(Edited Breeders' Cup notes)
\With most of the major training over for the Nov. 6-7 Breeders' Cup World Championships completed, the work tab at Santa Anita Nov. 3 was pretty light.
Among those on the track was Desert Code, who worked a half-mile in a sharp :47 flat over the Pro-Ride surface under jockey Richard Migliore as the son of E Dubai seeks to defend his title in the Turf Sprint.
"He did it OK," trainer David Hofmans said. "He looked like he was finishing really well."
Hofmans noted that the horse was reaching out strongly as he came to the wire.
"I believe he’s coming into this race even better than he was last year," the trainer added.
Working three furlongs in :38 3/5 for trainer Bill Mott was Mushka, pre-entered in the Ladies Classic (gr. I).
"We didn’t want to do much on top of the race," Mott said. "We just wanted her to feel the track, stretch her legs. She went well."
Kent Desormeaux will be aboard Mushka, who will be making her 17th career start this week. The daughter of Empire Maker is 2-for-2 on synthetic surfaces after winning the Spinster (gr. I) at Keeneland by way of disqualification..
Meanwhile, Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile entrant Piscitelli worked a half-mile in :52 3/5.
Rick Sacco, the brother of trainer Gregg Sacco and the racing manager for owner William Schettine, termed Piscitelli healthy and happy as the entrant was getting tacked up to head to the track Tuesday morning.
"The plan is for a two-minute lick," Sacco said. "He’ll work a half-mile and then pick it up at the end. We’re letting him stretch his legs and gallop out."
The effort was the slowest of 16 horses that worked the same distance.
"The work went very well and he did exactly what we wanted; the way we wanted." Sacco said. "He hit every pole. It was perfect."
Also Nov. 3, trainer Phil Gleaves sent Mambo Meister to the Santa Anita main track Tuesday morning for his final serious work for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. The son of King Cugat breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 under exercise rider Simon Harris.
"It was a good work. The exercise rider said he loved it," Gleaves said. "He drifted a bit the last eighth, but he’s done that before so that doesn’t concern me."
South Florida-based jockey Manoel Cruz, who has won aboard Mambo Meister the last three times he’s ridden him, gets the return call for the Dirt Mile.
Zip Quik was put through his final workout for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf on Tuesday morning when he covered five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 handily with Mike Smith in the irons. The work was the sixth fastest of the 32 horses who worked at the distance.
"The work was very good. I am very happy with the work and the way he moved," trainer Patrick Biancone said.
Smith is scheduled to ride Zip Quik for the first time in the Juvenile Turf. The son of City Zip has been idle since his sixth-place finish in the Del Mar Futurity (gr. I) on Sept. 7.