Breeders' Cup Horses on Track at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park

By Ron Mitchell and
Margaret Ransom
On the day in which pre-entries were taken for the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, the horses that will compete in the Oct. 25 races continued their preparations at host site Santa Anita Park and at across town at Hollywood Park.

Most trainers expressed satisfaction with how their horses handled the going at the two Los Angeles-area tracks, although one horse turned in a work much faster than the trainer wanted.

Trainer Richard Mandella was not pleased that Pleasantly Perfect zipped five-eighths of a mile in :58 3/5 while working in company with stablemate Owmodavor, who was timed in :59 3/5. Pleasantly Perfect's time was the co-second fastest of the day at the distance.

"It was a little faster than I wanted early," Mandella said of the work by the candidte for the Breeders' Cup Classic-Powered by Dodge (gr. I). "I wan't looking for something that fast. There's a concern that you take too much out of the tank. But he came out of it good and he looked good at the barn."

A 5-year-old son of Pleasant Colony-Regal State (by Affirmed) who races for Diamond A. Racing Corp., Pleasantly Perfect has bankrolled $869,880 while winning five of 12 lifetime.

Padua Stables' Class Above, who is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), worked seven-eighths of a mile in 1:25 and galloped out a mile in 1:38 3/5.

"She went nice and easy and is ready to go," trainer Bob Baffert said.

A daughter of Quiet American produced from the Known Fact mare Rainbow Promise, Class Above has won both of her career starts by daylight, the most recent of which was a 16-length romp in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies at Turfway Park on Sept. 13. She has earned $91,400.

Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) hopeful Zosima worked six furlongs in 1:13 for trainer Eoin Harty. The Kentucky-bred daughter of Capote and the Miswaki mare Grafin won the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes (gr. III) at Arlington Park on Sept. 27 in her last start.

"She worked good," Harty said of the Darley Stud Management homebred. "I didn't need to do too much with her."

Harty said that Hall of Famer Pat Day, who was aboard the filly for the first time in her last start, has accepted the call for Racing's Championship Day.

Another Juvenile Fillies contender, Tom Van Meter's Be Gentle, was one of the first horses on the track, which was shrouded in fog early. Due to the combination of darkness and fog, there was no official clocking for the 2-year-old daughter of Tale of the Cat, but trainer D. Wayne Lukas caught her in :59 4/5 for five furlongs.

"That was excellent," the Hall of Fame trainer said of the filly who won the Darley Alcibiades (gr. II). "She's doing really well. She seems to like this track and is getting over it really well."

The Alcibiades was the third victory in five starts for Be Gentle, who has earned $380,478.

Another filly out early was Got Koko, the Texas-bred daughter of Signal Tap -- Baby North (by Northern Baby) who is being pointed toward the Breeders' Cup Distaff-Presented by Nextel (gr. I). The 4-year-old upset winner of the Ladies Secret Breeders' Cup (gr. II) in her last start was timed in 1:29 for seven-eighths of a mile. "I wanted her to just gallop, get in a nice, long easy work and put some air into her. She didn't need to do much."

Got Koko sports a record of seven wins and three placings in 13 lifetime starts, with earnings of $710,946.

Across town at Hollywood Park, the John Shirreffs-trained Juvenile Fillies duo of Hollywood Story and Tarlow worked over a fast main track, the former going six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 and the latter earning a time of 1:13 3/5.

Shirreffs said he wanted Tarlow to do a little more because the time of her last work was subpar and that Hollywood Story just needed a "maintenance work."

Tarlow, who is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Moss, was second in the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. II) in her last start. No rider has been named for the filly, who is by Storming Fever -- Madam Bear, by Dreadnought.

Patrick Valenzuela will be aboard Hollywood Story in the Breeders' Cup after having ridden her to a third-place finish in the Oak Leaf and a runner-up placing in the Del Mar Debutante. George Krikorian owns the daughter of Wild Rush and the Dynaformer mare Wife for Life, who was bred in Kentucky by Vinery and purchased for $130,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling last year.

NetJets Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) contender Century City zipped three furlongs in :37 3/5 breezing for trainer Beau Greeley. The son of Danzig and the top Alysheba racemare Alywow was third in the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IIT) in his last start Oct. 5.