JUVENILE TURF

Caspar Netscher – Caspar Netscher had the services of jockey Richard Hughes Thursday morning when he did a steady canter out on the main track.

“Richard said that he gave him a really nice feel this morning,” trainer Alan McCabe said.


Coalport, Gung Ho, Tequila Factor – The Churchill Downs racing office was informed Thursday morning that Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s Gung Ho will not participate in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf because of a minor setback. The defection allows Darrell and Evelyn Yates and Coby Tresner’s Tequila Factor, the lone also eligible, to draw in.

“Mike (trainer Maker) checked him (Gung Ho) this morning and he didn’t like the way he was walking,” Ramsey explained. “He has some muscle soreness in his hocks, and we don’t run our horses if they’re not 100 percent.”

Trainer Wayne Catalano, who trains Juvenile Turf contestant Coalport and Juvenile Fillies Turf contender Stephanie’s Kitten for Ramseys, received a phone call from Ken Ramsey early this morning.

“He said had some bad news for himself which was some good news for me,” Catalano said. “I don’t like to draw in at someone else’s expense, especially Mr. Ramsey. I’m sorry for his loss and appreciated the phone call. It is nice to get into the race with Tequila Factor, and with Coalport in, they (Ramseys) still have a chance to win it.”

Tequila Factor, who twice raced in $25,000 maiden claimers, does have two minor turf stakes wins on his resume.

“If you get in the Breeders’ Cup with a post position, you have a chance,” Catalano said. “Anything can happen. We saw it the other day in the Bourbon. He’ll have a little speed. He’ll be up there, so if the other ones find trouble in the back somehow and he kicks away, who knows what can happen?”

Coalport is the 12th Illinois-bred to compete in the Breeders’ Cup, and the only Illinois-bred winner was Buck’s Boy in the 1998 Turf.

“We have a handful of Illinois-breds for the Ramseys, and we’re very grateful for that,” Catalano said. “Being stabled in Illinois, we can take advantage of the program there, and if the horses are good enough, like Coalport is, we can run open races anywhere.”


Daddy Nose Best – Bob and Cathy Zollars’ Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf contender has a deep closing style that makes him dependant on pace and trip, particularly in a field of 14.

“When you’re in a field like this and two turns on the turf, you’re going to have to work out the trip,” trainer Steve Asmussen said. “Having Julien (jockey Leparoux) in that spot gives us a lot of confidence. If anyone can work out the trip, he can.”


Fantastic Song – Trainer Chad Brown sent his Lemon Drop Kid colt out for a routine morning gallop of 1 3/8m.

 The Green Hills Farm bay rallied from last to win his debut, a 1 1/16m turf race at Saratoga, by a head over Animal Spirits, who he will face again in the Juvenile Turf. On Oct. 2, he finished third in as the favorite over a soft course at Belmont Park in the Pilgrim.

“The colt definitely needs firm ground,” Brown said. “He didn’t run his “A” race in the Pilgrim. He still almost won, but it’s not his ‘A’ race. His ‘A’ race is the first time out in Saratoga when he came from dead last and won.

“I’m looking for the same type of trip here. I’m looking for a quicker pace and firm ground for him on Saturday. He’s got a nice cozy post on the inside (2), I want to find my way to the fence pretty soon and let them battle up front.”


Finale – One of the likely favorites in the Juvenile Turf, the “turf-perfect” Scat Daddy 2yo went out for a controlled gallop on the main track Thursday.

“Since we put him on the turf, he’s been special,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He’s 3-for-3 with three convincing wins. I am not crazy about the 13 post. If it weren’t for that, my confidence level would be pretty high.”

Finale broke his maiden in his third start after running third and fourth on the dirt. He since has won a pair of minor stakes in preparation for this assignment


Lucky Chappy, State of Play – Lucky Chappy galloped 1 1/4m on the main track, while State of Play, who had been scheduled to go to the turf, ended up galloping 1 3/4m on the main track when training on the turf horses was halted due to rain Thursday morning at Churchill Downs.

Lucky Chappy began his career in Italy, where he won two of three starts in the spring and early summer, before Team Valor International sent him to trainer Graham Motion, who has been impressed at the son of High Chaparral’s progress in adapting to the U.S.

“It is very different. I was just talking to David (Nava) the exercise rider saying what a different horse he is from a month and a half ago. It’s not just coming from a different country. I think 2-year-olds change a lot, and this horse has changed a lot in two months,” Motion said. “I’ve seen a dramatic change in him.”

State of Play, also owned by Team Valor International, impressed Motion right from the start.

“He outworked all of my 2-year-olds. So I felt pretty good about him,” said Motion of the colt who has won both of this starts. “He’s very professional, always has been.”

Joel Rosario will ride Lucky Chappy, who broke last in his first U.S. start before closing to third in the Bourbon at Keeneland.
 

Majestic City – The City Zip colt walked the shedrow Thursday morning, two days out from his start in the Juvenile Turf.

On Wednesday trainer Peter Miller galloped the son of City Zip on the Churchill Downs turf course for the first time and got an enthusiastic response from the colt.

“He liked it out there,” the trainer said, showing off a picture owner Jeff Bloom had sent him on his phone of Miller high up in the saddle and pulling hard on Majestic City. “He liked it so much he almost got away from me out there. It was all I could do to pull him up.”

Miller indicated that Friday would be a morning to “go stand in the gate, and go to the paddock and do a bit of galloping on the main track. We’ve also got him scheduled to go to the paddock in the afternoon for the second race.

“I like where I am with him right now,” he said, “very much so.”

JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

Ann of the Dance – The daughter of 2007 Breeders’ Cup Turf winner English Channel jogged to the wire and then galloped 1 1/2 m on Thursday under Heather Irion, who is tending to her care until trainer Marty Wolfson arrives Friday.


The filly will be ridden for the first time by Corey Nakatani and is one of the three 30-1 longshots among the full field of 14 for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Her stable mate, Ask the Moon, will also carry the Farnsworth colors when she competes later on the card in the Ladies’ Classic.


Dayatthespa – Trainer Chad Brown sent the New York-bred City Zip filly out for a routine morning gallop of 1 3/8m Thursday.

So far, the filly hasn’t had any experience on soft ground.

“There’s not as much to go on to really find what she prefers because she’s only had two career starts,” Brown said. “But from watching her train and being around her, my gut is that she’s going to like firm ground better.

“For her, I’d prefer the ground to be a little firmer. I don’t think she needs to have it, and she’s a young horse, so I’m only speculating. But based on how she moves and as many grass horses that I’ve been around, I’d say she would prefer it a little firmer.”


Dear Lavinia – Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget’s lone representative at this year’s Breeders’ Cup had a steady canter on the main track Thursday. The 2yo daughter of Grand Slam has yet to finish worse than third in her five races but the Juvenile Fillies Turf will be her first Graded/Group stake.


Elusive Kate – The 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Juvenile Fillies Turf was scheduled to exercise on the turf course Thursday morning but the course was closed before turf works began when rain started to fall.

The Elusive Quality filly was scheduled to be sold at auction on Sunday, but instead was sold this week to Teruya Yoshida by her owners Magnolia Racing (owned by Robert and Janice McNair) and Rachel Hood, the wife of trainer John Gosden. Yoshida will keep the filly in Gosden’s care.

“When they go in the (sales) ring, you have no command on their future,” Gosden said. “It was very nice that someone came in and wanted to buy her and send her back to us in Europe.”

Elusive Kate has won four straight races in Europe, most recently the Criterium d Pouliches at Longchamp.

“She’s the top French filly at the moment, the potential champion 2-year-old filly of France,” Gosden said. “The idea was to come here to race then go to the sales. Looking at the race, it’s probably the hottest edition of the Juvenile Fillies Turf I’ve ever seen. It’s a high-quality race.”


Stephanie's Kitten – Trainer Wayne Catalano, who starts Ken and Sarah Ramsey’s daughter of Kitten’s Joy in Friday’s Juvenile Fillies Turf, owns two wins from eight Breeders’ Cup starters, with both of those victories coming in the Juvenile Fillies (Dreaming of Anna in 2006 and She Be Wild in 2009).

“Winning those races is what it’s all about,” Catalano said. “They made some great memories. She Be Wild is in foal to Tapit and Dreaming of Anna’s first foal will be a 2-year-old next year. She’s a Street cry filly (named All Her Class). Her second foal is by Medaglia D’Oro.”


Stopshoppingmaria/Sweet Cat – Both fillies were on the track for morning gallops Thursday as they began to wind down their final exercises for their races.

Stopshoppingmaria, named for owner Mike Repole’s wife Maria, has been “doing exceptionally well since arriving here,” trainer Todd Pletcher said.

“She’s got a wonderful disposition,” he said. “She loved it when she worked on the grass here the other day. She’s very kind, so I think she can rate very easily. I think she’ll run a big race.”

Sweet Cat hasn’t put up quite the numbers of her stablemate, but she does have the advantage of two starts on the grass, including a second in the Jessamine in her last start. This will be the grass debut for Stopshoppingmaria, a daughter of More Than Ready.


Up – The daughter of Galileo went to the main track and had a routine canter Thursday morning.

“Up is a filly we have always liked,” trainer Aidan O’Brien said. “She was a bit disappointing on her first run so we gave her a break and she came back and won well (in a maiden race) at Dundalk.”


JUVENILE SPRINT

Blacky the Bull – A 1m jog was the order of the day for the 2yo son of Flashy Bull as he put in his final exercise for Friday’s inaugural Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint.

Trainer Jeff Bonde, watching his 2yo for the first time since arriving Wednesday afternoon from California, was happy with what he saw.

“He seems to be doing really well,” Bonde said. “I think his style of coming from off the pace gives him a chance. There should be plenty of speed in the race, so that will be helpful.”


Holdin Bullets – The son of 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper had galloped Thursday and has trainer Wesley Ward feeling fortunate that circumstances fell into the place that led to the colt being entered in the Juvenile Sprint, his first race since winning his career debut at Keeneland in April.

“I was hoping to get him in an allowance race at Keeneland last month, but the race didn’t fill,” Ward said. “Now, I think we’re fortunate that happened, because he’s really showing an affinity for this track. Of course, we’re going to have to beat that horse (Secret Circle) of Bob Baffert’s, but hopefully, after two fast efforts, he’s going to bounce.”


Secret Circle – The undefeated Bob Baffert trainee galloped 1m under exercise rider Peter Hutton Thursday morning in preparation for the Juvenile Sprint, the race that kicks off the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at 4:10 p.m. on Friday.

“His record is two for two and he’s the kind of horse that if you watch him train in the morning, he doesn’t tip you off like that,” Baffert said of the 2yo son of Eddington.

“He’s a very quiet, calm horse. I think he and (Filly & Mare Sprint contender) Turbulent Descent are probably two of the heaviest favorites coming in here, but we still have to break and run well.”

Baffert put a final work into the Jack Goodman Stakes winner at Santa Anita on Oct. 30, when Secret Circle went 5f in a handy 58 2/5.

“He didn’t work here or anything like that,” the trainer remarked. “But so far from what I’ve seen, he seems to get over the track just fine.”


Seeker – Installed as the 4-1 second choice for Friday’s inaugural running of the Juvenile Sprint, Winchell Thoroughbred son of Hard Spun represents the barn of Steve Asmussen, whose lone Breeders’ Cup victory came with Horse of the Year Curlin in the 2007 Classic.

 “The goal is getting them here (to the Breeders’ Cup),” Asmussen said. “You keep the horses happy and healthy, and choose the paths that you think will put them in position to be successful, not only for this event, but into the future. It’s nice to now have this option (Juvenile Sprint) for a horse like him (Seeker).”


Shumoos – Fawzi Abdulla Nass’ Distorted Humor filly out of a Storm Cat mare went to the track for some light exercise Thursday morning.

The lone female in the nine-horse field will be making her first start on dirt in the Juvenile Sprint.


Sum of the Parts – “Everything is ready,” trainer Tom Amoss said of the son of Speightstown, a colt he thinks will be in the mix if expected heavy favorite Secret Circle doesn’t bring his “A” game.

The juvenile galloped 1 1/2m and schooled in the gate Thursday morning to finish up his fine tuning for Friday’s race.


Trinniberg – Although having two horses in the Breeders’ Cup is a tremendous accomplishment for owner Shivananda Parbhoo, who starts Trinniberg in the Juvenile Sprint and Giant Ryan in the Sprint, the Calder-based owner is ready for the experience to reach its conclusion.

“I’m just ready for the races already,” Parbhoo said Thursday morning. “This week has dragged on forever. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but I’m just getting more anxious by the minute. It’s funny, at Calder, we have a full barn (27 horses), but it’s been more busy and chaotic here even though we have just a few horses to look after.”

Parbhoo, who will have to wait until Saturday’s Sprint to complete his Breeders’ Cup experience, will start Trinniberg on Friday in the Juvenile Sprint, the first race of this year’s Breeders Cup.

“He just seems to be getting over the track better and better each day,” Parbhoo said of his son of Teuflesberg. “I’d say he is thriving here.

“I’ve had a chance to take a look at the competition a bit. I saw Baffert’s horse (Secret Circle) the other morning, and a few of the others. To be honest, none of them really scare me because I know what my horse can do, and I know how well he is coming up to the race.”