Belmont Busy With Breeders' Cup Workouts

From NYRA
Hall of Fame trainer Neil Drysdale had a pair of his contenders for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championship on Saturday, October 27th out for workouts today. Breeders' Cup Mile hopeful Irish Prize breezed four furlongs over Belmont's "good" inner turf course in :48, while Kalypso Katie, bound for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, breezed seven furlongs over the inner turf in 1:29. Both workouts were around the 'dogs,' the cones used to protect the inside paths of the turf course.

Irish Prize, a five-year-old gelding owned by Sheik Maktoum al Maktoum, is one of this country's best milers, having won three consecutive graded stakes this year - the grade III Fastness, grade I Shoemaker Breeders' Cup Mile and grade II Firecracker. Drysdale has trained the son of Irish River since the summer of 2000.

"I think this is the best he's been," Drysdale said. "He's held his form well this year and has shown he's willing to fight for a win. I was very happy with him today. He likes this course."

Irish Prize most recently finished fourth, beaten a length, in the grade I Atto Mile at Woodbine on September 9. The gelding had a tough task that day, breaking from the far outside post 14. He put in a prolonged five-wide rally under Hall of Fame Gary Stevens but could not get to Numerous Times.

"The post really hurt us," Drysdale said. "He was also giving weight to everybody in the field and the turf course up there was too hard for him. There are more positives coming into the Breeders' Cup."

Michael Tabor's Kalypso Katie, an Irish-bred, will be a longshot in the Filly & Mare Turf. The Fairy King filly's only win this year occurred in a second-level allowance on May 2.

She's shown a fondness for the Belmont turf," Drysdale said. "All I can say is that we are at the end of the branch and we'll have to see where the limb falls off. I'm encouraged by the way she's trained here."

Forbidden Apple Works Toward Mile

Arthur Appleton's Forbidden Apple, prepping for the Mile, breezed four furlongs in a bullet :47 1/5 around the 'dogs' on the inner turf course. The six-year-old Pleasant Colony horse has won two of three starts this year, having won Belmont's grade I Manhattan and grade II Kelso.

"I thought he worked terrific," trainer Christophe Clement. "This was his first breeze since winning the Kelso. It may be his last work before the Mile. I'll have to see how he does over the next few days."

It was a little more than a year ago that Forbidden Apple rose from an allowance- to stakes-caliber horse.

After passing through the third-level allowance condition in his fifth attempt, Forbidden Apple won Belmont's grade II Belmont Breeders' Cup Handicap at 21-1. Three weeks later, he won the Kelso by a neck over Affirmed Success at 8-1 before closing out his 2000 stateside campaign with a seventh-place finish, beaten less than three lengths, in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

"He loves the cool weather in the fall and is a horse that tries hard every time he hits the track," Clement said.

Obviously, the Mile isn't an easy race. Forbidden Apple, however, has the home court advantage, as he's compiled a 7-1-1 record from 11 starts on the Belmont grass.

"It's helps having a horse you know handles the course," Clement said. "I don't know if it's a big advantage because the race is filled with some great horses that are used to traveling."

Since debuting in late July of 1998, Forbidden Apple has raced at least five times a year. His 2001 campaign, however, has seen him meet the starter just three times.

"He started eight times last year and was given the winter off," Clement said. "Our first goal (this spring) was the Manhattan and I just trained him up to that race. We then ran in the Bowling Green and he ran terrible. It was a matter of him running back to quickly. After that, we pointed to the Belmont Breeders' Cup which was canceled (because of the September 11th terrorist attacks) and then we won the Kelso. He's lightly raced this year but he's won two important stakes."

Chaste Works Over Main Track

Jeanne Vance's Chaste, a longshot in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, breezed five furlongs over Belmont's main track in 1:02 this morning. The Cozzene mare enters the Breeders' Cup on the heels of a fourth-place finish behind Lailani in Belmont's grade I Flower Bowl Handicap on September 29th. Exercise rider George Martens was aboard today.

"I was mad at George after the work," Hall of Fame trainer Scotty Schulhofer joked. "I told him to go in 1:01 4/5 and he goes in 1:02. Seriously, it was a pretty good move for her."

Chaste, a five-year-old, has come to hand this year for her connections, compiling a 2-0-2 record from six starts. Chaste, however, has never won a stake race.

"She's going to be retired at the end of the year," Schulhofer said. "Her owners wanted to take a shot."

Schulhofer has won two Breeders' Cup races, having saddled Fly So Free to a victory in the Juvenile here in 1990 four years after taking the Sprint with Smile in 1986.

Sprint Contender Alannan Breezes

Eaglestone Farms Inc.'s Alannan breezed five furlongs over Belmont's main track in 1:00 2/5. The Carl Nafzger trained five-year-old is pointing to the $1 million Breeders' Cup Sprint. Alannan won back-to-back grade IIs earlier this year - the Commonwealth Breeders' Cup and Churchill Down Handicap. The son of Conquistador Cielo, however, has gone winless in four starts since May.

"With the Breeders' Cup, you've either got the class to run or you don't," Nafzger said. "I think he's got the tools. That's why we are in there."

Alannan enters the six-furlong Sprint coming off his worst race of the year--a sixth-place finish, beaten more than 15 lengths, in Belmont's grade I Vosburgh. Nafzger says the race is a throw out.

"He had a small bruise on his hoof going into that race," Nafzger said. "He was good enough to run, so we put a special shoe over it. Unfortunately, he lost it during some point of the race and didn't do any running after that. His feet are fine now. He couldn't be doing any better."

Jockey Edgar Prado, Alannan's regular rider this year, will have the mount in the Sprint. Nafzger said he is just hoping for a little racing luck.

"It's such a crazy race," said Nafzger referring to the Sprint. "He's got a stalkers running style and you've got to think he's going to get the pace he needs to close into. As long as he isn't trapped behind horses, he should be running hard in the stretch."
Nafzger saddled Unbridled to a victory in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Classic here.

Lailani Breezes Six Furlongs

Sheikh Maktoum al Maktoum's Lailani, undefeated in seven starts this year, breezed six furlongs around the 'dogs' over Belmont's inner turf in 1:15 2/5. The three-year-old daughter of Unfuwain is likely to be favored in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf after winning Belmont's grade I Flower Bowl, her first stateside start.