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Asmussen Quintet Tunes Up for Breeders’ Cup

Trainer Steve Asmussen sent five Breeders' Cup contenders out to work Sunday at Keeneland.

Grade I-winning fillies Clairiere (Curlin) and Society (Gun Runner), working in company, went five furlongs in a bullet :59.80 (1/34) in preparation for the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. The duo worked through fractions of :11.80, :23.80, :35.60, :47.60, :59.80 and out six furlongs in 1:13.20.

Epicenter (Not This Time), off since winning the GI Runhappy Travers S. Aug. 27, worked five furlongs in company in 1:00.20 (3/34) in preparation for the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Classic. The sophomore worked through fractions of :12.60, :24.60, :37.40, 1:00.20 and out six furlongs in 1:14.

Champion Echo Zulu (Gun Runner), aiming for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, went five furlongs in company with maiden winner Marsalis (Curlin) in 1:02.80 (25/34). The filly, who suffered the first loss of her career when fourth in the GI Kentucky Oaks, rebounded with a win in the Sept. 24 GII Dogwood S. last time out.

Also working Sunday at Keeneland, GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies contender Grand Love (Gun Runner) went five furlongs in 1:00.60 (7/34) while working with maiden winner Bella Runner (Gun Runner).

“They put in good, solid moves,” Asmussen said Sunday. “They came out of it good and cooled out nicely, and we've got Jackie's Warrior [working] tomorrow. I am extremely pleased with how the preparation has gone. The weather has been excellent. The race track is in good shape and I love the shape they are in.”

Trainer Wesley Ward had a pair of Breeders' Cup contenders work Sunday at Keeneland. Kimari (Munnings), considered possible for the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint or the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, worked five furlongs in 1:00.60 (7/34). Nakatomi (Firing Line), a possible Sprint candidate, worked a half-mile in :48.80 (10/50).

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Kimari Runs Down Lady Rocket Late To Win Gallant Bloom

Kimari (Munnings) tuned up for the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint with an effortless victory in the GII Gallant Bloom S. at the Belmont at Aqueduct meet Sunday. The 3-5 favorite sat just off pacesetting Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) through an opening quarter in :23.55. The pacesetter looked to skip away into the stretch after a half in :46.98, but Joel Rosario was still motionless aboard Kimari. Rosario flicked his wrists at the favorite and she duly inhaled Lady Rocket and strode clear to the wire while under wraps.

“That's what you want to see, right? We were excited and this race set up beautifully for her time-wise to get from here to the Breeders' Cup,” said winning trainer Wesley Ward. “The timing gave her a couple of extra weeks [as opposed to a start in the Oct. 8 GII Thoroughbred Club of America]. She always relishes the time between starts. For her, it should work out perfect. Whether she's good enough, we'll find out.”

Rosario was impressed with Kimari's effort.

“She's special. She runs hard all the time and she ran a good race again today,” Rosario said. “She was very comfortable. She was loving what she was doing out there. For a second, I was worried the horse in front of me [Lady Rocket] would keep moving forward, but my filly kept gaining and I had a lot of confidence.”

'TDN Rising Star' Kimari returned from seven months on the sidelines to finish seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint last November at Del Mar and just two days later Coolmore's M.V. Magnier signed the ticket on the filly for $2.7 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale. She opened 2022 with an optional-claiming score at Gulfstream Mar. 3 and was third while attempting to defend her title in the GI Madison S. at Keeneland Apr. 9. She was fifth in the May 7 GI Derby City Distaff S. before getting up late for a half-length victory in the July 27 GII Honorable Miss S. at Saratoga last time out.

“She'll head back to Keeneland tomorrow,” Ward said. “It'll give her six weeks on both her and my home track, so hopefully everything works out.”

Ward continued, “A lot of things have worked out for her in her last two starts when she drew the outside. When you're last in, she bounces away from there. In the Breeders' Cup, it'll be a bigger field, so if she gets there down below, Joel will have to work his way out, so we'll see how it goes.”

Pedigree Notes:

Kimari, a daughter of graded winner Cozze Up Lady, has a yearling half-brother by Constitution who sold for $1.3 million two weeks ago at Keeneland September, and a weanling half-brother by Tiz the Law. Cozze Up Lady, who was bred to Charlatan this year, was purchased by the China Horse Club for $300,000 at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Sunday, Belmont The Big A
GALLANT BLOOM S.-GII, $242,500, Belmont The Big A, 9-25, 3yo/up, f/m, 6 1/2f, 1:16.58, ft.
1–KIMARI, 124, m, 5, by Munnings
                1st Dam: Cozze Up Lady (GSW, $407,169), by Cozzene
                2nd Dam: The White Lady, by Johannesburg
                3rd Dam: Maha Al Iman, by Pulpit
'TDN Rising Star'. ($152,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $2,700,000 4yo '21
FTKNOV). O-Jonathan Poulin, Westerberg, Mrs. John Magnier,
Derrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor; B-China Horse Club
International Limited (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Joel Rosario.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: GISW-USA, G1SP-Eng, 16-9-2-2,
$1,118,827. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lady Rocket, 124, m, 5, Tale of the Cat–Allons Danser, by
Eskendereya. ($27,000 Wlg '17 KEENOV; $60,000 Ylg '18
OBSOCT; $420,000 2yo '19 OBSAPR). O-Frank Fletcher Racing
Operations, Inc. & Ten Strike Racing; B-La Ciega LLC & Tale Of
The Cat Syndicate (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $50,000.
3–Sterling Silver, 118, f, 3, Cupid–Sheet Humor, by
Distorted Humor. ($13,000 Ylg '20 FTKSEL). O-Mark T.
Anderson; B-Mallory & Karen Mort (NY); T-Thomas Albertrani.
$30,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 9HF, 2. Odds: 0.60, 2.50, 6.20.
Also Ran: Cheetara (Chi), Remain Anonymous.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs.

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Kimari Returns to Winning Ways in Honorable Miss

'TDN Rising Star' Kimari (Munnings) earned her first graded win of the season Wednesday when rallying to victory in Saratoga's GII Honorable Miss H. The 3-1 third choice in a four-horse field, the bay broke a hair slow from the outside post, though not as slow as second choice Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) in the one-hole. Kimari sat off the fence in third with Frank's Rockette off her inside flank as favored Bella Sofia (Awesome Patriot) and 8-1 outsider Amadevil (Dominus) knocked heads on the front end. Amadevil cruised clear of the chalk, clocking a first quarter in :22.72. Frank's Rockette got into gear, charging up the fence to take control from her longshot foe with Bella Sofia and Kimari ranging up together on the outside as they entered the far turn. Frank's Rockette took command at the top of the stretch with Bella Sofia navigating her way to the fence for an inside attempt and Kimari still coming on the outside. Bella Sofia never turned on the after burners and posed the briefest of threats before backing up. Meanwhile, Kimari was just finding her best stride in the final sixteenth, forging clear of a determined Frank's Rockette to win by a half-length. Amadevil and was eased, vanned off and reported to have bled.

“I thought the race set up for today, especially drawing the outside,” trainer Wesley Ward said. “It gave Joel [Rosario] a nice easy run down the backside with no opposition as far as maneuvering to try to get there. He was already there when they opened the gates. That was a key. It just worked out great, and it's always great to stand in the winner's circle for a graded race at Saratoga. There's nothing like it.”

As for what's next, the conditioner said, “Our ultimate goal would be the [GI] Breeders' Cup [Filly and Mare Sprint in November at Keeneland] because it's my home track and her home track. So we'll work backwards from there and get together with Coolmore and give them a few options.”

“She ran good,” Rosario said. “She's a nice horse and always tries hard. I'm glad we got the win today. It looked like there was going to be so much speed and she [Kimari] can be up closer, but we kind of were in a good spot and she did great and responded to everything I asked her to do. I thought for a second the leader might get away, but she kept fighting and got the job done.”

Kimari captured the GI Madison S. at Keeneland last April and was subsequently sent to the sidelines. Resurfacing in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar seven months later, she checked in seventh behind stablemate Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) and went through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale two days later, summoning $2.7 million from Coolmore's M. V. Magnier. Returned to Ward's care, Kimari made her seasonal bow in a main track event at Gulfstream Mar. 3, romping by 5 1/4 lengths. The bay was third when attempting to defend her title in this year's Madison Apr. 9 and was fifth last time in the GI Derby City Distaff S. at Churchill Downs May 7.

Wednesday, Saratoga
HONORABLE MISS H.-GII, $186,000, Saratoga, 7-27, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:10.78, ft.
1–KIMARI, 123, m, 5, by Munnings
1st Dam: Cozze Up Lady (GSW, $407,169), by Cozzene
2nd Dam: The White Lady, by Johannesburg
3rd Dam: Maha Al Iman, by Pulpit
($152,000 Ylg '18 FTKJUL; $2,700,000 4yo '21 FTKNOV).
'TDN Rising Star' O-Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier,
Jonathan Poulin, Derrick Smith & Michael B. Tabor; B-China
Horse Club International Limited (KY); T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Joel
Rosario. $110,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-US & G1SP-Eng,
15-8-2-2, $981,327. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Frank's Rockette, 121, m, 5, Into Mischief–Rocket
Twentyone, by Indian Charlie. 'TDN Rising Star' O-Frank
Fletcher Racing Operations, Inc.; B-Frank Fletcher (KY);
T-William I. Mott. $40,000.
3–Bella Sofia, 125, f, 4, Awesome Patriot–Love Contract, by
Consolidator. ($20,000 2yo '20 OBSOPN). O-Michael Imperio,
Medallion Racing, Sofia Soares, Vincent S. Scuderi & Parkland
Thoroughbreds; B-Two Tone Farms (KY); T-Rudy R. Rodriguez.
$24,000.
Margins: HF, 5 3/4, 40HF. Odds: 3.05, 2.90, 0.70.
Also Ran: Amadevil. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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Kimari Looks to Repeat in Madison

'TDN Rising Star' Kimari (Munnings) looks to successfully defend her GI Madison S. title Saturday at Keeneland. Twice second at Royal Ascot, the bay kicked off 2021 with a win in Oaklawn's Spring Fever S. and took the Madison next out. Sent to the sidelines after that effort, she was ambitiously spotted for her return off that seven-month layoff in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint and she could only manage seventh to stablemate Golden Pal (Uncle Mo). Sent through the ring at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale just days later, Kimari summoned $2.7 million from Coolmore's M.V. Magnier and returned to Wesley Ward's care. She kicked off her 5-year-old campaign with a facile score in a 6 1/2-panel optional claimer on the Gulfstream main track Mar. 3.

Lady Rocket (Tale of the Cat) looks to pick up where she left off at the end of 2021. Earning her black-type victory in the Pink Ribbon S. at Charles Town in August, the dark bay checked in second in the GII Gallant Bloom H. Sept. 26 at Belmont. The Brad Cox trainee captured a sloppy renewal of Belmont's Pumpkin Pie S. Oct. 31 and romped by nine lengths in Aqueduct's GIII Go For Wand H. Dec. 4, earning a gaudy 107 Beyer Speed Figure for the one-turn mile. Cox also saddles the once-beaten GII Inside Information S. winner Just One Time (Not This Time).

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), winner of the GI Derby City Distaff when run in September of 2020, dead-heated for second behind Kimari in last year's Madison and was fourth in the Derby City Distaff next out. The bay won the Roxelana S. back at Churchill in June and followed suit with a victory in Saratoga's GII Honorable Miss H. in July. A close second in the Open Mind S. beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 18, Bell's the One took this venue's GII TCA S. Oct. 9 and, after skipping the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, rallied to yet another score back in Louisville in the Dream Supreme S. Nov. 13.

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