SANTA ANITA STABLE NOTES

By Ed Golden —-

PRAT SET FOR BREEDERS’ CUP MINUS ‘MO’
$1 MILLION AT END OF RAINBOW TODAY?
TRAINERS’ RACE COULD GO DOWN TO WIRE
BAFFERT BREEZES TWO FOR BC CLASSIC
LEGENDARY AGENT O’BRYAN TURNS 100

PRAT AWAITS BREEDERS’ CUP MISSING ONE ‘MO’

Flavien Prat is in prime pouncing position to win the riding title at Santa Anita’s Autumn Meet that concludes today.

The 28-year-old Frenchman leads runner-up Juan Hernandez, 25-21, and is named to ride in seven of the 11 races, while Hernandez is named to ride in 10. Thus, going in, nothing is mathematically clinched.

Whatever the fates allow, beyond today Prat is looking forward to the Breeders’ Cup races at Keeneland Nov. 6 and 7, as he is tentatively scheduled to ride for at least three Southern California-based trainers.

They would be Simon Callaghan, Richard Mandella and John Sadler with possibly more on the horizon.

Unfortunately, he lost the mount for Peter Miller in the Mile when the trainer yesterday declared Mo Forza out of action due to a “minor issue.”

Prat was looking forward to riding the son of Uncle Mo, who was owned in part by the late former trainer Barry Abrams and Onofrio Pecoraro, who races as OG Boss. Abrams, who also bred Mo Forza, died at the age of 66 on Oct. 9 after a 15-year battle with cancer.

Prat came to Southern California after Abrams had retired from training, but still recognized the emotional attachment Barry had with Mo Forza and wanted nothing more than to fulfill his dream.

“Since Flavien came to California well after Barry had stopped training, he didn’t know him very well,” said his agent, Derek Lawson, “but he knew what winning the Mile would have meant for Barry and his friends.

“Flavien will go to Keeneland on Nov. 3 with his family, wife Manon and their soon-to-be two-year-old daughter,” Lawson went on. “The Breeders’ Cup overall is obviously very important to us, but the sentimental horse we all wanted to see compete and run well was Mo Forza.”

Miller, under whose astute direction Mo Forza posted six victories in his last seven races, including the Grade I Hollywood Derby, credits the horse with giving Abrams something to look forward to.

Miller is hopeful Mo Forza will recover in time to run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile next year at Del Mar, resurrecting the colt’s human-interest storyline.

“It would give the world an opportunity to know the Barry Abrams story,” Lawson said.

THREE TRAINERS IN BATTLE FOR TITLE

A three-way battle could go down to the wire for Santa Anita’s Autumn Meet training title as the 16-day session concludes today.

Peter Miller and Bob Baffert are tied for first with 11 wins each, while Doug O’Neill is one back with 10.

Miller has two horses entered today, The Black Album (6-1 on the morning line) in the fifth and Jamming Eddy (2-1) in the 10th.

Baffert has one horse entered, 10-1 morning line chance Via Angelica in the 11th and final race, while O’Neill has three entered, 5-2 Awesome Drive in the third, 5-2 Murad Khan in the fourth and 4-1Tonahutu (4-1) in the ninth.

FINISH LINES: Bob Baffert this morning breezed Maximum Security and Improbable for the Breeders’ Cup Classic, the former going five furlongs in a bullet 59.80, the latter seven furlongs in 1:25 flat. Maximum Security’s work was the fastest of 71 at the distance, the average time of which was 1:01.73. In all there were 163 workouts recorded Sunday, 20 on the training track . . .Doug O’Neill reports that his scrappy featherweight Biddy Duke, gutty winner of yesterday’s Grade III Senator Ken Maddy Stakes, was measured this morning and officially checks in at 15 hands tall…Happy 100th birthday to retired legendary jockey agent George “Blackheart” O’Bryan, whose list of Hall of Fame jocks included Johnny Adams, Ralph Neves, Manuel Ycaza, Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Donald Pierce…Last night’s Dodgers’ game was unforgettable, the bottom of the ninth inning an instant classic example of Slapstick Baseball, guys missing balls, a guy falling down, then scoring the winning run while flat on his belly as the palm of his hand repeatedly patted home plate. It was The Bad News Bears revisited, The Three Stooges in cleats. Somewhere Curly, Larry and Moe are laughing, yuk, yuk, yuk. When replays are shown, disclaimers should be shown with the warning, “Viewer Discretion Advised.” . . . Live racing returns to The Great Race Place on Saturday, Dec. 26.

LATEST CONTENT FROM XBTV:

FEATURES:

Preview of the Lure Stakes

Preview of the (GII) Goldikova Stakes

Richard Mandella Discusses His Breeders’ Cup Runners

John Sadler Discusses His Breeders’ Cup Contenders

Tim Yakteen Discusses Mucho Unusual

WORKOUTS:

Gamine (Outside) and Provocation (Baffert) 10-24-20

Wildman Jack (Inside) and Time To Testify (O’Neill) 10-24-20

Sharp Samurai (Glatt) 10-24-20

Princess Noor (Outside) and Spielberg (Baffert) 10-24-20

Harvest Moon (Callaghan) 10-24-20

Originaire (Mullins) 10-24-20

Authentic (Baffert) 10-24-20

Mucho Unusual (Outside) and Big Talker (Yakteen) 10-24-20

Speech (Outside) and Tembo (McCarthy) 10-23-20

Ce Ce (Outside) and Rushie (McCarthy) 10-23-20

Caisson (Inside) (Mandella) & Sparky Ville (Bonde) 10-22-20

Rombauer (Outside) and Polished Lady (McCarthy) 10-22-20

Lane Way (Mandella) 10-22-20

Collusion Illusion (Glatt) 10-19-20

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