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Animal Kingdom completed his major training for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile by working five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 around the dogs on a firm turf course Friday morning at Keeneland. With exercise rider David Nava up and working in company with four-year-old stablemate Badleroibrown, Animal Kingdom began the work about three lengths in back of his workmate, closed to within a length at the three-eighths pole, drew even at the quarter pole and finished about a length in front. Fractions were :12, :25 1/5, :38 3/5, :50 4/5 and out six furlongs in 1:16 1/5. Trainer Graham Motion was pleased with the work by last year's champion three-year-old colt, who will leave for Southern California on Saturday. "I thought it was a sensible work and he galloped out strong," Motion said. "I did not want a hard work today as he had his serious work last week (six furlongs in 1:13 on October 18 at Fair Hill)." Rafael Bejarano will ride Animal Kingdom for the first time in the Mile, scheduled for November 3. "He will gallop up to the race and we may school him one day," Motion said, noting that Bejarano would not be aboard any morning prior to the race. |
Motion also will send Kitten's Point to Santa Anita for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 2. Second in the Grade 3 Jessamine on October 11 in her most recent start, Kitten's Point schooled at the gate this morning as part of her morning activity.
Bejarano will have the mount on Kitten's Point.
Friday morning was busy at Keeneland with works by five other horses pointed at the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita.
Working on the main track was Atigun. With exercise rider Danny Ramsey up, the Istan colt worked five furlongs on his own in :59 2/5 with fractions of :12, :23 3/5, :35 1/5, :47 1/5 and out six furlongs in 1:12 4/5.
"I thought he worked good," trainer Ken McPeek said of the move that was fastest of eight at the distance. "He will ship Sunday and Mike Smith will ride him."
Atigun, third in the Grade 1 Belmont at 1 1/2 miles, is pre-entered in the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Marathon at 1 3/4 miles on November 2.
"We felt that he was not ready for the Classic," McPeek said of choosing the Marathon. "He can run all day. He likes every bit of a mile and a half and I think he needs more than a mile and a quarter. The (Grade 1) Travers and the (Grade 1) Jockey Club Gold Cup were both good races."
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Smith was aboard Atigun in those past two starts in which he finished fourth going 1 1/4 miles. For trainer Wesley Ward, Great Attack, a five-year-old Grade 3-winning son of Greatness, worked five furlongs with Almost an Angel, a two-year-old Artie Schiller filly who was sixth in the Grade 1 Alcibiades on October 5. Great Attack, ridden by Paco Lopez, started five lengths behind the filly and was five lengths in front of her at the finish. Great Attack's time was 1:02 2/5, and Almost an Angel's time was 1:04 2/5. "Both of them get a lot out of their works," Ward said. "She's a good work horse, and he's kind of an older, seasoned veteran, a little lazy, so that's why I try to put them together." Clockers caught Great Attack in fractions of :12 3/5, :26 1/5, :39 2/5, :51 1/5, 1:02 2/5 and out in 1:15 4/5. |
"Great Attack looks like he's coming into the race in perfect fashion," Ward said about the horse, who was pre-entered in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on November 3. He has not raced since winning the Grade 3 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on May 5.
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Almost an Angel, who was ridden by Julio Garcia, was pre-entered in the $500,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint and the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Both races are on November 2. "I'm going to see how the races are setting up -- what everybody else is thinking -- before I make a decision," Ward said. "She can do either; she can sprint because she broke her maiden going short on the grass at Belmont. I really believe (dirt) is her best surface. She worked on the dirt at Palm Meadows (in Florida) before her career began and worked on the dirt at Saratoga. She works far better on it than she does on the grass or the Polytrack." Almost an Angel and Great Attack are scheduled to ship to California on Sunday. Brown Almighty worked for the second time at Keeneland since his second-place finish to Balance the Books in the Grade 3 Bourbon on October 7. The two-year-old Big Brown colt was pre-entered in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf on November 3. |
With Kent Desormeaux aboard, Brown Almighty worked five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 with fractions of :12 1/5, :25, :39, :51 2/5, 1:02 3/5 and out in 1:15 3/5.
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"He looked like he worked good," trainer Tim Ice said. "He finished up really nice; come home the last quarter in :23 and change. So I'm very excited. It's just a matter of seeing how he comes back and off to Santa Anita." Brown Almighty is to travel to California on Sunday. Also working on the grass was Summer of Fun for trainer George Weaver. With exercise rider Kim Brooking up, Summer of Fun worked five furlongs in 1:02 1/5 on her own. Fractions for the move, which was the fastest of six for the morning, were :25 1/5, :38 2/5, :50 and out six furlongs in 1:15 3/5. Third in the Jessamine in her most recent start, Summer of Fun is scheduled to ship Saturday to Santa Anita for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on November 2. |
