Breeders’ Cup World Championships Tuesday, October 30, 2018

BREEDERS’ CUP RELEASE —-

SPRINT

Imperial Hint – Favorite for the $2 million TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Raymond Mamone’s Imperial Hint continued to impress in his preparation for the 6f affair Tuesday morning with a jog and canter the wrong way around the Churchill Downs oval in an attempt to subdue what was a visible fervor.
“I’m very confident,” said Luis Carvajal Jr,trainer. “I can’t ask for anything better with the way he’s doing it. Health-wise and fitness-wise, the horse is doing great. He’s mentally doing really well and coming off some very good wins in New York.
“I know this is the Breeders’ Cup, but we are going in with a good chance and he’s more mature, too, this time,” he said of last year’s runner-up. “I’m looking forward to racing Saturday.”
The diminutive Florida-bred 12-time winner is a son of Imperialism, who was eighth in the 2005 Sprint behind Silver Train.

Limousine Liberal –Trainer Ben Colebrook will send out two in this year’s Breeders’ Cup – veteran Limousine Liberal (Jose Ortiz) drew post eight of nine in the $2 million TwinSpires Sprint, while freshman Knicks Go (Albin Jimenez) will leave from post 10 in a 14-horse field in the $2 million Sentient Jet Juvenile.
“Everything is good with the draw,” Colebrook said. “No worries there. Both are good draws. As long as we’re in the starting gate, we’re in the right place.”
Seven-year-old Limousine Liberal heads into the Sprint with earnings exceeding $1.7 million, and nine wins from 25 starts. He was fifth, placed fourth, in the 2016 edition of the Sprint.
He jogged Tuesday and will gallop at Keeneland Wednesday before boarding a van for Louisville.

Promises Fulfilled – The 3yo son of Shackleford returned to the track on Tuesday after breezing 4f on Sunday 48 2/5 as he advances toward the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
“He came out of his work great and went out there and trained good today,” trainer Dale Romans said.
Promises Fulfilled is seeking his fourth consecutive graded-stakes victory. He most recently won the Phoenix Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 5
As agent, Romans purchased Promises Fulfilled for $37,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale. Owner Robert J. Baron named the colt to refer to his charmed life that includes his 40-plus years of marriage and his grandchildren.
Breeder David Jacobs’ connection to Promises Fulfilled’s family traces to 1991 when he purchased his great grand dam Copelan’s Girl. Jacobs has three broodmares including Promises Fulfilled’s dam Marquee Delivery. She has an unusual distinction of coincidentally being the dam of Marquee Miss and Marquee Cal Gal who were first and second in the 2017 Holiday Inaugural Stakes at Turfway Park.

Whitmore – The multiple stakes winning sprinter jogged 1m and galloped 1m under Laura Moquett, wife and assistant of trainer Ron Moquett.
“He’s happy, so I’m happy,” Moquett said. “We’ll just do light stuff the rest of week to keep him happy. And, he’ll stand in the gate later this week just to remind him.”
Whitmore drew post position one Monday and Moquett was fine with that.
“It’s where he likes to be,” he said. “If you look at his races, he likes to be on the inside and always seems to find the rail.”

FILLY & MARE SPRINT

Finley’sluckycharm – Carl Moore’s Finley’sluckycharm, who has won six of her seven starts at Churchill Downs, schooled at the starting gate and galloped over the main track with Sara Calhoun, wife of trainer Bret Calhoun aboard.
Finley’sluckycharm, who will be partnered Saturday by regular rider Brian Hernandez Jr., drew post position 11 in the 14-horse field.
“That is a good post and I am happy with it,” Bret Calhoun said. “If (8-5 morning-line favorite) Marley’s Freedom had been inside (rather than the 13) it would have been better.”
Hernandez also liked the post.
“It is better than being down inside where she could get jostled around,” Hernandez said.
Finley’sluckycharm was in between horses in last year’s race at Del Mar when she broke from post nine in a 14-horse field and finished ninth, her worst finish in 18 career starts.
“She was just flat last year,” Hernandez said. “She won the race at Keeneland (the TCA) and then had to ship.”

JUVENILE

Complexity – Klaravich Stables Inc.’s Champagne Stakes winner Complexity got his first feel for the Churchill Downs main track Tuesday morning for trainer Chad Brown, who is seeking his second consecutive Breeders’ Cup Juvenile after last year’s victory by Stonestreet Stables and e5 Racing’s Good Magic. The son of Maclean’s Music has impressively won both of his starts gate-to-wire and around one turn. He has yet to race beyond a mile.
“He has a lot of natural speed as we have seen in both of his starts,” Brown said. “Two turns can be a question mark for him, but he relaxes nicely in the mornings and afternoons and Jose (Ortiz, jockey), gets along with him really well. I’m confident the horse is going to settle and give it his best going a mile and a sixteenth.”
Complexity breaks from post six of 14 and is the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.

Game Winner – Gary and Mary West’s unbeaten colt Game Winner already has two Grade 1 victories on his resume and is the 8-5 morning-line favorite. Joel Rosario will ride from post seven in the 14-horse field on Friday.
While waiting for the son of Candy Ride to arrive from California Tuesday morning, trainer Bob Baffert pointed to the honor roll with the names of many of his stars on the wall of his barn at Churchill Downs.
“He’s the kind of horse that could maybe get his name on that sign right there, hopefully, one day,” Baffert said. “He’s that kind of horse.”
Purchased for $110,000 as a yearling, Game Winner has won his three starts by a total of 11 ¾ lengths. He broke his maiden Aug. 18, took the Del Mar Futurity a little more than two weeks later and cruised to a 4½-length win in the American Pharoah on Sept. 29 at Santa Anita.

Knicks Go – Knicks Go, with two wins from four starts, pulled off a stunner when he won the G1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland Oct. 6. It was the first grade one for the colt, Colebrook and rider Albin Jimenez.
In spite of that 5 ½ length victory, Knicks Go was assigned morning-line odds of 30-1 for the Juvenile. That doesn’t concern Colebrook.
“He was 70-1 last time, so we figure it’s half as much,” the trainer said. “We’re getting there.”
Knicks Go galloped at Keeneland Tuesday morning before shipping to Churchill.

Mr. Money – Allied Racing Stable’s Mr. Money schooled in the starting gate and then galloped under exercise rider Tony Quinones for trainer Bret Calhoun.
Mr. Money drew post position two for the 14-horse Juvenile and will be ridden by Gabriel Saez.
“I would have preferred to be a little farther out,” Calhoun said of the recent maiden winner at Churchill Downs. “But he has taken the heat before on the inside.”

JUVENILE FILLIES

Bellafina – Kaleem Shah’s daughter of Quality Road has won three straight stakes races by a total of 15 lengths and is the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the field of 10.
Bellafina shipped from California to Kentucky on Oct. 26 and has been training at Churchill Downs under exercise rider Serafin Carmona. Tuesday was just another day at the office, trainer Simon Callaghan said.
“She went out and stood and then we took her straight out and she galloped a mile and a half, which is her normal routine,” Callaghan said. “I was really happy. She’s getting over the track well and switched leads perfectly. It was a nice, regular gallop. She’s come back and looks good.”
Callaghan said everything has gone smoothly in the preparations for the Juvenile Fillies.
“She’s definitely feeling really well in herself, but at the same time she’s pretty content,” he said. “If we just keep her like this for the next few days, we should be good.”Regular rider Flavien Prat and Bellafina will start from the outside, post 10.

Serengeti Empress – Joel Politi’s Serengeti Empress, winner of the Pocahontas Stakes at Churchill Downs last month by 19 ½ lengths, galloped Tuesday morning after the first renovation break under Chico Herrera and visited the paddock.
Serengeti Express drew post position two for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies that attracted a field of 10.
“I am satisfied with it,” trainer Tom Amoss said. “She was inside the last time she ran. It is no secret we are going to the front unless somebody really gets crazy. They are going to have to go fast to be in front of us.”

DIRT MILE

Awesome Slew – As his racing career winds to a close, the 5yo son of Awesome Again returns to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile after finishing third in the race last year at Del Mar. Trainer Mark Casse said plans call for Awesome Slew to begin his stallion career in 2019 at Ocala Stud.
“His last couple of works here have been really good,” Casse said on Tuesday. “He is one dimensional so he needs the race to set up for him. He has to have some speed (on the front end.) He won the Ack Ack (at Churchill) last year but this year there was no speed and he finished a close fifth.”
Awesome Slew went to the track prior to the time reserved for Breeders’ Cup entrants because Casse has five entrants and only four exercise riders.
“He is the old pro; he knows what to do,” Casse said. “He’s been there, done that.”
Casse said Awesome Slew is easy to be around but that at times he can be a little “grumpy” but has no aggressive or studdish tendencies.

Catalina Cruiser – On the track with some early exercisers, Catalina Cruiser, the undefeated morning-line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, took a 1 1/4m turn around Churchill Downs’ main track as he moved closer to his possible day in the sun Saturday.
Juan Leyva, a former jockey who now serves as trainer John Sadler’s assistant trainer, was up for the exercise.
Sadler was extremely happy with Catalina Cruiser’s post position draw Monday afternoon. “It’s ideal for him,” Sadler said. “Being on the outside [10 post in a 10-horse field] should keep him away from trouble and will let Drayden [jockey Drayden Van Dyke] do what he needs to do.”

JUVENILE FILLIES TURF

Concrete Rose – Ashbrook Farm and BBN Racing’s Concrete Rose galloped on the main track at 7:30 on her first day at Churchill Downs. Exercise rider Karine Cotinaud Lhuillier was aboard for trainer Rusty Arnold.
Concrete Rose drew post position one for the 14-horse Juvenile Fillies Turf and will be ridden by Jose Lezcano who has been aboard the undefeated filly in her two starts.
“The post doesn’t matter to me,” Arnold said. “It will be up to the jock to work out a trip.”

Newspaperofrecord – Klaravich Stables’ Newspaperofrecord impressed onlookers Tuesday morning when the 2-1 morning-line favorite for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf got her first look at Churchill Downs main track. Galloping a mile, she looks to extend trainer Chad Brown’s impressive record of four wins and two seconds from 17 starters in the race.
“She’s a really special horse,” Brown said. “She has a good combination of early gate speed, as well as a huge turn-of-foot. She’s a hard horse to run against because she can be positioned ahead of you and she has a devastating turn-of-foot.”
Brown won the 2016 and 2017 Juvenile Fillies Turf events with New Money Honey and Rushing Fall, who were both owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds.
Newspaperofrecord breaks from post six of 14 and will again have the services of Irad Ortiz Jr., who has been aboard for her maiden win on Aug. 19 at Saratoga and her Miss Grillo Stakes win on Sept. 30 at Belmont Park.

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