Baffert also said that Roman Ruler, the beaten favorite in the Bessemer Trust Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I), emerged from his surgery to remove an undescended testicle in top shape and will likely resume training some time next week.
Duckornodinner, the first foal out of two-time champion and millionaire Silverbulletday (by Silver Deputy), has joined trainer Bob Baffert's main string at Santa Anita where he has begun preparations for his career debut. The chestnut son of A.P. Indy worked three furlongs in :37 2/5 over Santa Anita's fast main track on Tuesday although the move didn't officially make the worktab."Duckornodinner means all or nothing," Baffert said. "Because when they're bred like that, that's what you get."Duckornodinner was bred by his owner, Mike Pegram, who also campaigned his multiple grade I-winning dam. The well-bred colt was first put into training earlier this year, but was turned out for several months and only recently brought back to Baffert's care."He was working OK, but I decided to give him some time off to grow up," Baffert explained. "He's getting better and better. I do know one thing about him; he's the best bred horse I've ever had in my barn."According to Baffert, Duckornodinner won't likely make his first start until the end of January at Santa Anita at the earliest. Silverbulletday, who retired in 2000 with a record of 23-15-3-1 and $3,093,207 in earnings, was 1998's champion 2-year-old filly and the Eclipse Award winner as the nation's top 3-year-old filly a year later. The five-time grade I winner also has produced an unnamed yearling filly by Storm Cat.