The original plan was for Nuovo Record, a 5-year-old Japanese-bred granddaughter of Sunday Silence, to run in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT), then stop over and train at Del Mar for next month's $3.225 million Longines Hong Kong Cup (HK-I) at Sha Tin.
The plans, however, have changed. Nuovo Record is now prepping at Del Mar for the $100,000 Red Carpet Stakes (gr. IIIT) at the seaside racetrack Nov. 24.
With Japanese riding legend Yutaka Take in the irons, Nuovo Record finished 11th of 13 in the Filly & Mare Turf Nov. 5 at Santa Anita Park.
"It was hard ground at Santa Anita and we think she didn't like it," said Hiroshi Ando, racing manager for owner Reiko Hara and trainer Makoto Saito. "In my opinion she didn't try."
Given that the 1 1/4-mile Breeders' Cup run was considerably less than taxing, Ando and two assistants will be at Del Mar every morning, preparing the earner of $4,933,397 for a U.S. tune-up for the Hong Kong Cup. The chestnut mare has a record of five wins, six seconds, and one third in 19 starts—16 in Japan, two in Hong Kong, and the recent Breeders' Cup try.
Jockey Yasunari Iwata, aboard for 12 of her races, will be brought over to ride in the Red Carpet.
Nuovo Record was vanned down the freeways from Santa Anita to Del Mar Nov. 6 and made her initial trip to the track Nov. 10. She did a "one and one," as Ando described it—one mile jogging and another galloping around the Del Mar main track.
Ando said all went well and the mare seemed comfortable and well-recovered from the Breeders' Cup race.
"This track is quiet, so we can do some regular routine things we couldn't at Santa Anita. Santa Anita was so busy," Ando said.
Daily exercise will build up to a breeze over the grass course on the morning of Nov. 20 with both Hara and Saito expected to be in attendance.
