Thursday morning at Santa Anita Park was the warmest so far this week, with a cloudless sky and no wind. More Breeders' Cup contenders took to the turf, including three that galloped down the hill and across the main track. With Day 1 of the Championships tomorrow, horses should have completed training for their big races by now, with some Saturday starters possibly galloping during a shortened session Friday morning. Unfortunately, Ron the Greek developed a quarter crack in his right front foot and was scratched from the Classic by trainer Bill Mott.
Here are photos for 25 of the horses on the track this morning. Click the small picture to see a larger version.
Wise Dan, 2012 Mile winner and Horse of the Year, galloped 1 1/8 miles on the far outside of the turf course under exercise rider Damien Rock. Trainer Charlie LoPresti said, "Somebody had a watch on him and got him going the last quarter in 30, so he two-minute licked in the lane well out in the middle of the track. The run has been very, very good. He is just amazing to watch when he trains, when he runs. I see no difference from last year. I am not getting off his bandwagon. He is the horse of a lifetime."
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Fort Larned, defending Classic champion, galloped 1 1/4 mile early Thursday morning with exercise rider Katie Merritt up. Trainer Ian Wilkes said, "No problems, here. All is well. It's been a roller coaster ride for sure. Hey, at least he won the Foster this year and he did not do that last year. You can never stop believing. If you do you are in trouble. In this business, you have to stay optimistic."
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Moreno jogged 1 mile and galloped 1 mile as training toward Saturday's Classic begins to wind down for the 3yo son of Ghostzapper. Trainer Eric Guillot said of Moreno's opportunity Saturday, "He'll have to run the race of his young life, but that's what we expect."
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Declaration of War cantered 1 mile under exercise rider Dean Gallagher in preparation for the Classic. Trainer Aidan O'Brien said, "We've tried to win this race many times before and come up short. To win it would be huge, monumental, but I don't allow myself to even dream about it."
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Palace Malice galloped Thursday morning in preparation for a start in Saturday's Classic. "I'm not disappointed at all (in the jockey change from Mike Smith) I might have been disappointed if we didn't have our go-to rider to ride him. We're very pleased to have Johnny (Velazquez) aboard. Jockeys have decisions to make. Any time you can ride the favorite in a big race, I think you've got to look at doing that."
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Magician cantered 1 mile in preparation for the Turf. Trainer Aidan O'Brien said, "Although he has won a Classic (Irish 2000 Guineas), he also won a Derby trial at Chester over 10 furlongs, and Ryan (Moore), who rode him, said he thought he'd stay further, so we took the decision to run him in the Turf and let Cristoforo Colombo run in the Mile."
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Dank galloped on the turf and breezed through the lane under jockey Ryan Moore in preparation for the Filly and Mare Turf.
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Boat Trip galloped twice around in preparation for the Mile.
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Cristoforo Colombo went out on to the dirt for the first time having cleared quarantine. The son of Henrythenavigator went a steady canter round one circuit of the track before returning to the barn. He goes in the Mile for trainer Aidan O'Brien.
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Justin Phillip galloped on the main track in preparation for the Sprint. "We feel very comfortable being out here," said trainer Steve Asmussen. "It's the one variable you can take away by giving them plenty of time to adapt. I can't change who's in the race, but coming here and giving them plenty of time is something we can do."
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Sum of the Parts jogged 1 mile, visited the starting gate and then galloped 1 1/2 miles under exercise rider Maurice Sanchez. "He had a difficult campaign last year," trainer Tom Amoss said of his Sprint entrant. "I had no expectations last year because it was at the end of a long year and I was surprised he made the lead. This year, he is a fresh, sharp horse. In the Phoenix, he used his speed to control the race and I would love to see it set up like that (Saturday). But I understand the Breeders' Cup horses are a lot quicker."
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Book Review galloped on the main track in preparation for the Filly and Mare Sprint. "We call Book Review ‘The Scarecrow' because she's so skinny," trainer Bob Baffert said. "But she shows me so much heart. She trains good in the mornings, but she really lays it down in the afternoons. She gives it her all. I wish she'd drawn outside (she drew post 2). But she's going to need a pace meltdown if she's going to come running and get them. But she'll be trying."
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Dance to Bristol galloped on the main track in preparation for the Filly and Mare Sprint.
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Judy the Beauty galloped Thursday morning in preparation for Saturday's Filly and Mare Sprint.
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Dimension was the last horse out during Thursday morning training. He cantered the entire Turf Sprint course down the hill, across the dirt track, and through the lane.
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Tightend Touchdown galloped once around in preparation for the Turf Sprint.
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Havelock galloped down the hillside turf course and across the main track in preparation for the Turf Sprint.
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Unbridled's Note jogged on the main track in preparation for the Turf Sprint. "We feel very comfortable being out here," said trainer Steve Asmussen. "It's the one variable you can take away by giving them plenty of time to adapt. I can't change who's in the race, but coming here and giving them plenty of time is something we can do."
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Pants on Fire galloped on the main track in preparation for the Dirt Mile
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Centralinteligence galloped on the main track under exercise rider Cesar Cerrano. Trainer Ron Ellis said of his Dirt Mile hope, "He should be forwardly placed, in the first three going into the first turn."
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We Miss Artie galloped on the main track in preparation for the Juvenile. "We've tried all three surfaces with We Miss Artie, and he's kind of the rare horse that seems to be good on all of them," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We just felt in light of the way he's trained on the dirt, that we'd give the Juvenile a try."
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Bon Accord galloped on the main track in preparation for the Juvenile Turf.
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Giovanni Boldini cantered round the main track Thursday morning with Aidan O'Brien stablemate Wilshire Boulevard in preparation for the Juvenile Turf.
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Wilshire Boulevard also cantered round the main track Thursday morning in preparation for the Juvenile Turf. O'Brien said of his entrants, "They are both coming into the race well, and should be suited by the fast surface over here."
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Cease galloped twice around in preparation for the Marathon.
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