Breeders’ Cup Notes: International Squad, Turfers Stretch Their Legs

A busy morning on the Del Mar main track with all international horses training except Quick Suzy (IRE) who was not entered Monday for her intended run in the Juvenile Turf Sprint because of a spike in temperature.

Teona (IRE) (Turf) was the first European horse out on track who did some light exercise. She looked in very good form. The next group out were Audarya (FR) (Filly & Mare Turf) and Cachet (IRE) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) who both have taken the eye since landing in Del Mar.

The six Charlie Appleby-trained horses were on the track for the first time since clearing quarantine and exercised under the watchful eye of Appleby.

All horses looked in tremendous condition and reports from the Godolphin team have been very positive on all horses since touching down in California.

Kevin Ryan landed Monday night and was on track to watch both of his Turf Sprint contenders. Glass Slippers (GB) will be bidding to follow up her win in the race last year. She was ridden this morning by race day jockey Tom Eaves.

Eaves said, “It's great to be at the Breeders' Cup again. I sat on Glass Slippers for a light canter and she felt great. I just tracked Emaraaty Ana (GB) for a circuit and it went well. She's a superb filly and I'm really looking forward to the race on Saturday.”

Andrea Atzeni who takes the ride on Emaraaty Ana (GB) on Saturday was trackside to watch him exercise and said, “I'm going to ride Emaraaty Ana (GB) on the track tomorrow. It was great to see him exercise and he looked in great form. I've got a lovely draw on Saturday in gate two so hopefully we get a bit of luck in running and he runs a big race.”

Oisin Murphy, who was recently crowned champion jockey in the UK for the third consecutive year, rode exercise on Marche Lorraine (JPN) (Distaff) just before 7 a.m. They did a strong canter and exercise looked to go well.

Murphy said, “She's a nice horse and felt good. I'm very much looking forward to taking the ride. It's great to be in Del Mar and I've a few nice rides over the weekend. I will ride Hierarchy (IRE) (Juvenile Turf Sprint) tomorrow morning and I'm hoping to have a spin on Mise En Scene (GB) (Juvenile Fillies Turf) at some point before Friday as well.”

Tuesday was the first sighting of the Ballydoyle horses on track having completed their quarantine requirements. Aidan O'Brien has a team of seven horses who went out on track together led by Broome (IRE) (Turf) ridden by Dean Gallagher. The string was accompanied by a pony ridden by Rachel Richardson. They had a trot for a circuit of the track followed by a light canter. Bolshoi Ballet (IRE) (Turf) who sat third in the string looked in particularly good form having some playful bucks during his canter down the backstretch.

Michael Bell was another British trainer to be trackside to watch Great Max (IRE) (Juvenile Turf) have a canter in the hands of regular work rider Joe Bradnam. Great Max (IRE) had a good look around his surroundings during exercise but seemed in good order.

Bell said, “It's tremendous to be back over for the Breeders' Cup. It is an amazing race meeting and I'm delighted to be part of it with Great Max. Joe Bradnam seems happy with him so it's all systems go.”

Connections of Rougir (FR) (Filly & Mare Turf) were trackside having made the trip over from France. The same connections recently won the Champion's Stakes at Ascot and will be hoping for more Grade 1 glory on Saturday. Trainer Cedric Rossi reported his filly to be “in great form.”

Irish trainer Paddy Twomey was overseeing the training of his filly Pearls Galore (FR) (Mile).

Twomey said, “Pearls Galore traveled over well, she's settled into the routine here lovely and enjoying the training. She's cantered on the track the last two days, everything has gone well, we're looking forward to Saturday. Del Mar is a lovely track, the turf will be quick and it'll suit her. She's nibble, neat and tidy and I think she'll deal with the demands of the track very well on the day.”

Matera Sky (Sprint) and Jasper Great (Juvenile) were two of the final international horses to go out for exercise. They had a canter and returned to the quarantine barn via the paddock. They took everything in their stride and looked very relaxed.

TURF

Gufo – Otter Bend Stables has made it to the Turf with its first and only runner, Gufo, a homebred son of Declaration of War colt who never has been worse than third in 13 career starts.

For owner and co-breeder Stephen Cainelli, it is something of a “how do you top this?” situation. Winning the $4 million Turf certainly would elevate the already engaging story to another level and give veteran trainer Christophe Clement his first Breeders' Cup victory.

Gufo earned his berth in the Turf with a victory by a neck over Japan in the Sword Dancer a “Win and You're In” race on Aug. 28 at Saratoga Race Course. In his most recent start, he was third in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 9 at Belmont Park. He shipped from New York to Del Mar Sunday with his three Clement stablemates headed to Breeders' Cup races.

“He had a very good day of training this morning,” said Christophe Lorieul, Clement's assistant for 27 years. “He galloped an easy mile. He was very willing, very forward but within himself. I really liked the way he went this morning.”

Gufo and regular rider Joel Rosario drew post 11 in the 14-horse Turf and is 8-1 on the morning line.

“It's not great, but it's a mile and a half and he's got time to try to tuck him and try to save some ground,” Lorieul said. “Obviously, on the turf going a mile and a half that's what you want. It's not ideal, but that's why Joel Rosario gets paid the big bucks.”

MILE

Mo Forza — Bardy Farm and OG Boss's seven-time graded stakes winner Mo Forza is on a mission to make up for lost opportunities in this year's Breeders' Cup Mile. Last year, on the back of two strong victories in the Del Mar Mile and City of Hope Mile, the son of Uncle Mo was one of the favorites for the Mile before injury derailed the Peter Miller trainee's preparation. This season, the 5yo winner of the 2019 Hollywood Derby returns to the same Del Mar surface as that triumph for his redemption attempt.

“He's training really great,” Miller said. “Today we gave him about a mile and a half jog and schooled him in the gate and then schooled him in the paddock.”

Mo Forza, who eclipsed $1 million in prize money by winning the same two preps this season, drew post six in the 14-horse field and could be making his final career start.

“I like the post,” Miller said. “I think there's plenty of pace and it should string everyone out. We should be sitting midpack, but there's no real strategy other than to hope for a good trip. Del Mar takes a certain kind of horse who can handle the turns, the short stretch and the firm going — and if you have that horse, you're in good shape here.”

Flavien Prat, who has piloted Mo Forza through the four-race win streak he carries into the Mile, returns to the saddle Saturday.

TURF SPRINT

Gear Jockey – Calumet Farm's homebred Gear Jockey, the 5-1 co-second choice for the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, jogged once around under exercise rider Lyndsay Delello for trainer Rusty Arnold.

“He shipped well with no issues,” Arnold said of Gear Jockey, who arrived at Del Mar late Monday night from Kentucky.

Third as a maiden in the Juvenile Turf at the 2019 Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita, Gear Jockey will break from post 10 under Jose Lezcano in Saturday's race.

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Team TalkSPORT Triumphs as Racing League Concludes

The William Hill Racing League ended at Newcastle on Thursday evening with Team talkSPORT crowned the winner. A total of 12 teams competed in the weekly Thursday races that began six weeks ago, with Gosforth Park, Doncaster, Windsor and Lingfield (twice) all hosting a night. Each race carried a £50,000 purse, with 25 points awarded to the winner, with points available through 10th place. Besides the £1.8 million in prizemoney on offer throughout the contest, another £200,000 in bonuses was on off with £150,000 going to the winning team.

At the top of the table with 368.5 points, Team talkSPORT consisted of trainers Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian. They will split £60,000 between them. Team talkSPORT's jockeys, led by Jack Mitchell, will divide £30,000, as will the yard staff of the trainers and the owners whose horses made up the successful team.

Michael Bell's brother Rupert Bell, who co-managed the winning team with fellow broadcaster Alan Brazil, said, “I think it's been fantastic. I'm the Pep Guardiola of the racing manager world–Alan Brazil had absolutely nothing to do with it. I've been at every meeting and well done to the trainers and all their staff. Fair play to them.

“You can't knock the stable staff getting £30,000–that's fantastic. There'll be one hell of a party at Fitzroy House [Michael Bell's yard]–I better get invited.”

In second place at the end of the evening was eToro Racing with 359.5 points and Team ThoroughBid was third with 351 points. Thursday's two-time winner Jack Mitchell (276.5 points) was top of the standings among jockeys and earned £25,000, with six wins overall. Hayley Turner was runner-up with 231 points. Her prize was £15,000. In third place was Saffie Osborne, who took home £10,000.

For the complete standings, please visit www.racingleague.uk.

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Tardis A Stakes First For Time Test at Newbury

Wood Hall Stud's 2-year-old filly Tardis (GB) (Time Test {GB}), who hit the board contesting five-furlong heats at York and Haydock in June, graduated in a July 13 maiden tackling an extended five furlongs at Bath last time and continued on the upgrade with a first black-type win for her freshman sire (by Dubawi {Ire}) in Friday's Listed BetVictor St Hugh's S. at Newbury. Breaking with the tailenders and in rear through the initial fractions, the 11-1 chance made relentless headway from halfway to go seventh entering the final furlong and displayed an impressive array of gears in the closing stages to collar Attagirl (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) by a head in the dying strides for a career high.

“She made a nice debut, but it was trainer error that she was beaten on her second start as I ran her back too quick at Haydock,” admitted trainer Michael Bell. “I gave her a break and brought her back for Bath and gave her another break before bringing her back for this as she's not a filly you can bounce into races. She'd been going well into the race and we'd been very happy with her preparation since Bath. She didn't have the ideal passage through, but she showed a really good attitude and a turn of foot to get the job done. My son Nick bought her and I'm sure he'll have his own idea about plans. She's got black type now and the [G2] Flying Childers [at Doncaster] might be an option. She's not a filly you'd run on autumn ground and she must have a decent surface as she's not very big. I could see her making up into a decent little sprinter next year. [Former stable incumbent] Margot Did wasn't very big and she trained on to win a [G1] Nunthorpe at three. Size doesn't always matter.”

Tardis is the first of three foals produced by a multiple-winning daughter of juvenile scorer Greensand (GB) (Green Desert), herself a half-sister to GII Honeymoon H. vixtrix and GI Beverly D. S. placegetter Country Garden (GB) (Selkirk). The March-foaled bay–who hails from a family featuring stakes-winning G1 Irish Oaks, G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Flower Bowl Invitational placegetter Mot Juste (GB) (Mtoto {GB})–is a half-sister to a yearling filly by Rajasinghe (Ire) and a weanling filly by Postponed (Ire).

Friday, Newbury, Britain
BETVICTOR ST HUGH'S S.-Listed, £30,000, Newbury, 8-13, 2yo, f, 5f 34yT, 1:01.62, gd.
1–TARDIS (GB), 126, f, 2, by Time Test (GB)
1st Dam: Twizzell (GB), by Equiano (Fr)
2nd Dam: Greensand (GB), by Green Desert
3rd Dam: Totham (GB), by Shernazar (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (16,000gns RNA Wlg '19 TATFOA; 18,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRG). O-Wood Hall Stud Ltd & Partner; B-Keyfan Bloodstock (GB); T-Michael Bell; J-Oisin Murphy. £17,013. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-1, $32,064.
2–Attagirl (GB), 126, f, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Catalina Bay (Ire), by Pastoral Pursuits (GB). (£90,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-Clipper Logistics; B-Southacre Bloodstock (GB); T-Karl Burke. £6,450.
3–Delmona (Ire), 126, f, 2, Dandy Man (Ire)–Imelda Mayhem (GB), by Byron (GB). (£44,000 Ylg '20 TATIRY). O-HH Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa & Fawzi Nass; B-Ballyhane Stud (IRE); T-Tom Dascombe. £3,228.
Margins: HD, 1, HF. Odds: 11.00, 14.00, 2.00.
Also Ran: Canonized (GB), Fearless Angel (Ire), Flotus (Ire), Porsche Cavalier (Ire), Romantic Time (GB), Guilded (Ire), Bellarena Lady (GB), Kimngrace (Ire), Amanda Hug'n'kiss (GB), Red Showgirl (GB), Devious Angel (Ire), Silken Petals (GB), Cotai Beauty (Ire), Bella's Pearl (GB). Scratched: Choux (Ire), Dark Tulip (GB). Click for the Racing Post result.

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Racing League Teams Taking Shape

John Gosden, alongside fellow Newmarket trainers Sir Mark Prescott, Robert Cowell and David Simcock, will make up one of the dozen teams of the Racing League tournament which begins next summer. Another Newmarket team is comprised of Michael Bell, Ed Dunlop, James Fanshawe and Roger Varian. Clive Cox, Nicky Henderson, Charlie Hills and Jamie Osborne are representing Lambourn. Another team is Mick Appleby, Michael Dods, David O’Meara and Paul Midgley. Mick Channon has joined Paul and Oliver Cole, Eve Johnson Houghton and Hughie Morrison. France will also send a team combining trainers Philippe Decouz, Gavin Hernon, and Edouard Monfort.

The Racing League will see 12 teams of 30 horses each compete over 36 races during a six-week period at Newcastle, Doncaster, Lingfield and Windsor. Each event is worth £50,000, with an overall prizemoney of £1.8 million for the series beginning on July 29 and running until Sept. 2.

In November, six previous teams were released: Tim Easterby and Richard Fahey; Charlie Fellowes, Hugo Palmer and George Scott; Andrew Balding and Richard Hannon; George Baker, David Menuisier, Gary Moore and Amanda Perrett; Roger Charlton, Alan King, Martyn Meade and Brian Meehan; and, representing Ireland, Joseph O’Brien and his brother Donnacha.

Jeremy Wray, Racing League Chief Executive said, “We are really pleased to have such an illustrious group of trainers forming the 12 teams and are delighted to be adding an international flavour with the teams from Ireland and France. The next step will be for each team to select their three jockeys.”

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