Classier – Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert called the decision to enter Classier in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile a bold move. The Empire Maker colt has made just one start, but he was impressive, breaking his maiden by 4 four lengths Oct. 24 at Santa Anita.
Baffert and the ownership group of six partners elected to try Classier in the Juvenile, which has never been won by a horse in its second career start. Two weeks after his facile 6 ½-furlong victory, he will be trying two turns for the first time at 1 1/16 miles.
“He's lightly raced, but he could be a superstar,” Baffert said. “It's a tough race.”
Classier shipped from California with the rest of the Baffert runners Tuesday. He galloped a mile over the Keeneland main track Wednesday morning, ridden by exercise rider Erick Garcia.
Bred by Mary Sullivan, who rarely sells her young horses and races as Sullimar Stable, she decided to offer this colt out of Class Will Tell at the 2019 Keeneland September yearling sale. He was acquired for $775,000 by the partners SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. Three other investors have since come on board: Golconda Stables, Siena Farm and Robert Masterson.
Classier and jockey Florent Geroux will leave from post eight in the 14-horse field.
Baffert has won the Juvenile four times, one shy of the record held by D. Wayne Lukas. Baffert's most recent win came in 2018 with Game Winner.
Dreamer's Disease/Keepmeinmind – Cypress Creek and Arnold Bennewith's Dreamer's Disease and Keepmeinmind have brought trainer Robertino Diodoro back to the World Championships for the first time since his initial starter Broadway Empire finished ninth in the Dirt Mile at Santa Anita.
Both runners are listed at 30-1 on the morning line with Keepmeinmind breaking from post six under Jose Ortiz and Dreamer's Disease from post 10 with David Cohen.
“The six is perfect for Keepmeinmind,” Diodoro said. “The 10 for Dreamer's Disease; I don't mind that. All the speed is to the inside of us and I like that better than having it to the outside.”
Keepmeinmind is winless in two starts, the first in an off-the-turf race at Churchill Downs and then a runner-up finish in the Breeders' Futurity Oct. 3 at Keeneland. Dreamer's Disease has won two of four starts with one victory each on dirt and turf.
“Dreamer's Disease does both,” Diodoro said. “He loved Ellis Park but didn't care for that course at Kentucky Downs. With Keepmeinmind, the way he is training on dirt, turf is not in the near future as we plan to go to Oaklawn (which does not have a turf course) in the spring.”
But that is down the road. First things first on Friday.
“I'd like to see Dreamer's Disease at the half-mile pole a length in front,” Diodoro said. “We are going (to the lead) at all costs. Keepmeinmind … I'd like to see him get a good trip.”
The competition is one thing Diodoro is not concerned about.
“You start studying too much and you start second guessing yourself,” Diodoro said. “With two horses, I just worry about them feeling good and staying happy. I know what our strategy is and I can't change that.”
Essential Quality – Godolphin LLC's undefeated Essential Quality schooled in the gate and galloped 1 ½m and he continues to impress his trainer Brad Cox heading into Friday's Juvenile.
“He was great (this morning),” Cox said. “He was very professional. I couldn't ask for him to be doing better.”
Essential Quality enters the Juvenile off his maiden victory and a win in the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. Cox feels he's capable of more.
“I really do believe he's maturing all the time,” Cox said. “When (jockey) Luis (Saez) came back after that last race, he said 'he's a machine, but he has a lot to learn.' I do think he's continuing the education process. I do think he'll move forward and he'll need to move forward. It's a solid race, deep field. He does have the experience here and he's a very talented horse.”
Jackie's Warrior/Calibrate – J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, the 7-5 favorite, continues to make a favorable impression as he attempts to extend his unbeaten record to five.
“Very happy with him,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “He's training wonderfully. It's a race with 14 2-year-olds, so we'll see what happens and go from there. Jackie's Warrior got a good post (post seven), but I was disappointed with Calibrate's draw (14).”
Next – Silverton Hill Farm's Wesley Ward-trained Next has raced on three surfaces in as many starts. A son of 2016 Juvenile runner-up Not This Time, he was sixth on debut over Woodbine's all-weather in June before winning a Kentucky Downs turf maiden Sept. 16. He returned on Oct. 24 at Keeneland and manhandled an allowance field by 11¾ lengths.
A good-looking gray colt, he wheels back on 13 days' rest and drew post 11 of 14. He will also be jockey Gerardo Corrales' first Breeders' Cup mount.
“He's coming back on short rest, which is always a negative for me, but he's feeling really good and I see no reason not to go,” Ward said.
“Looking at the numbers, he fits, plus it's our home track, so we're going to take a shot.”
Not This Time is currently the second-leading freshman sire, narrowly trailing 2015 Juvenile winner Nyquist.
Reinvestment Risk – A breakout winner this summer on debut at Saratoga, Klaravich Stables' Chad Brown-trained Reinvestment Risk enters the Juvenile as one of the key contenders challenging heavy favorite Jackie's Warrior. The son of Upstart—who was third in the 2014 Juvenile—has literally chased Jackie's Warrior in two subsequent Grade 1 starts, finishing second in both the Hopeful and Champagne over 7f and 8f. He steps up to 1 1/16 m and stretches out to two turns in another rematch on Friday, while breaking from post three of 14.
“I think this horse is looking for just a little more distance and some pace,” Brown said. “Additionally, I don't think he handled the Belmont track well in the Champagne. He wasn't moving the same on it, although he has come back and worked well on that track, when held together. I just think that moving forward, running in a big race like this and on a fresh track like Keeneland will serve him well.”
Brown seeks his second Juvenile victory, having won with Good Magic in 2017, while Klaravich Stables won the 2018 Juvenile Fillies Turf with Newspaperofrecord and 2019 Longines Turf with Bricks and Mortar.
Rombauer – John and Diane Fradkin's Rombauer, who has been galloping on the main track at Keeneland for the past three mornings under Osman Cedeno, punched his ticket to the Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance with a runner-up effort in the American Pharoah at Santa Anita.
“I thought the American Pharoah came up a little light numbers-wise,” trainer Michael McCarthy said of moving Rombauer from the turf where he made his first two starts to the dirt. “He had trained well and eaten some dirt behind horses in the morning. He had a wide trip (in the American Pharoah) but finished well.”
Rombauer drew post 13 for the 1 1/16m Juvenile, the same distance as the American Pharoah. Javier Castellano has the mount.
“Thirteen of 14 … he's not going to be part of the pace early anyway,” McCarthy said.
Sittin On Go – Albaugh Racing Stables' Sittin On Go was not exactly impressive when he first arrived at trainer Dale Romans' barn but that changed as his training advanced.
“He was under the radar until we started breezing him further distances at Churchill Downs,” Romans said. “He is a big, long striding horse and he just never gets tired.”
The son of Brody's Cause confirmed his ability by winning his career debut at Ellis Park on Aug. 16. He took his unbeaten streak to two by winning the Iroquois at Churchill Downs on Sept 5.
Albaugh Family Stables also campaigned Brody's Cause, who finished third in the 2015 Juvenile at Keeneland. The outfit purchased Sittin On Go for $65,000 as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. They offered him the following year at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale but he was listed as not sold on a final bid of $62,000.
Sittin On Go galloped 1 ½ m at Keeneland Wednesday morning.
The post Juvenile Notes: Classier ‘Could Be A Superstar,’ Diodoro Confident In Longshot Pair appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
