Edited From Breeders' Cup Notes Team
David Holloway Racing Inc.'s Bet on Sunshine continued to prepare for his historic bid to become the oldest Breeders' Cup Sprint winner at age eight with a two-mile jog on Tuesday. The veteran sprinter will be making his second start in the race after finishing third in 1997 at Hollywood Park. He was injured in 1998 and excluded last year."Don't let his age scare you," trainer Paul McGee said. "He's an eight-year-old going on three. I think he's as good as he's ever been."Caller One also jogged Tuesday. "He's worked excellent over this racetrack," said Sonia Chapman, wife and assistant to trainer James Chapman. Saturday's race will be the Phone Trick colt's second start over the Churchill Downs racetrack, as he also raced in the Derby Trial here this spring.Delaware Township merely walked following a workout Monday. Trainer Ben Perkins, Jr. is due in from New Jersey Wednesday to supervise training through the rest of the week.Dream Supreme, with exercise rider Kenny McCarthy up, breezed a half-mile in 48 Tuesday morning, going the final 3 furlongs in 35 1/5. "It was fantastic--she worked good and did everything on the bridle," said trainer Bill Mott of Dream Supreme, one of his six Breeders' Cup hopefuls to work Tuesday. Asked if entering the 3-year-old Seeking the Gold filly in the Sprint was a somewhat uncharacteristic move, Mott replied: "Running her in the Sprint is the only logical thing to do. She's a good filly, a dual Grade I winner with a suitable running style. I think if you look back, fillies have done better than colts in the race [percentage wise]. You've got three fillies who have won and one who placed.
With the pace scenario and the way she runs, we're optimistic. It's a good race with a lot of speed. The more speed, the better. She's a good seven-eighths filly and with a good pace scenario she could do well. Plus we've got a good rider [Pat Day] who knows his way around out there."Elaborate--After an uneventful flight from California on Monday, the 5-year-old Gilded Time sprinter took a one-mile tour of Churchill Downs' main track Tuesday morning as he moved ahead toward Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint.Andrew McKeever, who trains a string for Trudy McCaffery and John Toffan at Churchill Downs, watched over the gallop by the McCaffery-Toffan runner in the absence of Santa Anita-based trainer Paco Gonzalez, who is expected to arrive in Louisville on Friday. Elaborate will be ridden by Victor Espinoza.Columbine Stable's speedy Five Star Day sounded his readiness for the Sprint with a 3 furlongs breeze in :35 1/5 under excercise rider Frank Dalton."I caught him in 34 and galloping out in 48 and change," trainer Beau Greely said. "He was relaxed and got over the track well. This was his second work over the track. So far so good."Greely said he was relieved to see the 4-year-old Carson City colt in the body of the field for the Sprint after being excluded last year."It was good to see his name in the field," Greely said. "I did expect it, but I also expected it last year. We just put that behind us and looked forward to this year. He has accomplished more now. He's had a nice year and is clearly a stakes winner. He's a proven horse this time."Honest Lady, the Bobby Frankel-trained filly was scheduled to arrive Tuesday afternoon on a flight from Southern California to finish her preparations for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Sprint.The 4-year-old filly, bred and owned by Juddmonte Farms, has been out of the money in her most recent two outings. Prior to that, she won the A Gleam Handicap at Hollywood Park.Kona Gold, the 6-year-old gelding was flown from California to Kentucky Tuesday. "I was sure scared to work him on a sealed track, but everything is ice-cold," said trainer Bruce Headley from his Santa Anita stable Tuesday morning in reference to a Monday work over the California track in 1:01 for 5 furlongs.Headley, who will arrive this evening, also serves as exercise rider for the probable favorite in the Sprint after a runner-up finish last year and a third-place finish in 1998. Juan Soto is the groom.Lexicon's trainer Richard Mandella sent his Breeders' Cup Sprint hopeful for 1 1/4-mile gallop at Santa Anita this morning as hope waned on prospects for the 5-year-old son of Conquistador Cielo to get into the field."I'd be pretty surprised if we get in," Mandella said, even though Lexicon is at the top of the preference list for the race. "I'm running out of plans."Mandella said that if his trainee doesn't get in the Sprint, he will run in Monday's Morvich Handicap, at 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita's downhill turf course.More Than Ready and Trippi's trainer Todd Pletcher let his two Sprint contenders walk the shedrow this morning, and he couldn't have been happier."It appears that the way the race is shaping up, there is enough speed to set up their runs," Pletcher said. "It could be ideal for us. What we don't want is a scenario where a bunch goes out, one gets away and everybody else tires trying to catch up. That's what happened when Very Subtle won the Sprint (1987)."What we would love to see happen is for Caller One and Five Star Day and a few others to be at each other's throat latches for the opening quarter. Trippi will lay closer to the pace, but that scenario would really help More Than Ready's late run.Shadow Caster took to the track today for another gallop, this time going a mile and a quarter, and will do the same tomorrow in preparation for what is to be the biggest race of his life. His trainers, the husband and wife team of John and Tonja Terranova, are having both Shadow Caster and Breeders' Cup Classic entry Gander gallop all week up to their respective races on Saturday.
While this is the Terranova's first Breeders' Cup "on their own," both have had extensive experience with major stakes horses in the past, working as assistants for Brian Mayberry and Bob Baffert. Tonya handled top Baffert-trained horses River Keen, Real Quiet and Silverbulletday in New York last fall."We've been to the dance a lot," commented Tonja this morning, "but when you're doing it yourself, it is different. Things have really started to go well for us this year, with the Gatsases and other owners coming to us. We have about 24 horses in all."The owners of Shadow Caster and Gander, brothers Michael and Theodore Gatsas, are eager to race their horses in the Breeders' Cup this Saturday. Racing is now Michael's primary business as he sold his company, Staffing Network, three years ago. He was at the barn this morning enjoying every moment, but indicated that Theodore would not be at Churchill Downs until race day as he is busy campaigning in New York for a spot in the state senate."We're here running horses...he's there running for office," he said.Breeders' Cup Sprint contender Successful Appeal arrived at Churchill Downs from Belmont Park yesterday and walked the shedrow this morning. Trainer John Kimmel is due to arrive in Kentucky from New York tomorrow. Jockey Edgar Prado will ride Successful Appeal in the Sprint.
