Nick Zito trainee War Pass, winner of the Oct. 6 Champagne Stakes (gr. I), has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite in the $2- million Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) at Monmouth Park Oct. 27.
Owned by Robert LaPenta and trained by Nick Zito, the unbeaten son of Cherokee Rungalloped 1 1/2 miles on the Oklahoma training track at Saratoga Oct. 22. He will ship to Monmouth Park Oct. 24.
Second choice on the morning line is Charles Fipke’s Tale of Ekati, trained by Barclay Tagg. The Tale of the Cat colt comes off a victory in the Belmont Futurity (gr. II) after finishing second to the sidelined Ready’s Image in the Sanford Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga.
Tale of Ekati breezed four furlongs in :45.79 at Belmont Park Oct. 22, a work Tagg considered “way too fast.” The colt was under regular rider Eibar Coa, who will also be aboard in the Juvenile.
Of interest in the race is the Steve Asmussen-trained Kodiak Kowboy, second behind Tale of Ekati in the Futurity last time out for Vinery Stable and Fox Hill Farm. Prior to that race, the son of Posseracked up a four-race winning streak that included victories in the Bashford Manor (gr. III) and the Saratoga Special (gr. II). He worked four furlongs in :50.40 Oct. 22 at Keeneland, and was scheduled to ship to Monmouth Park Oct. 23.
Besides War Pass, there is one other undefeated colt in the race and that is Wicked Style. The son of Macho Uno comes into the Juvenile off a 3 1/4-length victory in the two-turn Lane's End Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland. Wicked Style, however, got stuck in the 13th post position.
