Tag: Breeders’ Cup

Breeders’ Cup Sunday Notes Roundup; Closer Looks At War Like Goddess, Mawj, Others

A look at some of the horses set to complete in various Breeders' Cup races at the World Championships Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita, including their morning activity, planned activity, and comments from their trainers.

LONGINES BREEDERS' CUP TURF

Horse: War Like Goddess

Trainer: Bill Mott

Set: 9:30 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 4f in 49 ⅘ with exercise rider Brittany Troxtell in the saddle.

Planned Activity: Scheduled to walk the shedrow TBA.

The Quote: “It was beautiful. Poetry in motion. She works on the dirt and she works in :49 or :50; that's all we want. You could see the rider was just letting her do it. She gets a lot out of working on the dirt, conditioning wise. She is fit enough.” – Bill Mott

Closer Look: As a little girl, Brittany Troxtell liked horses. As a young woman, she loves them. Especially the ones she gets on as an exercise rider at the power-packed barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Troxtell had herself a busy Sunday morning as she was part of the Mott team fine tuning his all-star lineup as the Breeders' Cup looms. She worked Casa Creed Sunday, who will run in the $2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1). She has been aboard Elite Power, who is gunning for his second straight win in the $2-million Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).

Troxtell saved the best for last as she climbed aboard War Like Goddess for her final work before the $4-million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1).

“I am honored to ride any horse in the barn,” Troxtell said with a smile. “I definitely have my favorites with War Like Goddess being one of them.”

The daughter of turf whiz English Channel, War Like Goddess will be attempting to beat the boys in the Turf, a 1 1/2-mile race spiced up with several strong international foes. War Like Goddess has beaten males before, including the past two editions of the prestigious Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes (G1) in New York.

The Breeders' Cup has eluded her. She was third in the Turf last year and third in the Filly & Mare Turf (G1) in 2021.

“It would mean so much to me if she could win,” Troxtell, 22, said. “That is because she is the biggest, most accomplished horse I have ridden on a consistent basis. It would mean a lot to the whole team, not just me.”

Troxtell grew up in Florida and said she was always fascinated by Thoroughbreds. At the age of 10, a Christmas present from her mother consisted of riding lessons. Young Brittany was hooked.

“Once I got those lessons, you could not get me away from it,” she said. “I would always count down the days when I could get to do something with the horses.”

Her love for the horse did not wane as she grew older. When she became aware that she might be able to make a living riding horses, her interest only grew.

When an opening came at Mott's barn, she took a chance.

“She has been a great employee,” Mott said. “She learned well and has done a great job for us.”

Troxtell's biggest break came this past summer when Mott handed her the reins belonging to War Like Goddess. She has exercised her as well as worked her.

Mott trusts her.

“Loyalty is everything,” Mott said. “That is what it is all about. You get people on the same team and they all want the end goal to be the same for the horses. It's not a me, me, me thing. She has obviously progressed well to be out there on those horses. She has a good disposition, has good feedback with the horses and she loves the horses. Plus, she is a good rider. That is what it's all about.”

There is excitement as the Breeders' Cup approaches but also some sadness. The careers of horses like Cody's Wish and Elite Power will be coming to an end. War Like Goddess is 6 and Casa Creed is 7.

“I get a little more attached to them than I should,” she said. “If War Like Goddess retires, I will be a little sad. All the horses I have swung a leg over – like Casa Creed and Elite Power – some will be retired. Sad, but so thankful that I have been around them. The whole string we have here is pretty incredible.”

FANDUEL BREEDERS' CUP MILE

Horse: Casa Creed

Trainer: Bill Mott

Set: 8 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 4f in company with stablemate Elite Power in 46 2/5 with exercise rider Brittany Troxtell in the saddle.

Planned Activity: Scheduled to walk the shedrow.

The Quote: “We think he is a pretty good horse. In these turf races, it's all about the trip and the pace and position. You have to have the golden trip and you've got to get lucky. Everyone in there is a nice horse; probably half the horses in it could win it.” – Bill Mott

Horse: Mawj (IRE)
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Set: None
Morning Activity: Walked the shed row, one day after breezing 7f in 1:28.40 in company with Breeders' Cup undercard-bound White Moonlight
Planned Activity: Will return to the track on Monday for routine training

Closer Look: Saeed bin Suroor is back at the big show and there is no doubt that he has every chance to add a fourth Breeders' Cup trophy to his mantle when he saddles Godolphin's Breeders' Cup Mile (G1)-bound homebred Mawj on Saturday.

The daughter of Exceed And Excel (AUS) will not only seek to become her standout sire's third Breeders' Cup winner, but also hopes to emulate dual-Breeders' Cup-winning half-brother Modern Games (IRE), who landed last year's Mile. On Saturday, she put the finishing touches on her preparation with worked 7f in 1:28 2/5 in company with Group 2-placed stablemate White Moonlight.

“It was a good work,” bin Suroor said. “On the dirt, she's not going to show a lot, really, but she did a nice routine work of seven furlongs, which is what we do with her before a race and now will have an easy time going into the Breeders' Cup Mile. She worked with White Moonlight, who runs on Friday in a listed race. Mawj is far better on the turf, but she's doing well and it was a nice work for her and we'll go from there. I'm hoping to draw somewhere in the middle with her. She will show speed and go to the front.”

A six-time winner from nine starts, Mawj served notice that she had a bright future when a good second to subsequent Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) winner Meditate (IRE) in Royal Ascot's Albany Stakes (G3) last year. She then went on to capture the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes (G2) at the July meeting and maintain proper Group 1 form by year's end. In 2023, she has upped her game, going 4-for-4, including victories in the prestigious 1000 Guineas (G1) and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) last time out Oct. 14 at Keeneland. Exiting a nine-furlong victory, she had the option of cutting back to the Mile against males or stepping up another furlong for the Filly & Mare Turf against her own sex.

“She's going into the Mile because I think that's her best distance,” bin Suroor said. “I know she won at Keeneland over nine furlongs, but she has a lot of speed and that makes me think the mile is her trip and a lot better than a mile and a quarter for her. She will improve from the race and she hadn't run since May and needed the race, for sure. It was very good for her to win when she needed the run, but she's a tough filly with a big heart who always tries hard. She's doing good and she travelled really well from Kentucky to here. She's been enjoying her exercise and I'm really happy with her. If she's happy, that makes me happy.

Bin Suroor has earned Breeders' Cup wins with two favorites, Daylami (1999) and Fantastic Light (2001) in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1), but the last time he attended the World Championships at Santa Anita, he saddled a then-record 14 starters and took home a trophy with the least-expected of the group, 30-1 longshot Vale of York (IRE) in the Juvenile. Smiling ear-to-ear while walking around Clocker's Corner, it is easy to understand why he appears to have shipped as well as his filly.

“I actually won my first Group 1 here at Santa Anita in 1995 with Red Bishop in the San Juan Capistrano, so it's always good to be back,” he concluded. “And I have won a Breeders' Cup here, which makes it even better.”

Horse: Master of The Seas (IRE)
Trainer: Charlie Appleby

Set: 7 a.m.
Morning Activity: Went out for a routine canter, which turned into an accidental breeze that was unofficially timed in :49 2/5.
Planned Activity: Walk day Monday

The Quote: “Unfortunately, that wasn't the plan. All we wanted to do with him was go out for a steady canter, but he didn't have his hood on and unfortunately he took off with his rider. It was not quite what we hoped for or what was planned. We will now have to adjust his schedule accordingly with a quiet day tomorrow, and he will definitely have the hood on him next time he's out on Tuesday morning.” – Chris Connett, assistant trainer

MAKER'S MARK BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE TURF

Horse: Didia (ARG)
Trainer: Ignacio Correas IV

Set: 7:30 a.m.

Morning Activity: Galloped an easy circuit of the Santa Anita main track
Planned Activity: Will have a similar gallop Monday

Closer Look: Dual Grade 1-winning mare Didia continues to impress as she prepares to tackle one of the saltiest fields in the history of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Owned by Merriebelle Stable and trained by Ignacio Correas IV — the same connections of 2019 upset Breeders' Cup Distaff victress and fellow Argentine-bred Blue Prize (ARG)— Didia seeks an upset of her own against a lineup that features no fewer than seven top-level winners.

In four 2023 starts, the granddaughter of dual Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) winner Lure has won three times, including a dominant performance last out in the course-and-distance Rodeo Drive (G2), dismissing Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Anisette to win by a widening 1 3/4 lengths. Her lone blemish this season came in the New York Stakes (G1) at Belmont, where she finished second by three-quarters of a length, splitting Chad Brown-trained runners Marketsegmentation and McKulick (GB). The latter reopposes in the Filly & Mare Turf.

“Her campaign has been almost perfect,” Correas said. “She lost the New York, but it was a difficult race to plan. You have four Chad Browns in there — three Grade 1 winners, one Grade 1-placed and two of his go for the lead and two stay behind you. You don't know which to go with and on top of that you have to worry about War Like Goddess coming from off the pace. We decided to do what she does all the time and if it panned out, great, and if it didn't pan out, that's OK. But she ran a good race.

“We had planned to run her in the Beverly D. after the New York, but she hit her head and had some stiches and needed the time. I made an alternative plan and focused on California. She came here and ran and was super-good that day. She had to do and now we are here and she is doing very well.”

A wicked acceleration has been Didia's calling card thus far in her career, one that started with seven starts in South America. Thus far, she has won nine of 13 starts with a variety of running styles and finished second twice.

“The only thing that I don't want is for her to be up on the pace,” Correas said. “In Argentina, where she won two Grade 1s, she used to be on the lead, but here I don't want to see that. She can stalk the pace or come from farther back off the pace and I think her strength is her final quarter-mile kick. She can fly. I understand that this is a much different bunch of horses and the toughest race of her career, but she's coming into the race in good shape.”

Didia finished up her serious work last Thursday with a 5f breeze in 1:01 4/5.

“I wanted an easy work,” Correas said. “She's ready and just needed maintenance. Smooch her the last eighth and that's what she did and galloped out well. For me, it was what I was looking for — wrong or right, that's what I wanted.”

BIG ASS FANS BREEDERS' CUP DIRT MILE

Horse: Cody's Wish

Trainer: Bill Mott

Set: 9 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 4f in 47 ⅕ with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky in the saddle.

Planned Activity: Scheduled to walk the shedrow TBA.

The Quote: “He looked smooth as glass. I was happy that he didn't go faster. Neil had him just right. Cody's Wish did it on the bridle. Passing the eighth pole, (Poznansky) released his hold and took his hand off the bridle a little bit and he finished up good and galloped out good.” – Bill Mott

Horse: National Treasure

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Set: 9 a.m. PDT

Morning Activity: Worked 4f in :47 1/5.

Planned Activity: Will walk at the barn on Monday, then return to the track on Tuesday

The Quote: “He looked good out there. I had him galloping out 5f in :59 and change. That last race seemed to wake him back up.” – Bob Baffert

QATAR RACING BREEDERS' CUP SPRINT

Horse: Dr. Schivel

Trainer: Mark Glatt

Set: 7:45 a.m.

Morning Activity: Recorded his final work of 1:00 4/5 for 5f under jockey Juan Hernandez in advance of Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint

Planned Activity: Will walk on Monday, then return to the track Tuesday to gallop up to the race.

The Quote: “He looked good today. This work was sharper than his last one.” – Mark Glatt

Horse: Elite Power

Trainer: Bill Mott

Set: 8 a.m.

Morning Activity: Defending Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) winner worked 4f in company with stablemate Casa Creed in :46 1/5 under assistant trainer Neil Poznansky.

Planned Activity: Will walk the shedrow on Monday morning; may go to the track.

The Quote: “I don't have any lack of confidence in him. Look, it's a horse race and he has to go over there and do it and have a good trip. I have no reason to believe he is not as good as he was last year.” – Bill Mott

Closer Look: When it comes to the $2-million Qatar Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), Elite Power has been there, done that.

Now, his connections hope the 5-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin can do it again.

Juddmonte's Elite Power rolls into Santa Anita Park as the horse to beat in the six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up on Saturday. Last November, he won the Sprint by 1 1/4 lengths to complete a season in which he won five of six starts and be awarded the Eclipse Award for champion male sprinter.

This year's Sprint will be Elite Power's first start since he had an eight-race winning streak snapped when he was second in the Aug. 26 Forego Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.

Before the loss, Elite Power had gobbled up the wins, starting when he broke his maiden in the fourth try at Churchill Downs in June of his 3-year-old season. It stopped when Gunite – a horse Elite Power had defeated by a head in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) earlier in the Saratoga meet – won the Forego by 1 3/4 lengths.

The Forego was run at seven furlongs; the Vanderbilt at six furlongs. Elite Power had won four of six starts at the Sprint distance.

Bill Mott, Elite Power's Hall of Fame trainer accepts the notion that Elite Power likely will be the favorite as he tries to defend his title. Mott though, has not picked out a spot on his mantel for the trophy just yet.

“Horses show up in the Breeders' Cup that you didn't know existed,” Mott said. “You look up and you'll say, 'Holy (cow), where did they come from?' There are races you are in where it looks like you are the best horse on paper and you think you ought to win. These races are so tough that you are no cinch to win no matter who you are.”

Elite Power will make his bid to become the third horse to win the Sprint in back-to-back years, joining Roy H (2017-18) and Midnight Lute (2007-08). The race has not been kind to its post time favorites.

In the last 30 years, just seven favorites have won it. Last year, Elite Power was sent off as the 5-1 second choice at Keeneland.

Mott, though, is happy with how Elite Power has trained since the Forego. He will be ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.

Just getting a horse to the Breeders' Cup can be viewed as a win after connections navigate a path to get there.

“Really, there is probably not as much pressure in the Breeders' Cup as there is in a lot of other races,” Mott said. “All these races are so difficult, you are just lucky to show up. We have been beaten in Breeders' Cup races before and, sometimes, because you know the races are so competitive going in, you are not as disappointed if you get beat. It is absolutely a win to get there. You have to have a great season to get there.”

Horse: Gunite

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Set: 7:45 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 3f in :36 1/5 at Santa Anita

Planned Activity: Will walk Monday

Horse: The Chosen Vron

Trainer: J. Eric Kruljak

Set: None

Morning Activity: Walked at the barn after 4f workout Saturday, which the trainer caught in :47 4/5 on the training track

Planned Activity: Will walk again Monday before returning to the track.

Closer Look: Trainer Eric Kruljac once got some sage advice from his grandfather, a rancher who sparkled his young grandson's interest in horses: To be successful, keep yourself in the best of company, and keep your horses in the worst of company. That was the mantra by which Walter Markham lived.

And, while perhaps that advice may have been part of Kruljac's star The Chosen Vron's racing success, when he ripped through the state-bred competition en route to seven consecutive stakes victories, it appears that his grandson is defying the second half of that equation in quest of a win in Saturday's Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) against the best and fastest horses around.

The Chosen Vron will be attempting to become only the third California-bred horse to win the six-furlong dash. And, if he emerges victorious, he would be only the sixth Cal-bred overall in 40 years to do so. So, it would seem that the odds are stacked against the son of Vronsky.

But during his 17-race career, the odds actually have favored the chestnut gelding. He owns 13 career victories and only has finished worse than third once. He has been favored in 11 of those outings, nine of them at even money odds or less. And despite being an offspring of the mating between a $40,000 broodmare and a stallion who stands for a modest $3,500, The Chosen Vron has banked more than $1 million.

“I've been around horses for more than 30 years, initially as a breeder and now as a trainer,” Kruljac said, “and I can tell when a horse is going to be something special. This is one of them.”

Kruljac always has run a relatively small stable, but he enjoys the hands-on nature of it. Yet that hasn't prevented him from scaling the heights to tackle bigger races or tougher competitors. He saddled Leave Me Alone for a (then) record 8 1/2-length win in Saratoga's Test Stakes (G1). Later, he bought a horse, Finest City, for his son, trainer Ian, then his assistant at the bran, which won in his first Breeders' Cup start.

While these successes may have been few, the quality has resonated with Eric. As both co-breeder and co-owner of The Chosen Veon, he has enjoyed the fruits of his success each and every step of the way, starting with a runaway 6 3/4-length win in his career debut. And that was the last start this gem of consistency made in any race that wasn't a stakes or handicap — a string of 16 consecutive.

The Chosen Vron has displayed amazing versatility, too, winning at distances short and long, and over surfaces of dirt and turf. Asked which the horse preferred, Kruljac demurred, “He probably likes the dirt most.” Asked to describe the horse, the conditioner added, “He's a cool horse just to be around. He's playful around the barn, where he'll lick you, but not bite you. But, he's very competitive on the track, as evidenced by his impressive record.”

Kruljac stated, “He was always a very nice horse, but he got really good when we returned him to the races after a minor surgery in 2021. He began training like a monster.”

For all the gelding's success, Kruljac was especially animated in discussing the horse's most recent win in Del Mar's Bing Crosby Handicap (G1), which offered an all-expenses paid berth for this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint to the victor.

“That was the most exciting race I've ever been a part of,” he said. “I was not so surprised that he was capable of winning, rather more that he did win it. The rider had to take him up severely just as he was beginning to make his move, then he had to practically re-break in the middle of the final turn. It was impressive that he was able to overcome it, then tough out a hard-fought three-way photo finish for the head victory over two really good stakes winners (Anarchist and Dr. Schivel). The winning time was the fastest six furlongs of the summer Del Mar meeting.

“His regular rider, Hector Berrios, is part of the success equation as well,” Kruljac added. “He gets along with him well and regularly works the horse in the mornings.” Berrios has been aboard for their past eight stakes stake engagements — all triumphant.

“This will be a tough, but exciting race,” the trainer said. “There looks to be lots of speed, so we should be able to make one run into an honest pace.”

For all the sage advice and all the odds that face The Chosen Vron, one fact is undeniable: The gelding has never lost a race at six furlongs, the distance of the Breeders' Cup Sprint.

PNC BANK BREEDERS' CUP FILLY & MARE SPRINT

Horse: Eda

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Set: 6:30 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 4f from the gate in :47 2/5.

Planned Activity: Will walk Monday morning, then return to the track Tuesday.

The Quote: “We popped her out of the gate this morning. It was just what she needed.” – Bob Baffert

Horse: Society

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Set: N/A

Morning Activity: Worked 3f in :37 2/5 at Santa Anita

Planned Activity: Will walk Monday

BREEDERS' CUP TURF SPRINT

Horse: Live In The Dream (IRE)

Trainer: Adam West

Morning Activity: Galloped over main Santa Anita track

Planned Activity: Will have similar activity Monday with a work planned for Tuesday.

FANDUEL BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE

Horse: Prince of Monaco

Trainer: Bob Baffert

Set: 7:45 a.m.

Morning Activity: Worked 5f in company with stablemate Pilot Commander in 1:00 1/5.

Planned Activity: Will walk at the barn on Monday.

Quote: “I didn't want anything fast today. He galloped out well.”—Bob Baffert

BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

Horse: Laulne (pronounced “law-nay”)

Trainer: Phil D'Amato

Set: None

Morning Activity: Walked at the barn this morning following Saturday's 4f work in :49 on the training track.

Planned Activity: Returns to the track to jog Monday.

The Quote: “We've only had her for nine days, but she was in full training when she was shipped over from France. She was purchased at the Arc Sale (reported price was $793,000). She's very consistent and has never been off the board in six lifetime starts.”—Phil D'Amato

Horse: Porta Fortuna (IRE)

Trainer: Donnacha O'Brien

Morning Activity: Remained in quarantine barn after arriving at 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Planned Activity: Expected to clear quarantine Monday night and train Tuesday.

The Quote: “It's great to be back at the Breeders' Cup and I'm delighted to be here. The team is happy with how the horses traveled so we'll see how they are this evening. As with the rest of the horses which arrived yesterday, we won't be out on the track until Tuesday, so we'll hand walk them until clearance. Porta Fortuna has had a great season in the U.K. and Ireland and looks the right sort of horse for this race. I'm really looking forward to the week ahead.” – Donnacha O'Brien

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Breeders’ Cup Sunday Bulletin: Baffert, Mott Runners On Track

Michael Lund Petersen's Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) tuned up for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff with a four-furlong drill in :48.20 (22/69) Sunday at Santa Anita.

The 4-year-old comes into the Distaff with a string of four straight stakes victories, including a 5 1/4-length score in the Oct. 1 GII Zenyatta S., but will have to step up her game to win Saturday, according to trainer Bob Baffert.

“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 is not easy.”

Also working for Baffert Sunday, GI Preakness S. winner National Treasure (Quality Road) went four furlongs in :47.40 (11/69) in preparation for the GI Dirt Mile.

“He looked good out there,” Baffert said. “I had him galloping out five furlongs in :59 and change. That last race seemed to wake him back up.”

National Treasure is coming off a fourth-place effort in the Sept. 30 GI Awesome Again S.


Baffert's GI F/M Sprint contender Eda (Munnings) went four furlongs from the gate in :47.40 (11/69) Sunday morning, while GI Juvenile contender Prince of Monaco (Speightstown) went five furlongs in 1:00.20 (5/61).

Also working for the F/M Sprint, trainer Steve Asmussen sent Society (Gun Runner) out to drill three furlongs in :37.40 (11/15) Sunday.

Godolphin's Mile contender Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) went out for a routine canter Sunday, but ended up working four furlongs in an unofficially timed :49 2/5.

“Unfortunately that wasn't the plan,” said trainer Charlie Appleby's assistant Chris Connett. “All we wanted to do with him was go out for a steady canter, but he didn't have his hood on and unfortunately he took off with his rider. It was not quite what we hoped for or what was planned. We will now have to adjust his schedule accordingly with a quiet day tomorrow and he will definitely have the hood on him next time he's out on Tuesday morning.”

GI Breeders' Cup Sprint contender Dr. Schivel (Violence), coming off a win in the GII Santa Anita Sprint Championship, worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 (19/61) Sunday for trainer Mark Glatt.

Mott Runners Tune Up

Trainer Bill Mott sent out four Breeders' Cup hopefuls to work at Santa Anita Sunday.

George Krikorian's War Like Goddess (English Channel), prepping for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, worked four furlongs in :49.80 (57/69).

“It was beautiful,” Mott said of the work. “Poetry in motion. She works on the dirt and she works in :49 or :50; that's all we want. You could see the rider was just letting her do it. She gets a lot out of working on the dirt, conditioning wise. She is fit enough.”

Also Sunday, Mott sent Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) and Elite Power (Curlin) out to work four furlongs in company. Casa Creed, headed for the GI Mile, went in :46.40 (3/69), while Elite Power was credited with bullet :46.20 (1/69).

Of Casa Creed, Mott said, “We think he is a pretty good horse. In these turf races, it's all about the trip and the pace and position. You have to have the golden trip and you've got to get lucky. Everyone in there is a nice horse; probably half the horses in it could win it.”

Of Elite Power's attempt to defend his title in the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint next Saturday, Mott said, “I don't have any lack of confidence in him. Look, it's a horse race and he has to go over there and do it and have a good trip. I have no reason to believe he is not as good as he was last year.”

Elite Power had an eight-race win streak snapped when second behind Gunite (Gun Runner) in the Aug. 26 GI Forego S. last time out.

The Mott-trained Cody's Wish (Curlin), aiming for the GI Dirt Mile, went four furlongs in :47.20 (10/69) with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky in the saddle.

“He looked smooth as glass,” Mott said. “I was happy that he didn't go faster. Neil had him just right. Cody's Wish did it on the bridle. Passing the eighth pole, [Poznansky] released his hold and took his hand off the bridle a little bit and he finished up good and galloped out good.”

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Wise Dan and Main Sequence, Two Glorious Geldings and the Breeders’ Cup

Celebrating 40 Years of the Breeders' Cup

John Henry famously didn't make it to the Breeders' Cup. Da Hoss famously did, after a two-year layoff with a mere allowance prep. In this industry, where geldings at the elite levels are the exception and not the norm, those geldings tend to become beloved fan favorites. Perhaps it's because they often have longer race careers than their compatriots whose breeding careers must be considered.

Right up there in the lexicon of the special 31 geldings to have won a Breeders' Cup are two industry favorites living their best lives as retirees with the people who knew them best: Wise Dan and Main Sequence. These two glorious geldings may now be retired from the racetrack, but they both still live with their trainers, Charlie LoPresti and Graham Motion, respectively.

“He lives with us and that should show how special he is,” said Motion of Main Sequence.

Neither had a future in the stud barn, neither was transformed into a show horse, neither became a track pony, neither is even a riding horse. Instead, both Wise Dan and Main Sequence are beloved pasture pets, each turned out with a buddy, each living the life of Riley, each with the assurance of LoPresti and Motion meeting their every need.

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

Both champions–one as a homebred always destined to race as such and one as a homebred originally intended for the sales–these two horses gave so many thrills to their connections. No wonder their trainers couldn't imagine them living anywhere else and plan to cater to each one's every need for life.

The two chestnuts took very different routes to each trainer's barn. Wise Dan has spent nearly every moment of his life, since he was a short yearling, in LoPresti's care. Motion doesn't remember laying eyes on Main Sequence until he was a 5-year-old who had already won a Group race in England and finished second in the G1 Investec Epsom Derby for trainer David Lanigan.

“Wise Dan was foaled at Patchen Wilkes Farm in Lexington and Mr. [Morton] Fink always sent those babies to us when they were short yearlings,” remembered LoPresti. “I don't remember the exact month, but we pretty much raised him from a short yearling. We broke him, we trained him, we did everything with him.

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

“He was a big, strong horse,” continued LoPresti. “I wouldn't say he was difficult, but the only thing that stood out in my mind early was how different he was than other horses. Once I figured out that his stride was so much longer than most horses, he was easy to get along with. At first, we were always trying to bottle him up or slow him down, but once we figured out his natural rhythm was :13 or :14 [for an eighth], he was just a natural athlete. He is just an incredible horse, so smart. Just different than most horses.”

Everyone remembers Wise Dan as a two-time Breeders' Cup Mile winner, but what might not be remembered as well is he started his career on the dirt. He was a graded winner on the main track at three and even ran in the Breeders' Cup Sprint, finishing sixth. It was midway through his 4-year-old year that Wise Dan tried turf for the first time, winning the GII Firecracker H. at Churchill, but he didn't stay on the surface, adding the GI Clark H. and GII Fayette S. on dirt before the year was over. More graded success on the main track at five followed. It wasn't until August at Saratoga at age five in the GII Fourstardave H. that Wise Dan moved permanently to the grass and started one of the most remarkable streaks in recent memory. He would win his next nine in a row, including his first Breeders' Cup, and 14 of his final 15 races.

Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

“I could tell you so many things about him,” said LoPresti, “but nothing really fazed him. He almost knew when he was going to run. He'd lay down or rest his head on the stall webbing. I would worry about post position, track condition, everything, but [rider] Johnny Velazquez would say, 'Don't' worry about it. He knows how to win, he knows how to get himself out of trouble.' And he did! He did it every time he won and pulled it off. Nineteen graded stakes he won.

“Part of the thing with him was how he took everything in stride,” continued LoPresti. “When he got to Santa Anita for his Breeders' Cup wins, the first thing he did was just stare at the San Gabriel Mountains like he knew what he was there for. He'd get in the stall–remember he'd never been there before–make two or three turns around and settle down to eat. Most horses take a little while to settle in. He wouldn't. He never got upset about anything. If there was a loose horse, he would just watch like he was saying, 'What's wrong with you?'

“That's the thing about him: he took everything in stride and he always knew how to win.”

He certainly did. During his five-year racing career, Wise Dan won 23 of his 31 starts. No fewer than 11 of his 19 graded wins were in Grade I races. He set track or course records at Santa Anita, Keeneland, and Woodbine. But not everything was smooth sailing. He came back from small injuries. And the sport held its collective breath when Wise Dan colicked and underwent surgery.

“When they turned him over on the table and opened him up,” remembered LoPresti, “the surgeon turned around and gave me a thumbs up. He'd untwisted when they turned him over, so they didn't have to mess with anything and they just sewed him back up. The only thing we were dealing with then was the healing of the incision. Yes, that's a lot, but he was just so tough. That son of a gun came back from the clinic bouncing off the van! All we had to do was heal his incision.”

Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

LoPresti said he got some flack for bringing Wise Dan back after the surgery and expecting him to perform at the same level. What some people forget is that no one knew him better than LoPresti and no one had his best interests more in mind.

“I knew a lot of people thought I was crazy to bring him back. His first couple of works were not brilliant and I can remember reading stuff after those works–he's not the same horse, you know, all the naysayers–but all I was trying to do was keep him from being stressed and bring him along slow. Then we started to build. That's where I wanted him. We didn't pressure him; we wanted to go along easy and make sure he wasn't going to colic again. Then he came back and he won. And he won again. I always worried. When people start talking, you start to second guess yourself, but I started to see the light come back on and I knew he was back.”

Back indeed. Wise Dan would close out his career as a two-time Horse of the Year and a legend.

“I just want everybody to realize what kind of horse he really was, everything he came through, everything he did. He won $7.5 million and 19 graded stakes and he didn't run for mega-purses. He earned it. If you look at all his races, a lot of them were small stakes. He didn't go to Dubai; there was no Pegasus Cup. I was very fortunate that I had a farm and owners who trusted what I did. I always gave my horses the winter off, never took them to Florida or Louisiana. That was to my demise as a trainer for business, but the old racing families, the old, true sportsmen, got it. I was just fortunate that I had owners that let me do that. Nowadays, if you don't travel and dance every dance, you're going to lose horses. I have really fond memories looking back.”

LoPresti, who quietly retired from training at the end of 2020, said it wasn't just his family and the public who loved Wise Dan. The horse also gave his owner-breeder a reason to live.

“Mr. Fink went to dialysis two or three days a week. That horse kept him alive. The idea of having to go watch him run and watch his next race. That was why we didn't go overseas or to Dubai or anything. Mr. Fink wanted to watch him in person and he really couldn't travel that far. We weren't there for the money. Mr. Fink enjoyed the horse and being able to go see him. I totally understood. I believe he could have gone over to Dubai and won, but that's not what Mr. Fink wanted to do. I was fine with that.”

Wise Dan's last race–and win–was in 2014 in the GI Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. No one knew at the time it would be his last race, but some small, niggling injuries kept him from returning. When he was officially retired 11 months later just before an attempt at a third GI Woodbine Mile, it was decided 'Dan' would live out his days at LoPresti's farm. LoPresti indicated the Kentucky Horse Park and Old Friends were both interested in having him, “But this is what we all decided. We know him. He was raised here. Why send him somewhere he doesn't know and take him away from his brother?”

Successful Dan and Wise Dan | Sarah Andrew

That half-brother is the one-year older MGW & MGISP Successful Dan, also a Fink homebred campaigned by LoPresti. Successful Dan and Wise Dan are thick as thieves. They're turned out together, they play hard, and they keep themselves extremely fit, said LoPresti. They're also very attached to each other.

“Not too long ago, Successful Dan got a little hurt and needed some stitches. He needed to stay in the barn for a week. Wise Dan never went more than 30 yards away. He kept checking on him,” said LoPresti.

“Wise Dan is just different from other horses. He's so smart. All the great ones are just different. That's what makes them what they are. Of course, they have to have the athletic ability, too, and he did with that natural rhythm, that natural stride.

“He's very kind, but also very strong. When he decides he wants to go out to the paddock or when he went to gallop at the track, he's going to take you where he wants to go. It's impossible to slow him down.”

Wise Dan's Breeders' Cup wins were in 2012 and 2013; he was undefeated in four starts in 2014, but didn't make the Breeders' Cup that year. Main Sequence, another turfer, did. The two never faced each other on the track, as Wise Dan specialized at a mile and Main Sequence wanted longer. The latter won the 12-furlong Breeders' Cup Turf in 2014. He took a far different road getting there than Wise Dan did.

“Honestly, he wasn't the most straightforward horse to train,” said Motion of Main Sequence. “He could be a little bit tricky. He certainly has a lot of personality.”

Lanigan, a former UK-based trainer who is now with Four Star Sales in Kentucky, laid it out plainly.

“He was a pain in the ass!” said Lanigan, who first trained Main Sequence in England, with a laugh. Lanigan and Motion both trained for the Niarchos family's Flaxman Holdings.

Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew

“He was a difficult horse, a little bit quirky,” continued Lanigan. “He didn't like to lead the string, didn't show much on the gallops. But he was a big, mature, good-looking horse who coped with everything very good. We were surprised when he won his maiden first time at two. None of mine usually won first time out. They improved more from first to second run. There was a good horse of Godolphin's in there that cost a lot of money and he beat him quite well. Then we sent him to a novice at Newmarket. It was more of a fact-finding mission to see if he was as nice as we thought he was. There were useful sorts in there and he won that very well.

“Then I managed to convince [owner] Maria [Niarchos-Gouaze of Flaxman Holdings] and [Flaxman's racing manager] Alan [Cooper] to supplement him for the Derby… The boldness in me! I couldn't leave a Derby horse on the table. I had to spend the next six months trying to convince Alan to run him.”

Main Sequence ended up going to the Derby undefeated in four starts, including in the G3 Betfred Derby Trial. He suffered his first career defeat in the Derby to Aidan O'Brien's Camelot (GB) with Queen Elizabeth II in attendance. The performance may have been assurance that Main Sequence was as good of a horse as Lanigan thought, but that loss was also tough to swallow.

“It broke my heart,” said Lanigan. “Nobody ever remembers second. He was beaten by a very good horse and ran his race, but I was gutted for myself because I knew we had a very nice horse. And I was very disappointed for Maria. She was one of the first people to send me a horse when I started training. She was always a very good supporter and friend, so it wasn't just my own selfishness. I was very disappointed for her.”

Main Sequence | Sarah Andrew

Main Sequence and Lanigan were together for approximately another year and a half after the Derby, long before the Breeders' Cup was on the table. Lanigan had actually picked the chestnut out of the Keeneland September sale as a yearling. The horse had been entered, but Lanigan said Niarchos-Gouaze had asked him if there were any of hers in the crop he liked. When Lanigan picked Main Sequence, he never went through the ring and was shipped to the UK instead. Lanigan and the horse were together for nearly three years total and came to an understanding.

“Like a lot of good horses, you could set your watch by him. He went out first lot every day, would have his breakfast, then go to sleep. He'd be comatose from 9-12, head under the shavings. I took him out for a pick of grass every day myself. He was a bit of a handful. Out of nowhere, he'd stand straight up on his hind legs.

“He overcame a lot. He had a tiny bit of a kissing spine after he won his novice as a 2-year-old, but after that never missed another day. We gelded him at the end of his 3-year-old year because he didn't really have a stallion's pedigree. He was a little bit of a bridesmaid at four. He'd get himself very warm in paddocks that year, which he never did before, so it was sort of a frustrating year.

“I told Maria, 'There's a better chance for him over in America. You could win a Breeders' Cup with him in America, but we're going to struggle with him in Europe.'”

Prophetic words, it turns out. Lanigan said shipping him back and forth was considered, but it was ultimately decided it would be better for the horse to be based in the same area he'd run, rather than to ship. Lanigan was fully on board.

Bye Bye Melvin with Main Sequence and Benjamin Button (the mini) | Sarah Andrew

“I told Maria it was going to be a wasted opportunity for the horse and for her if she didn't do it. It all worked out very well. Maria and the horse were the most important two in the whole thing. She's an owner who deserves the very best. It was a pleasure to have had him and I feel very lucky to have had him.”

Motion was the lucky recipient in America. Although Motion had been to Lanigan's yard in Lambourn when he stabled his GI Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup winner Animal Kingdom there prior to a run at Royal Ascot, he didn't have any particular memories of Main Sequence in the flesh before he came to America.

“Obviously he'd been in some nice races already, so you knew he was a good horse,” said Motion. “I was aware of him because we all trained for Flaxman and he'd certainly done well in some nice races–had that second in the Derby–but I didn't really know him before. I think the whole team felt that American racing might suit him. We kind of all made all those decisions together, with David Lanigan and Alan Cooper.

“Main Sequence actually got quite sick when he first came to me. Shipping over the winter is tough, having to travel and quarantine on both sides. It took him a while to get over it. We gave him a lot of time.”

Main Sequence and Bye Bye Melvin | Sarah Andrew

The repatriated Main Sequence would not make his American debut under Motion's care until July of 2014. He would win that day–the GI United Nations S.–and wouldn't lose that year, adding the Sword Dancer, Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, and Breeders' Cup Turf, all Grade Is. The campaign culminated in a championship.

“We did things with him that I hadn't really done with a horse,” said Motion, “in all the extra schooling. He required a lot of time in working with those things. He was always a little slow to come away from the gates, so we worked on that quite a lot. The first time he ran for us, in the UN, he walked out of the gate. He gave us fits with that.

“His first three races were by a neck, a head, and a neck. It was a testament to Rajiv [Maragh], who rode him so well.”

Maragh was not able to be aboard for the Breeders' Cup. Velazquez, who had piloted Wise Dan to his first Breeders' Cup win, but had gotten injured earlier on the card of Wise Dan's second Breeders' Cup victory and was hospitalized as the race ran, had to substitute for Maragh in this Breeders' Cup.

“It was tough,” said Motion, “because Rajiv had won on him in the Turf Classic and while we were up in the reception room after the race [just over 30 minutes later], Rajiv had his terrible accident and broke his arm. We were good friends with him and Angie, his wife, so there were a lot of emotions when he got hurt. I get emotional now just thinking about it. So Johnny rode him in the Breeders' Cup. That was the year he was coming off that bad accident of the year before in the Breeders' Cup.”

Maragh needed two plates and 13 screws to repair his arm and would win on Main Sequence again in 2015. Velazquez had emergency surgery after a spill in the Juvenile Fillies in 2014 that resulted in pancreas repair and spleen removal. Motion is close friends with both riders.

“On Breeders' Cup Day was the only time Main Sequence ever broke properly. He won handily,” said Motion. After winning the GII Mac Diarmida S. the next year, Main Sequence tried Dubai and for a repeat in the United Nations, but didn't perform as hoped in the latter and it was discovered he had suffered a tendon tear. He was retired.

“Alan and Maria were nice enough to let him stay here after his career,” said Motion. “These horses were so influential in my career.”

Graham Motion with Better Talk Now in 2008 | Sarah Andrew

Motion mentioned Better Talk Now, his very first Breeders' Cup winner. Better Talk Now, who also won the Turf a decade before Main Sequence, also retired to Motion's Fair Hill home base. He passed away in 2017 following complications from colic surgery.

“Main Sequence is a bit like Better Talk Now,” said Motion. “Neither one of them were particularly nice horses to ride. They both had the same kind of personality: pretty cantankerous, pretty tough, which is probably an indicator of how good they were.”

Main Sequence now lives in a paddock with Bye Bye Melvin, another former Motion runner who ran in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Turf.

“I have to be very careful who we put out in the paddock with him, because he's pretty tough on other horses, but he and Bye Bye Melvin get along great.”

Main Sequence served as an ambassador at the Maryland 5* event earlier this month.

“That was quite a shock to him to come out of his field for the first time in years,” said Motion with a laugh. “He was a little wound up, but it was very cool. A lot of people came by to see him. I heard he only bit one person, but we made it through. It was just a mile up the road, so we decided to do it.”

Like LoPresti with Wise Dan, Motion has incredibly fond memories of his Breeders' Cup win with Main Sequence.

“It was very rewarding,” said Motion. “It was really a team effort to win a Breeders' Cup race for the Niarchos family. I grew up watching them, so it was like a dream to win for them. It was sort of coming full circle. We love the Breeders' Cup.”

The post Wise Dan and Main Sequence, Two Glorious Geldings and the Breeders’ Cup appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Locked Individual Favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool

Pool 1 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager is set for its three-day run Tuesday-Thursday and features 40 betting interests, including recent Grade I winners Locked (Gun Runner) and Timberlake (Into Mischief). Wagering will begin Tuesday at noon and close Thursday at 6 p.m. ET in advance of the Breeders' Cup World Championships' Future Starts Friday.

The 15-1 individual favorite is Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's GI Breeders' Futurity winner Locked. Trained by two-time Kentucky Derby winner Todd Pletcher, Locked is among the top interests in Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita.

Here is the complete field with morning line odds: #1 Agate Road (Quality Road) (99-1); #2 Agoo (Munnings) (99-1); #3 Air of Defiance (Quality Road) (60-1); #4 Balta (Munnings) (99-1); #5 Be You (Curlin) (99-1); #6 Bentornato (Valiant Minister) (99-1); #7 Bergen (Liam's Map) (99-1); #8 Billal (Street Sense) (99-1); #9 Booth (Mitole) (60-1); #10 Catching Freedom (Constitution) (99-1); #11 Dancing Groom (Vino Rosso) (99-1); #12 Domestic Product (Practical Joke) (99-1); #13 Dornoch (Good Magic) (60-1); #14 Drum Roll Please (Hard Spun) (99-1); #15 Fierceness (City of Light) ( (99-1); #16 General Partner (Speightstown) (80-1); #17 Generous Tipper (Street Sense) (80-1); #18 Glengarry (Maximus Mischief) (99-1); #19 Informed Patriot (Hard Spun) (99-1); #20 Liberal Arts (Arrogate) (60-1); #21 Lightline (City of Light) (99-1); #22 Locked (15-1); #23 Moonlight (Audible) (80-1); #24 Nash (Medaglia d'Oro) (99-1); #25 Normandy Hero (Omaha Beach) (99-1); #26 Otto The Conqueror (Street Sense) (99-1); #27 Noted (Cairo Prince) (99-1); #28 Nutella Fella (Runhappy) (80-1); #29 Private Desire (Constitution) (50-1); #30 Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief) (99-1); #31 Risk It (Gun Runner) (99-1); #32 Rocketeer (Curlin) (99-1); #33 Seize the Grey (Arrogate) (99-1); #34 Stretch Ride (Street Sense) (50-1); #35 Stronghold (Ghostzapper) (99-1); #36 The Wine Steward (Vino Rosso) (30-1); #37 Timberlake (20-1); #38 West Saratoga (Exaggerator) (80-1); #39 “All Fillies from the 2021 Foal Crop” (80-1); “All Other Colts and Geldings from the 2021 Foal Crop” (3-5).

There are six Future Wager pools scheduled in advance of the 2024 Kentucky Derby: Oct. 31-Nov. 2 (Pool 1); Nov. 23-26 (Pool 2); Jan. 19-21 (Pool 3); Feb. 16-18 (Pool 4); March 15-17 (Pool 5); April 4-6 (Pool 6).

The post Locked Individual Favorite in Kentucky Derby Future Wager Pool appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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