky Downs.

Stepping up to graded stakes company, Plum Ali improved her Beyer Speed Figure for a third consecutive race, netting an 82 for her 2 1/4-length win in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Miss Grillo on October 4 over firm Belmont turf.

Momos, owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable and Secure Investments, also posted a debut win at the Spa, winning by 6 ½ furlongs over the main track on July 18. The son of Distorted Humor stayed on the same surface for a third-place finish in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special on August 7 before making his turf debut last out with a third-place effort – one length behind winner Second of July – in the Grade 3 Futurity going six furlongs on October 11 at Belmont.

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‘No Excuses,’ Baffert Said After Improbable Finishes Preparations For His Classic Trio

Trainer Bob Baffert put the finishing touches on his $6-million, Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic “triple threat” on Sunday morning at Santa Anita when Improbable worked a strong six furlongs in 1:11.40 on a fast track under exercise rider Juan Ochoa.

On Saturday, Baffert's two other contenders for the 1 1/4-mile Classic worked five furlongs at the Arcadia, Calif., track in preparation for their Nov. 7 engagement at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. G1 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic worked the distance in :59.60 and Maximum Security, the 2019 3-year-old male champion, covered five furlongs in 1:00.60 in company.

“No excuses for any of them,” Baffert said. “They're all training as good as they can possibly be doing.”

Baffert's horses will ship to Kentucky on Tuesday.

Improbable, the likely favorite in the Classic, is a 4-year-old City Zip colt coming into the world championships on a three-race Grade 1 win streak, most recently beating Maximum Security by 4 1/2 lengths in the Sept. 26 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita. Before that he won the Whitney at Saratoga by two lengths over By My Standards, with even-money favorite Tom's d'Etat third after a stumbling start. He'll face both horses again in the Classic. By My Standards came out of the Whitney to win the G2 Alysheba at Churchill Downs for trainer Bret Calhoun on Sept. 4. Tom's d'Etat, whose four-race win streak was snapped in the Whitney, has not raced since the Aug. 1 contest, trainer Al Stall electing to bring the 7-year-old by Smart Strike into the Breeders' Cup as a fresh horse.

Improbable has been plagued with problems in the starting gate throughout his career, though Baffert said he is maturing and the horse has spent a lot of time schooling in the gate during training hours.

While Improbable's best races are from off the pace, Authentic, a 3-year-old by Into Mischief, and Maximum Security, a 4-year-old by New Year's Day, are free-running types who have scored most of their wins on the lead.

Where would Baffert like to see the three horses positioned in the early stages of the Classic?

“That's like a hitter asking Walker Beuhler what pitches he's going to throw him,” Baffert said, referring to the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and Lexington, Ky., native who owns a small share of Authentic. “I can't do that.”

Baffert said his three riders – Irad Ortiz Jr. on Improbable, Luis Saez on Maximum Security and John Velazquez on Authentic – know their horses and what's best for them. “A lot's going to depend on the draw,” he added.

Entries close Monday and the draw for post positions for all 14 Breeders' Cup races will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TVG, breederscup.com or on the Breeders' Cup mobile app.

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