Fletcher and Carolyn Gray's MGISW I'm a Chatterbox (Munnings) put in her final work ahead of Friday's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff at Keeneland Saturday morning, breezing a best-of-22 five furlongs in :59 flat. With regular rider Florent Geroux aboard, the chestnut was clocked in splits of :12, :23, :35.60 and :59 with a six-furlong gallop out in 1:12.60 (Video).
“She went good,” said trainer Larry Jones. “And with it being the only work between [her win in the GI Juddmonte] Spinster [Oct. 9] and [the Breeders' Cup], we needed to make sure it was a decent work. We're going into it the way I like to. As I told Flo [Geroux] when we started, 'Give her one of those Oaks works and let her go ahead and do something.' We're shooting for the Breeders' Cup. We're where we want to be. If we get beat, we get beat.”
Other Breeders' Cup contenders on the Keeneland worktab Saturday morning include:
GI Breeders' Cup Mile bound Ring Weekend (Tapit) drilled five panels on the main track in 1:02.80 (17/22) with fractions of :12.40, :24.60, :37 and 1:02.80 (Video).
Group 1 winner Undrafted (Purim), who is pointing for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, breezed five furlongs on the grass in 1:01 flat (1/2) (Video). “It was a nice little cruiser, all by himself,” trainer Wesley Ward said. “He did everything right. This is his home, so he feels very, very comfortable here. We're getting him on the last plane out on Nov. 1 to keep him right here at home until he's gotta go. We're all set.”
GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf runner Zipessa (City Zip) worked five furlongs on the turf in 1:02.60 (2/2) (Video). “She is fit and ready to go,” trainer Mike Stidham said. “She always gallops out big. She did just what we were looking for.”
BC Breezers Abound at Belmont…
Todd Pletcher sent his contingent of Breeders' Cup runners to the Belmont training track Saturday for their final works prior to shipping to California for next weekend's Championships.
GI Breeders' Cup Classic-bound Keen Ice (Curlin) breezed five furlongs in 1:00.85 (2/31). “It's what we've come to expect, the further he goes, the stronger he gets,” Pletcher said. “I thought it was a good, solid work. We got what we were hoping for from a fitness standpoint. We'll go into it with a fresh, fit horse. Now, we need a good pace in the race and a good setup for him.”
MGISW Curalina (Curlin), who is entered in both the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff and the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, worked five panels in 1:01.20 (9/31). “She was very good again this morning, I thought it was an exceptional work,” Pletcher commented. “She seems to be in good form, she's happy and galloped out great.” As for which BC race the chestnut will start in, Pletcher said, “We have not made a final decision yet. The conversations I've had with them leading up to today have been leaning towards the Distaff.”
GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf contenders Made You Look (More Than Ready) and J.S. Choice (Congrats) worked in company, covering a half-mile in :49.78 (2/3) on the inner turf, which was rated as good (Video). “They did it in hand easily and seemed to handle the turf course great, considering it had a big cut to it,” Pletcher said. “It didn't seem to bother them.”
“TDN Rising Star” Theory (Gemologist) tuned up for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a half-mile move in :49.49 (17/51), working in company with Ready Dancer (More Than Ready) (Video).
Fellow Juvenile contender and “TDN Rising Star” Syndergaard (Majesticperfection) breezed a best-of-31 five furlongs in 1:00.80 (Video). “He started off easy, finished up strong and galloped out great,” said Pletcher. “I thought it was an excellent work. We put him in company last week and he worked fine. But he's willing on his own, so I didn't think he needed company to get a solid work out of him. He did plenty on his own.”
GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner Sweet Loretta (Tapit) also worked alone, covering four furlongs in :48.88 (7/51).
MGISW Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), likely for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile, went a half-mile in :49.12 (14/51).
Chad Brown worked his group of Breeders' Cup runners led by defending GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner Wavell Avenue (Harlington), who breezed a best-of-40 half-mile on the Belmont main track in :47 flat (Video). “It was one of her better breezes of the entire year, I thought,” said Brown. “It was a normal maintenance work. She went a little quick, but I'll tell you, the way she did it was absolutely effortless. She was under a strong hold the whole way. She looks like she's coming into this race very well.”
MGISW and BC Juvenile contender Practical Joke (Into Mischief) worked five panels in company on the Belmont main in 1:01.44 (7/12) (Video). “He worked a very good, very steady five-eighths,” Brown said. “It was a very good work and he galloped out extremely well. I'm looking forward to getting this horse around two turns.”
F/M Sprint runner Irish Jasper (First Defence) covered a half-mile in :49.09 (11/40) (Video).
Turf Sprint hopeful A Lot (Tapit) went four furlongs in company in:49.55 (16/40) (Video).
Juvenile Turf hopefuls Favorable Outcome (Flatter) and Ticonderoga (Tapit) breezed five furlongs in company over the inner turf in 1:03.12 (3/4) (Video).
Juvenile Fillies Turf-bound New Money Honey (Medaglia d'Oro) and Rymska (Fr) (Le Havre {Fr}), who finished one-two in the GIII Miss Grillo S., also worked in company, going five panels over the inner turf in a bullet 1:02.15 (1/4) (Video).
BC Runners Put in Final Works in Arcadia…
GISW Union Strike (Union Rags) worked five furlongs in 1:00.40 (23/87) in preparation for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Video). “I thought she went well,” said conditioner Craig Dollase, who recently took over the filly's training. “I was happy with the time. It went real smooth, everything is good and Martin [Garcia] gave us a thumbs up.”
Dirt Mile-bound champion Runhappy (Super Saver), winner of last term's BC Sprint, breezed five panels in :58.40 (2/87) (Video).
Juvenile contender Gormley (Malibu Moon), who wired the GI FrontRunner S. Oct. 1, went an easy six furlongs in 1:16.40 (16/18) in company (Video). Jockey Chantal Sutherland, who was aboard for the work, said, “His ears were up and John [Shirreffs] just wanted to keep him happy. He wasn't worried about the time at this point.”
Fellow Juvenile runner Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) went five furlongs in 1:01.60 (52/87) (Video). Fellow Dale Romans trainee and “TDN Rising Star” Sweeping Paddy (Paddy O'Prado), an also-eligible for the Juvenile Fillies Turf, also worked five furlongs in a sharp :59.40 (3/87) (Video).
BC Sprint-bound GISW Masochistic (Sought After) worked five furlongs from the gate under Hall of Famer Mike Smith in 1:00 flat (13/87). “It went great,” trainer Ron Ellis said. “Mike got him to really relax well and has gotten to know him pretty good working him. He's gotten a handle on him.”
Jockey Rafael Bejarano worked BC Classic contender Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), covering five furlongs in company in :59.80 (10/87) (Video). Fellow Classic runner Shaman Ghost (Ghostzapper) breezed a half-mile in :47.40 (5/62) (Video).
Juvenile Fillies runners With Honors (War Front) and Champagne Room (Broken Vow) both completed five-furlong works with the former going in 1:05.80 (87/87) (Video) and the latter clocking 1:00.20 (19/87) (Video). Daddys Lil Darling (Scat Daddy), who will also start in the Juvenile Fillies, breezed a half-mile in :51.20 (56/62) (Video).
Phil D'Amato worked Dirt Mile-bound Vyjack (Into Mischief) five furlongs in 1:00.40 (23/87) (Video); and his F/M Sprint contender Gloryzapper (Ghostzapper) breezed the same distance in 1:01.20 (43/87) (Video). His Turf Sprint runner Obviously (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) covered the same distance on the training track in 1:00.20 (1/3) (Video). Also working five furlongs on the training track were the D'Amato-trained Bowies Hero (Artie Schiller) (Juvenile Turf) and Metaboss (Street Boss) (Turf), who both went in 1:01.80.
Also on the worktab were Ashleyluvssugar (Game Plan) (Turf) five furlongs in 1:00.40 (23/87) (Video); Accelerate (Lookin at Lucky) (Dirt Mile), six panels in 1:13.20 (1/18); Happy Mesa (Sky Mesa) (Juvenile), five furlongs in 1:03 (78/87); Corona del Inca (Arg) (Luhuk) (Distaff), half-mile in :47.80 (11/62); Mind Your Biscuits (Posse) (Sprint), five panels in 1:02 flat (65/87) (Video); and Harbour Master (GB) (Harbour Watch {Fr}), five furlongs in 1:02.80 (76/87).
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