Breeders' Cup | Horse Racing Free Tips

Cox: Classic Distance ‘Is Not Going To Be An Issue’ For Essential Quality After Saturday Work

The action began early Saturday morning beneath the famed Twin Spires as several possible contenders for the Breeders' Cup World Championships recorded workouts including Lothenbach Stables' Bell's the One (four furlongs, :47), Godolphin's Essential Quality (five furlongs, :59.20) and Qatar Racing, Flurry Racing and Big Aut Farm's Shedaresthedevil (four furlongs, :50.40).

Grade 1 Travers Stakes winner Essential Quality, one of the nation's top 3-year-olds, breezed on the outside of allowance winner Colonel Bowman. The duo worked shortly after the track opened at 5:30 a.m. (all times Eastern) and began their breeze from the half-mile pole. They crossed the wire in :46.80 and completed their move around the clubhouse turn.

“Essential is the type of horse that just keeps finding more in every race,” trainer Brad Cox said. “I thought his race in the Travers was a tremendous effort to run down (Midnight Bourbon). He's a really nice horse in his own right.

“The distance in the Breeders' Cup Classic (1 ¼ miles) is not going to be an issue for him. He'll be fit and ready for the Classic. There wasn't a race in between the Travers and the Classic that made a lot of sense for him to run in. We gave him two easy half-mile works prior to (Saturday) and we'll keep tightening the screws each week.”

Essential Quality's stablemate Shedaresthedevil, the winner of the G3 Locust Grove two weeks ago, recorded her first work back since the 1 1/16-mile event. Her owners reported the multiple Grade I winner will be sold at the Fasig Tipton November Sale following the Breeders' Cup.

The speedy mare Bell's the One returned to the work tab following her narrow defeat to Sconsin in the $300,000 Open Mind. Trained by Neil Pessin, Bell's the One worked in company with recent allowance runner-up Audrey's Time. With regular rider Corey Lanerie aboard, Bell's the One started about five lengths behind her stablemate at the half-mile pole and finished even at the wire.

A total of 200 horses recorded published workouts Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Along with the Breeders' Cup contenders, Kentucky Derby fan-favorite Soup and Sandwich has returned to Louisville. Trained by Mark Casse, the G1 Florida Derby runner-up cruised five furlongs in :59.60. He is scheduled to make his first start since finishing last in the Derby in late October at Keeneland, according to assistant trainer David Carroll.

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Letruska Makes Easy Work Of Five-Furlong Breeze At Keeneland

“Bueno,” reported exercise rider Felipe Jacobo.

“She did it very easy,” added trainer Fausto Gutierrez.

In a nutshell, that summed up the 5-furlong work in :59 over a fast track Saturday morning for St. George Stable's homebred Letruska, the top-rated mare in North America.

Working on her own at just after 9 a.m. following the morning's second renovation break, Letruska posted fractions of :22.60, :35.40, :46.80, :59 and out 6 furlongs in 1:11 in her final preparations for next Sunday's $500,000 Juddmonte Spinster (G1). The work was the best of 55 at the distance.

For Letruska, this morning's move was her second local work since winning the Personal Ensign (G1) at Saratoga Aug. 28. Last Saturday, Letruska worked a best-of-76 half-mile in :47.40.

In addition to Letruska, several other horses pointing toward Fall Stars Weekend stakes put in main track works headed by Michael McLoughlin's Kevin's Folly, who covered 5 furlongs in :59.40 in company under Edgar Morales for trainer Tom Amoss. Kevin's Folly, third in the Hopeful (G1) in his most recent start, is headed to the $500,000 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) next Saturday.

Also working for Amoss was Jerry Caroom's Pipeline Girl (5 furlongs in :59.80) in preparation for Friday's opening-day $400,000 Darley Alcibiades (G1).

Ranlo Investment's Golden Pal, winner of last fall's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G2), worked 5 furlongs in 1:01 over a firm turf course in company with Indian Summer (L) Presented by Keeneland Select hopeful Averly Jane (1:01.80) in preparation for next Saturday's $200,000 Woodford (G2) Presented by TVG. Averly Jane is owned by Hat Creek Racing.

Golden Pal and Averly Jane were two of five turf workers for trainer Wesley Ward, whose contingent included Indian Summer hopeful Kaufymaker (5 furlongs in 1:02) and multiple Group 1 winner Campanelle (IRE) (5 furlongs in 1:02). Kaufymaker races for Gregory Kaufman. Stonestreet Stables own Campanelle.

Other turf works of note included George Sharp's Front Run the Fed (4 furlongs in :50.80) and Clipper Logistics' Space Traveller (GB) (4 furlongs in :50.40) for the $750,000 Keeneland Turf Mile (G1); Apogee Racing's Abscond (5 furlongs in 1:02) for the $400,000 First Lady (G1) Presented by UK HealthCare; and Phoenix Thoroughbred's Tiz the Bomb (4 furlongs in :49) for the $200,000 Castle & Key Bourbon (G2).

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$1.5 Million Quality Road Colt Corniche Wires American Pharoah Field

A $1.5 million sales purchase in April, Speedway Stables' Corniche ran like it on Friday at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., as he dictated terms throughout under Mike Smith to register an emphatic 3 ¼-length victory in Santa Anita's Grade 1, $300,000 American Pharoah Stakes. With Bob Baffert picking up his record 10th American Pharoah win, Corniche ran the 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:44.75.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Corniche, a Kentucky-bred colt by Quality Road, now has a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Breaking from the rail in a field of seven, Corniche, who came off a scintillating first-out maiden score going 5 ½ furlongs on Sept. 4 at Del Mar, was pressed by stablemate Rockefeller to the quarter pole, dispatched of him turning for home and won in-hand in a very impressive effort.

“There's just so much upside to this horse,” said Smith. “This is what's really exciting about him. When he broke his maiden as impressive as he did, he just gave me that feeling that we weren't even close to his full potential. … He's a big colt and he carries a lot of flesh. As he starts to get even fitter and harder inside, he's gonna be a force to reckon with.”

The 2-5 favorite, Corniche paid $2.80, $2.20 and $2.10.

Owned by Peter Fluor's Speedway Stables, LLC, Corniche, who is out of the Najran mare Wasted Tears, picked up $180,000 for his efforts, increasing his earnings to $222,000. Bred in Kentucky by Bart Evans and Stonehaven Steadings, Corniche was a $385,000 buyback at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, then was offered by De Meric Sales at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-year-olds in training, where he brought a final bid of $1.5 million.

“You never know until you send them two turns whether they'll be able to handle it or not, and it looked like he handled it pretty well,” said Baffert. “He's got a great mind, so I'm pretty happy about that. I loved how they both broke well and were forwardly placed, that's where we like to be. Down the backside, he was being chased by a really good horse (Rockefeller, who checked fourth)…”

When asked about the issue of Corniche not receiving what was to have been 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points due to the fact Churchill downs has issued an edict precluding any of Baffert's Derby prospects from earning said points, he responded, “We're just going to let the process play itself out and not think about that now. The main thing is to keep them healthy and have them ready for the next dance. I just focus on these horses day in and day out…”

Pappacap, who overtook Rockefeller at the top of the lane, finished well to be second under Joe Bravo and paid $6.80 and $4.20 while off at 13-1.

Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, early trailer Oviatt Class finished a half length back in third and paid $3.00 to show.

Fractions on the race were 23.55, 47.26, 1:11.91 and 1:37.85.

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Into Mischief Filly Makes It Look Easy In Chandelier Stakes; Juvenile Fillies Next Stop

With favored Grace Adler in deep water around the far turn, trainer Phil D'Amato's Ain't Easy was running comfortably on the lead and was never threatened en route to a 4 ¾-length score in the Grade 2, $200,000 Chandelier Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Ridden by Joel Rosario, Ain't Easy got a mile and one sixteenth in 1:45.20.

A Breeders' Cup “Win & You're In” Challenge Race qualifier, Ain't Easy will get a fees-paid berth into the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 5 at Del Mar.

Breaking sharply from post position two, Ain't Easy was a bit keen around the Club House turn as she tucked in a close third behind pacesetter Electric Ride, who she overtook by a half length at the three-furlong marker. Leading by about four lengths at the three sixteenths pole, Ain't Easy won geared down in a most impressive effort.

A first out maiden winner going 5 ½ furlongs with Rosario Aug. 21 at Del Mar, Ain't Easy, a daughter of Into Mischief, was off 7-2 and paid $9.00, $4.00 and $3.20.

Owned by Old Bones Racing Stable, LLC, Michael Lombardi and Joey Platts, Ain't Easy, who is out of the Australian-bred mare Ameristralia, picked up $120,000 for the win and now has earnings of $162,000.

“She acted very professional, sitting behind horses,” said D'Amato. “'When Joel (Rosario) wanted to, she came up the inside, which I like to see with a young horse. She just looked like she was having fun in the stretch. I think it set up perfect. A good two-turn experience, confidence booster, an easy win, where it didn't look like she was taxed too much, so I like everything I saw right now.

Ain't Easy was bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm and sold for $400,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Electric Ride, off at 6-1 with Joe Bravo, finished 2 ¼ lengths in front of Desert Dawn and paid $7.00 and $4.80.

Off at 31-1 with Ricky Gonzalez, Desert Dawn paid $7.60 to show.

Grace Adler, off at 4-5, finished a well beaten fifth.

Fractions on the race were 23.56, 47.99, 1:12.16 and 1:37.98.

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