BC Classic Prospects Breeze in Florida, California
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Math Wizard works Oct. 19 at Gulfstream Park
With two weeks to go before the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park, prospects for the $6 million, 1 1/4-mile race tuned up with workouts on opposite coasts Oct. 19.
Besides a couple of potential Classic starters who worked at Churchill Downs in Owendale and Elate, Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Math Wizard breezed at Gulfstream Park in Florida, and $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) winner Higher Power and Awesome Again Stakes (G1) winner Mongolian Groom worked at Santa Anita in California. Math Wizard was timed for a half-mile in a bullet :46.48, Higher Power worked five furlongs in 1:01 under rider Flavien Prat, and Mongolian Groom went four furlongs in :49 1/5.
It was Math Wizard's second breeze since his 31-1 surprise in the Sept. 21 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx Racing.
"He's worked somewhat similar to how he worked before Pennsylvania," trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said. "Everything's gone on time, everything's gone good."
Math Wizard is scheduled to breeze Oct. 26 at Gulfstream before shipping to Southern California Oct. 29. His rider for the Classic has not been determined, his trainer said.
Joseph claimed Math Wizard for $25,000 after an 18 1/2-length victory at Gulfstream Jan. 31, a couple of races following the colt's third-place finish behind eventual Xpressbet Florida Derby (G1) winner Maximum Security in a $16,000 maiden claimer. Dramatically improved this spring and summer, the 3-year-old son of Algorithms was fourth in the Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G2), second in the Ohio Derby (G3), and third in the Indiana Derby (G3) before his Pennsylvania Derby upset.
Math Wizard races for Joseph, John Fanelli, Collarmele Vitelli Stables, Bassett Stables, Ioannis Zoumas, and Wynwood Thoroughbreds.
Four-year-old Higher Power ran third in the Awesome Again at Santa Anita behind Mongolian Groom and McKinzie, another Classic hopeful. He stumbled at the start, costing him positioning in a race that unfolded with a slow pace.
Capitalizing on those circumstances was Mongolian Groom, who burst to the lead and drew away by 2 1/4 lengths over McKinzie, notching the first stakes win of his 16-race career.
Higher Power is owned by Hronis Racing and trained by John Sadler, last year's winning connections for Classic winner and champion older horse Accelerate .
Enebish Ganbat trains Mongolian Groom for Mongolian Stable. Ganbat and Mongolian Stable won the 2015 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) with Mongolian Saturday.
Mongolian Groom works Oct. 19 at Santa Anita Park
Among the other Breeders' Cup hopefuls to breeze at Santa Anita on Saturday were speedy 3-year-old Shancelot (:46 4/5 for a half-mile) and Bellafina (:47 1/5 from the gate for a half-mile). They will run in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), respectively, both Nov. 2.
"She looked really good," trainer Simon Callaghan said of Bellafina, a multiple grade 1 winner. "We'll just go easy with her now. "