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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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The Week in Review: Ten Questions the Breeders’ Cup Will Answer

Thoughts I had while perusing the pre-entries for what promises to be a terrific Breeders’ Cup?

What are the chances that Swiss Skydiver is named Horse of the Year?

It now appears almost certain that Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) will go in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff instead of the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“At this point we are going in the Distaff unless there is a late defection from the Classic,” trainer Ken McPeek told reporters Saturday morning.

The Classic field is loaded, so running Swiss Skydiver in the Distaff, where she will likely be second choice behind Monomoy Girl (Tapizar), is the logical choice. But will it cost Swiss Skydiver her best chance of being named Horse of the Year? It may and it may not.

Obviously, had she gone in the Classic and won the race she would have been an overwhelming pick for Horse of the Year. But what if she wins the Distaff? If all the top contenders fail to win the Classic, it will probably be enough. The better question is what will happen if Swiss Skydiver wins the Distaff and the Classic is won by one of the top choices and Horse-of-the-Year candidates like Improbable (City Zip), Authentic (Into Mischief) or Tiz the Law (Constitution)? A strong case could still be made for Swiss Skydiver.

Her overall body of work, in an era where most top horses are babied, is remarkable. Her year began in January at Tampa Bay Downs and she hasn’t missed a beat since. The Breeders’ Cup will be her 10th start on the year and she has competed in every month on the calendar but April while running at nine different racetracks. Her accomplishments include a win over males in a Triple Crown race, the GI Preakness S. She may not be the best horse in training, but has any horse had a better, more complete year? That’s something voters will have to consider.

There is a precedent. In 2010, Blame (Arch) defeated Zenyatta (Street Cry {Ire}) in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and also won the GI Whitney H. and the GI Stephen Foster H. But Horse of the Year went to Zenyatta, her overall body of work on the year swaying enough voters. It could happen again.

Are the figure-makers right about Princess Noor?

Princess Noor (Not This Time) was a seven-figure purchase at the 2-year-old sales, is undefeated and is trained by Bob Baffert. Those are the type of credentials that would normally make a horse a solid favorite in a Breeders’ Cup race for 2-year-olds. But her speed figures tell a different story. Her best Beyer number is a 79. If the Beyer numbers are right, she is considerably slower than several other horses in she will face in the GI Breeder’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

When it comes to the figures, Princess Noor will have to step it up to win the Juvenile Fillies. Can she? Are the numbers accurate? The Juvenile Fillies will have the answers.

Does Wesley Ward have a lock on the Juvenile Turf Sprint?

Trainer Wesley Ward pre-entered 10 horses for the Juvenile Sprint, an unprecedented show of depth. With some horses pre-entered for other races and some others not selected into the field, Ward won’t run all 10. But his plan of attack., dominating the entry box, may well pay off. He won the Juvenile Turf Sprint last year with Four Wheel Drive (American Pharoah), one of three starters he had in the race.

How good is Jackie’s Warrior?

Jackie’s Warrior (Maclean’s Music) hasn’t got much hype, which is a bit surprising. No one has come close to him in his four career starts and another blowout victory in the Juvenile would certainly stamp him as an exciting prospect for next year’s GI Kentucky Derby. The Breeders’ Cup should also provide him with an opportunity to prove he can win when facing pace pressure, something that didn’t happen in his wins in the GI Hopeful S. and the GI Champagne S.

Is Nashville special?

Perhaps the most intriguing horse pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup is Nashville (Speightstown), who is likely to go in the GI Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He has raced just twice and in nothing tougher than a first level allowance, but many are giving him a chance after a sensational start to his career. He’s won his two starts by a combined 21 1/4 lengths. His Beyer figure of 101 puts him right in the mix when compared to some of the more seasoned horses he will face.

The question is whether or not any horse with so little experience and seasoning can win a Breeders’ Cup race. If Nashville overcomes those obstacles and wins we will be talking about a superstar.

Will the Starship Jubilee Cinderella story continue?

One of the best claims in decades, Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind) will look to pick up a Breeders’ Cup win to add to her remarkable career. She was pre-entered in both the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile. The first preference is the Filly & Mare Turf.

Way back in 2017, she was claimed for $16,000 off of Jorge Navarro, who had her for just one start. Fast forward to the present and she has earned over $2 million and has beaten males in the GI Woodbine Mile, one of 12 stakes wins for the Canadian-based mare. This will be the toughest assignment of her career, but she has the credentials to win whatever Breeders’ Cup race trainer Kevin Attard puts her in.

How will the many layoff horses do?

The idea of training a horse up to the Breeders’ Cup without any recent preps has become more and more popular each year. But does it work? A handful of top horses who haven’t raced in a while will help answer that question.

Among the pre-entries, there were 26 horses who will come into the Breeders’ Cup with a rest of at least two months. One of the most extreme examples is Vekoma (Candy Rde {Arg}), who has not started since winning the GI Metropolitan H. July 4 in what was just his third start on the year. Then there’s Oleksandra (Aus) (Animal Kingdom), who was pre-entered in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and hasn’t started since winning the GI Jaipur S. June 20.

If the layoff horses thrive, look for even more trainers to skip important fall preps in the future so they can have a “fresh” horse for the Breeders’ Cup.

How many races will Brad Cox win?

With the possible exception of Bob Baffert, nobody is holding a stronger hand for the Breeders’ Cup than Brad Cox, who didn’t win his first Grade I race until 2018. Perhaps no trainer has ever come so far so fast. In a group led by Monomoy Girl and GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile starter Essential Quality (Tapit), Cox has pre-entered nine horses, most of them serious contenders in their races.

Is Uni back?

Uni (GB) (More Than Ready) will attempt to win the Mile for the second straight year, but comes into this year’s edition with some puzzling form. She started off the year with a third-place finish in the GI Just A Game S. and then a seventh-place showing in the GI Fourstardave H. Both, for a mare of her quality, were rather lackluster efforts.

She looked much better in her most recent start, winning the GI First Lady S. But the Beyer numbers say she’s not the same horse this year. She came into the 2019 Mile off of successive Beyer numbers of 104 and 105. Her best number this year was the 99 she got in the First Lady,

Did Bill Mott make the right call with Frank”s Rockette?

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott is going against conventional wisdom and is ready to run Frank’s Rockette (Into Mischief) against the boys in the Sprint rather than against fillies in the GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. That’s a bold move from a Hall of Fame trainer who is convinced that his horse prefers the Sprint distance of six furlongs to the Filly & Mare Sprint distance of seven furlongs. Another factor is the competition in the Filly & Mare Sprint. With Gamine (Into Mischief), Serengeti Empress (Alternation), Speech (Mr. Speaker) and Venetian Harbor (Munnings), it’s no easy spot.

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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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