Three of trainer Brad Cox's Breeders' Cup hopefuls turned in their final works ahead of championship weekend Sunday at Churchill Downs, a day later than originally planned due to rain in the Louisville area Saturday. Aiming for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Essential Quality (Tapit) went five furlongs in a bullet :59.40 (1/22) and Knicks Go (Paynter) covered the same distance in 1:01.20 (9/22). GI Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff contender Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil) went her five furlongs in 1:00.80 (2/22).
“It was a great morning and all three horses put in great works,” Cox said. “It was exactly what we were looking for heading into the Breeders' Cup next week. All three of these horses were scheduled to work [Saturday], but we got a lot of rain in the area, so we moved them all to [Sunday]. Overall, it worked out really well. I thought it was a good track. It was still a little wet, but it was drying out as the morning was going on.”
Essential Quality, with jockey Florent Geroux in the saddle, breezed outside of 3-year-old allowance winner Colonel Bowman (Curlin). Last year's champion juvenile started one length back of his workmate and finished five lengths in front through splits of :23.40 and :47. He galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.
“Essential really loved the track this morning and it was probably the Tapit coming out of him a little bit,” Cox said. “There was a set of horses slowing down in front of them and I told Florent on the radio to gallop out by them. It was a really, really good move. A lot of people scratch their heads the way he trains in the morning compared to running in a race. That's just who he is, but I think he's really developing at the right time.”
Essential Quality, whose lone career loss was a fourth-place finish in the GI Kentucky Derby, won the GI Belmont S. and GII Jim Dandy S. and makes his first start since winning the Aug. 28 GI Runhappy Travers S. in Saturday's Classic.
Likely Classic favorite Knicks Go, with regular exercise rider Hugo Garcia up, clipped through fractions of :24.40, 36.40 and :48.60 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:13.80 and seven furlongs in 1:27.60.
“He's just a really cool horse,” Cox said. “He's very kind when he's in his stall, but he's very aggressive, in a good way, outside of the barn. He knows his job and puts a lot into his training and works. I don't see anything from his previous races than he can't get the extra eighth-mile distance in the Classic. In the Whitney, against a field of really good horses, I thought he showed he could get an extra quarter-mile. He seems to clear off around the turn from his competition and is able to go fast and kick on.”
Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, winner of last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, comes into the Classic off wins in the July 2 GIII Prairie Meadows Cornhusker H., Aug. 7 GI Whitney S. and Oct. 2 GIII Lukas Classic S.
Shedaresthedevil worked with Geroux aboard through early fractions of :24 and :48.20.
“She always gets into a good rhythm in her training and races,” Cox said. “We saw that again today. Florent worked her and she was just cruising around there. She always seems to be under the radar, even going back to when she won the Kentucky Oaks. I thought I ran her a little too quickly back in the GI Spinster S. last year. She's gotten the job done in three out of four starts this year. She doesn't run bigger figures than some of the older mares, but she is a racehorse through and through. When she gets in a battle, she shows all heart and determination to get the job done.”
Shedaresthedevil defeated likely Distaff favorite Letruska (Super Saver) when winning the GII Azeri S. in March. She comes into the Breeders' Cup off wins in the Aug. 1 GI Clement L Hirsch S. and Sept. 18 GIII Locust Grove S.
Cox has six Breeders' Cup contenders training at Churchill Downs. Along with the trio who worked Sunday, he'll also target the GI Juvenile Fillies with Juju's Map (Liam's Map), the GI Juvenile Turf with Ready to Purrform (Kitten's Joy) and the GI Juvenile Fillies Turf with Turnerloose (Nyquist).
All of the Churchill Downs-based Breeders' Cup hopefuls are scheduled to van to Indianapolis Monday at noon for a 4 p.m. flight to California.
Art Collector Tunes Up
Bruce Lunsford's Art Collector (Bernardini) tuned up for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a four-furlong move in :48.40 (9/29) at Del Mar Sunday.
Art Collector, winner of the GI Woodward S., was one of three Breeders' Cup horses to work at the oceanside oval Sunday for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott. Neil Poznansky was aboard the trio that included Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) (Mile) going four in :47.60 (4/29) and War Like Goddess (English Channel) (Filly & Mare Turf) going a half-mile in :48.20 (8/29).
“They were all useful works, nothing blazing fast,” said Mott. “I never have a problem working good grass horses on dirt and this track looks safe and very forgiving.”
Trainer Rudy Rodriguez was aboard Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) as she covered a half-mile in :48.40 in preparation for the Filly & Mare Sprint.
“She's a happy girl and she loves to just go about her business,” Rodriguez said of Bella Sofia. “She handled the track well and was very comfortable on it.”
Bella Sofia, a winner of four of five career starts, is coming off wins in the Aug. 7 GI Test S. and Sept. 26 GII Gallant Bloom H.
Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen worked four of his six Breeders' Cup contenders Sunday at Del Mar, with likely GI Qatar Racing Sprint favorite Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music) going three furlongs in :36.80. Working half-miles for Asmussen Sunday were Clairiere (Curlin) (Longines Distaff) in :49.20, Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) (NetJets Juvenile Fillies) in :50.40 and Silver State (Hard Spun) (Dirt Mile) in :48.60.
Other Del Mar dirt workers included C Z Rocket (City Zip) (Qatar Racing Sprint) going 3f in :35.80, Commander (Fr) (War Command) (Turf Sprint also-eligible) a half-mile in :48.80, Giant Game (Giant's Causeway) (TVG Juvenile) a half-mile in :48.60, and the Richard Mandella-trained duo of Dogtag (War Front) (Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf) and Bombard (War Front) (Turf Sprint also-eligible) working five furlongs in :58.20 and :58.40, respectively, in company.
Working over the Del Mar turf Sunday were: Mo Forza (Uncle Mo), a two-time winner of the GII Del Mar Mile, worked a half-mile in :49.40 for the FanDuel Mile for trainer Peter Miller. Shortly after Mo Forza finished his work, Going to Vegas (Goldencents) worked a half-mile in :49.20 for trainer Richard Baltas in preparation for the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf.
Also working on the turf were Time to Party (Kantharos) (Juvenile Turf Sprint) going three furlongs in :38.20, Charmaine's Mia (The Factor) (Turf Sprint) going a half-mile in :50.20, Extravagant Kid (Kiss the Kid) (Turf Sprint) a half-mile in :49.40 in company with Zofelle (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}); and Cairo Memories (Cairo Prince) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) going five furlongs in 1:04.40.
In other Breeders' Cup works Sunday, GII Zenyatta S. winner Private Mission (Into Mischief) worked five furlongs in a bullet :58.80 (1/44) for trainer Bob Baffert at Santa Anita.
Breeders' Cup Defections
Trainer Richard Baltas withdrew Idol (Curlin) from consideration forthe GI Breeders' Cup Classic after the GI Santa Anita H. winner worked five furlongs in company in 1:02.40. Baltas told Breeders' Cup officials that he did not feel Idol was 100%.
Also Sunday, trainer Ken McPeek reported that GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Rattle N Roll (Connect) would not be entered in the GI TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile.
“He came out of his workout with what looks like a left hind foot abcess,” McPeek tweeted Sunday.
Two other horses were withdrawn from Breeders' Cup consideration by their connections Sunday morning: Flagstaff (Speightstown) from the Qatar Racing Sprint and Reina de Mollendo (Arg) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) from the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf.
Breeders' Cup Draw Live on TVG & Streamed
The Rood & Riddle Breeders' Cup Post-Position Draw for the 2021 Breeders' Cup World Championships will be shown live on Monday from Del Mar, beginning at 2:30pm PT/5:30pm ET.
All 14 races will be drawn and announced live on TVG, along with BreedersCup.com, the Breeders' Cup mobile app, and Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.
The Rood & Riddle Breeders' Cup Post-Position Draw will be hosted by Britney Eurton and Nick Luck.
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