Sweet Azteca Finding Her Groove Ahead of Breeders' Cup

Less than two weeks before the Breeders' Cup, a quartet of hopefuls turned in stiff 6-furlong works Oct. 19 at Santa Anita Park. None went faster than Sweet Azteca. With jockey Juan Hernandez aboard, Sweet Azteca was clocked officially in a swift 1:10 4/5. Trainer Richard Baltas timed the drill in 1:11 1/5. Also working six furlongs on the main track Sunday, all for trainer Bob Baffert, were Nysos (1:11 3/5), Nevada Beach (1:11 4/5), and Citizen Bull (1:12 3/5). Nysos and Citizen Bull are each targeting the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), while Nevada Beach is slated to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). As for Sweet Azteca, she is ticketed for the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at 7 furlongs Nov. 1, Sunday's drill was her second since being forced to miss work in late September due to illness. "I wanted a good work from her," Baltas said. "She did a little blow at the end, but that's fine, she needed it. She missed a work. Now we're two weeks out and I think this puts us where we need to be." Sweet Azteca is perfect in two starts this year having won the Great Lady M. (G2) around two turns at Los Alamitos Race Course in July and the Rancho Bernardo Handicap (G3) going 7 furlongs at Del Mar Aug. 24. She returned to the work tab 28 days later Sept. 21 but then had a 20-day gap before working again Oct. 11. "She wasn't real sick, her blood work was good. She was just sick enough not to work," Baltas said. A 5-year-old mare by Sharp Azteca, Sweet Azteca is campaigned by breeder Pamela C. Zeibarth. She sports a sparkling 7-0-1 record from nine starts with $667,200 in earnings. Last year, when trained by Michael McCarthy, Sweet Azteca won the Beholder Mile (G1), Great Lady M., and Rancho Bernardo, but bypassed the Filly & Mare Sprint after finishing a dull fourth in the Chillingworth (G3) at Santa Anita four weeks ahead of the race. Also on the tab was champion Straight No Chaser, who will try to defend his title in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). Trained by Dan Blacker, Straight No Chaser drilled 5 furlongs in 1:00 3/5. The 6-year-old horse by Speightster most recently returned from a 5 1/2-month layoff and finished third as the odds-on favorite in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2) Sept. 28. Also working for Baffert was Bottle of Rouge, who is pointed to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). The daughter of Vino Rossowas clocked going 5 furlongs in :59 2/5. It was the second-fastest of 71 works at the distance. Bottle of Rouge most recently won the Del Mar Debutante (G1) going 7 furlongs in her stakes debut Sept. 6. Motorious (GB), who will make a third try at winning the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), worked a bullet on the training track for trainer Phil D'Amato. Motorious was timed going 5 furlongs in :59 1/5, the fastest of 15 works at the distance. A 7-year-old gelding by Muhaarar (GB), Motorious in two starts this year won the Daytona Stakes (G3T) sprinting on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in June and the Green Flash (G3T) via disqualification at Del Mar Aug. 30.