Brian Lynch was all smiles after winning the Oct. 23 Valley View Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland with Woodslane Racing's Sister Troienne, and his upbeat mood carried into the morning of Oct. 24 at Churchill Downs, where he worked two of his stable's stars and bases his stable.
Lynch put two of his Breeders' Cup World Championships contenders through maintenance workouts Saturday, both of whom went well in solo workouts. Manuka Honey, pointed to the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), and Owen Almighty, aimed at the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), traveled smoothly without encouragement.
Reflecting on his barn's momentum, Lynch told Caton Bredar of FanDuel TV during the Breakfast at the Breeders' Cup television program, "Look, the crew's been working hard. I couldn't be more proud of them. The horses are training good. I have a wonderful group of owners. So things have been going good, so I'm going to ride it out while it's going good."
Along with grade 1 winner Further Ado , Manuka Honey and Owen Almighty were among more than a half-dozen horses who breezed Saturday at Churchill Downs ahead of the two-day Breeders' Cup at Keeneland.
Manuka Honey, perfect in three starts for owners Lisa Lee, Jason Sciortino, William Lynch, Brian Howe, and Terry Hamilton, covered a half-mile in :49 3/5 in preparation for her first start around two turns and at 1 1/16 miles. The 2-year-old daughter of Upstart comes off a victory in the 1-mile Pocahontas Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs in her last outing.
Flying Dutchmen Breeding and Racing's Owen Almighty is well suited to the distance of the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, having excelled in middle-distance races over his career. He is currently an alternate after Breeders' Cup pre-entries, but is expected to gain entry to the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile when entries are finalized and post positions are drawn Oct. 26.
Numerous horses ahead of him are cross-entered in other races and likely to run elsewhere, based on their connections' initial preferences. Those preferences are not finalized until the time of entry.
The 4-year-old son of Speightstown took the 1 1/16-mile Tampa Bay Derby (G3) last year and has four wins from 15 career starts. He most recently finished third, beaten a length, in the 1-mile Ack Ack Stakes (G3) Sept. 26 at Churchill Downs.
One of those pre-entered in the Dirt Mile ahead of him but more likely for the Classic is Further Ado, a Gun Runner 3-year-old trained by Brad Cox for Spendthrift Farm. The colt was one of the flashier horses to breeze Saturday, eagerly zipping 5 furlongs in 1:00 2/5, followed by an enthusiastic gallop-out.
If he runs in the $7 million Classic, he'll enter the race with question marks at the 1 1/4-mile distance, but not with the track surface. He has been spectacular in two starts at Keeneland, winning both by commanding margins. He romped by 20 lengths to break his maiden at the Lexington oval a year ago and took the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) by 11 lengths this spring.
He is scheduled to enter stud next year at Spendthrift Farm.
Cox, who hasn't ruled out the Dirt Mile, believes Further Ado can handle a classic distance with the right setup, noting how the colt settled and closed once securing running room in a runner-up finish behind The Puma in Further Ado's most recent start in the Sept. 19 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles.
In other works at Churchill:
- Cox sent Stellify through a half-mile work in :49 ahead of an intended start in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T);
- Regaled went a half-mile in :48 3/5 for Whit Beckman ahead of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1);
- Minaret Station covered the same distance in :49 1/5 for William Walden in preparation for the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T);
- The Bob Baffert-trained Nooni blitzed a :46 4/5 half-mile ahead of the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1);
- Evanescence went a half-mile in :48 3/5 for trainer Eddie Kenneally in preparation for the same race; and
- Mike Maker-trained Foie Gras completed 5 furlongs in 1:01 1/5, also for the Filly & Mare Sprint.
Baffert is expected to put additional Breeders' Cup runners through breezes Oct. 25 at Churchill, including Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) favorite Hughes, before shipping his horses to Keeneland.
