Two of the brightest stars in trainer Cherie DeVaux's stable put in solid maintenance works Oct. 23 at Keeneland and are in top form heading into the Breeders' Cup World Championships next weekend.
Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Golden Tempo breezed 4 furlongs in :48 2/5 with jockey Jose Ortiz aboard around 7:30 a.m. ET, after the first renovation period. The Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contender worked in company with Commentate, a 3-year-old Candy Ride colt who earned his first win Oct. 3 in maiden special weight race at Keeneland.
Earlier in the morning, around 5:30 a.m., multiple grade 1 winner Englishman with regular workout rider Ameth Gonzalez breezed a half-mile in a bullet :47 1/5, which was the fastest time of 85 to work at the distance. The 3-year-old son of Maxfield is headed into the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1).
"Most of the hard work is done, so we are just looking for maintenance works and to make sure they are doing well. We could not be more pleased with all our workers," DeVaux said.
She described Golden Tempo, a 3-year-old son of Curlin and homebred for Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, as "ultrafocused."
"He has really improved physically (since the Derby). You can see that he has gotten a lot stronger physically and mentally, he steps up all the time," she said. "Even when he doesn't win, like in the Travers, he still improved on speed figures."
Golden Tempo comes into the Classic off a third in the Travers Stakes (G1) to Leading Change and Napoleon Solo. In the Travers, Golden Tempo earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure compared with a 95 Beyer earned in the Kentucky Derby and a 98 in the Belmont. He could face Napoleon Solo again in the Classic, though this year's Preakness Stakes (G1) winner also has been pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1).
While Golden Tempo is a steadier workhorse in the mornings, DeVaux said the challenge with Englishman is to prevent him from doing too much.
"He had a very typical breeze. He started off in :25 for the first quarter and finished full of run," she said. "He did it well within himself. Englishman if left to his own devices would want to go as fast as he does in his races. He is just a naturally talented horse. All we do is try to keep him happy, healthy, and sound."
Englishman quickly became one of the best 3-year-olds in the country. He won his racing debut in September of his 2-year-old year by 7 1/4 lengths. He next won his sophomore debut in allowance optional claiming company by 7 1/2 lengths before running second in the Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2), which has been his only loss to date. He followed the Pat Day with consecutive wins in the Woody Stephens Stakes (G1) by 5 3/4 lengths and the H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes (G1) by 3 3/4 lengths. Englishman is owned by Lee Searing's C R K Stable.
Another of DeVaux's workers Oct. 23 was Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) contender Brilliant Berti, a 5-year-old son of Noble Mission and a homebred for Klein Racing. The bay horse worked after 7:30 a.m., going 4 furlongs in :48 1/5.
Brilliant Berti has won or placed 12 times in 20 career starts. Last year, he became a grade 2 winner in the Wise Dan Stakes (G2T) at Churchill Downs and two races later ran third in the Turf Mile Stakes (G1T) at Keeneland. This year, he has placed in one of six starts in graded stakes and won the listed Green River Island Stakes at Ellis Park.
"He had a maintenance work, and he looks fantastic," DeVaux said. "He has done a lot in his career, just not hit the big home run. It is in him to run a really good race."
Pletcher's American History, Damavand Work
With each runner already enjoying a win this month at Keeneland—at race levels on different ends of the spectrum—grade 1 winner American History and maiden winner Damavand continued their local path to the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) with main-track works Oct. 23 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
With crisp fall temperatures greeting horses, connections, and fans Friday morning in Lexington, Pletcher sent out his six Breeders' Cup hopefuls, all 2-year-olds. They're pre-entered to race in a week on Breeders' Cup Friday at Keeneland.
Of the group, American History is the most accomplished to date after rallying from sixth early to win the Breeders' Futurity (G1) Oct. 3 at Keeneland and earning a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In fees-paid spot in the Juvenile. The day after, Damavand showed enough to punch his ticket to the Juvenile when he edged Belzoni to win a maiden special weight race.
While at different class levels, both races were contested at the Juvenile distance of 1 1/16 miles—where Keeneland uses its short stretch finish. With those recent wins under their belts, Pletcher looked on Friday as the two worked together just after 9 a.m. ET, each completing a half-mile in :48 3/5 on the fast track.
Damavand began under restraint, and American History started a few lengths behind before engaging him. Both horses flashed another gear in the turn as they matched strides with American History on the outside. Without being asked by Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, American History edged forward to finish just ahead of his stablemate at the wire. Velazquez has ridden American History in both of his starts.
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As a son of Constitution , Pletcher correctly thought stretching out to two turns in the Breeders' Futurity would be a good fit for American History. He'll enter the Juvenile off that win and a pair of works at Keeneland.
"It certainly can't hurt to have some experience here," Pletcher said. "We had the option of looking at the Champagne Stakes (Oct. 3, one-turn mile at Belmont Park) or the Breeders' Futurity, and we felt like he would appreciate the two turns. It turns out he did, and getting a race over the track we think helps also. So we're pretty happy."
Bred in Kentucky by Alpha Delta Stables, American History is campaigned by WinStar Farm, First Go Racing, and CHC. Pletcher and Velazquez teamed last year to capture the Juvenile with Ted Noffey, giving Pletcher his fifth win overall in the race and third in the past four years.
Pletcher was encouraged by American History's strong finish in the Breeders' Futurity.
"I was a little concerned at the start because he didn't break well. He kind of brushed the side of the gate, and he didn't get the exact early position that we were hoping for," Pletcher said. "But down the lane, he was picking them up pretty well. He finished up strong. It kind of confirmed what we thought all along that more distance was going to be to his liking.
"He's been such a pro with everything he's done since he came in. You can see him getting better and better."
Pletcher acknowledged the big jump Damavand is making off his maiden win earlier this month, but noted that he beat a well-regarded horse in Godolphin's Belzoni. The Hall of Fame trainer liked that the colt won in his first try at a route.
Damavand, by current leading North American sire Not This Time , is campaigned by Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing USA. This is the first time Pletcher has trained for Amo Racing. He also has a maiden 2-year-old colt Electro, a son of Gun Runner campaigned by Amo Racing and Repole Stable.
Pletcher's other 2-year-olds working Friday toward the Breeders' Cup included Juvenile Fillies (G1) hopefuls Badittude and Life Changing, who went in tandem with each completing a half-mile in :48 4/5. Repole Stable campaigns both fillies. Badittude worked outside her stablemate during the 7:30 a.m. timeslot.
Life Changing rolled to a 7-length victory on debut in a 6-furlong maiden special weight race Aug. 1 at Saratoga Race Course. After an off-the-board performance in the Spinaway Stakes (G1), the daughter of Life Is Good led into the stretch of the White Clay Creek Stakes Oct. 3 at Delaware Park before finishing second on the muddy track.
Badittude, a daughter of Uncle Mo, will enter the 1 1/16-mile Juvenile Fillies as a maiden, but she just missed victory after leading into the stretch of her previous start, a 1-mile maiden special weight race Oct. 7 at Belmont Park, before finishing a close second.
Pletcher's two hopefuls for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T), Bold Leadership and Liam's Law, each completed four furlongs in :49 2/5; also just after 9:30 a.m. Already familiar foes on the track, Liam's Law worked outside of Bold Leadership.
Repole Stable and St Elias Stables' Bold Leadership is a maiden but will enter off back-to-back runner-up finishes in graded races on the turf: the With Anticipation Stakes (G3T) Sept. 5 at Saratoga and the Bourbon Stakes (G2T) Oct. 4 at Keeneland. Robert and Lawana Low's Liam's Law has trained up to the Breeders' Cup since winning the With Anticipation.
Breeders’ Cup Contenders Tune Up at Churchill
Ahead of the Oct. 30-31 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, a handful of Breeders' Cup contenders recorded their final workouts Oct. 23 at Churchill Downs.
Among these breezes was an in-company workout by Brad Cox-trained stablemates Foxiest and Scarlett Begonia, both pointed to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. The pair, who were clocked covering 5 furlongs in 1:00 4/5, are stepping up in class in the 1 1/16-mile race after flashing promise against easier opposition.
Cox said Scarlett Begonia was eager to start the workout but settled down. He noted that both are "doing as well as they're going to do leading up."
Hat Creek Racing, Ashview Farm, and Upland Flats Racing's Scarlett Begonia, by Life Is Good, broke her maiden on debut before running third in the Adirondack Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course and second to the unbeaten Manuka Honey in the Pocahontas Stakes (G3) Sept. 12 at Churchill Downs. The latter also is pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies for trainer Brian Lynch.
LNJ Foxwoods' Foxiest lacks stakes experience, with both of her starts coming in the maiden ranks. After a debut third at Saratoga, she broke her maiden Sept. 27 at Churchill Downs, winning over 7 1/2 furlongs.
She has a pedigree for Breeders' Cup success, being a homebred daughter of 2017 Breeders' Cup Classic winner Gun Runner out of 2019 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner Covfefe. Gun Runner was Horse of the Year in 2017, and Covfefe took dual Eclipse Awards in 2019 as champion female sprinter and champion 3-year-old filly.
Cox, who trained Covfefe, believes Foxiest can handle two turns.
"It's obviously a good cross with Gun Runner. I think Gun Runner puts the stamina on the mare," Cox said.
In other works from Churchill, Splendora breezed 5 furlongs in 1:00 3/5 for the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert; the Wayne Catalano-trained Built went a half-mile in :48 3/5, likely for the Breeders' Cup Sprint; and Let Em Know went a half-mile in :48 4/5 for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf for trainer Whit Beckman.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Built will need a new rider for the Breeders' Cup after his initially booked jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. reportedly broke his left ankle after being unseated from the 2-year-old filly She's Good Trouble during the ninth race Oct. 22 at Keeneland.
Built's new rider, who hadn't been determined by Friday morning, will be instructed to ride him patiently.
"He just wants to run the last part, and don't release him too early. That's the key to him," Catalano told publicist Jennie Rees of the Kentucky Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association.
Cox also will need a substitute rider for Bless the Broken and Further Ado in their Breeders' Cup races. The trainer said Ortiz was to ride them.
Bless the Broken goes in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T), and Further Ado is likely for the Breeders' Cup Classic, though he was also pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and could run there. Those horses are expected to breeze Oct. 24, with the former at Keeneland and the latter at Churchill.
Final race decisions and rider assignments must be made by Oct. 26. Post positions are drawn that afternoon.
Similarly, Built was pre-entered in the $1 million Dirt Mile, though he is expected to contest the Sprint, which is worth double the purse. Most of his better races have come around one turn.
Catalano, a four-time Breeders' Cup-winning trainer, previously won the Sprint in 2021 with Aloha West for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.
