War of Will, Dennis' Moment Star in Pre-BC Workouts

Thirteen pre-entered Breeders' Cup horses, including Longines Classic (G1) longshot War of Will and TVG Juvenile (G1) contender Dennis' Moment, breezed at Santa Anita Park Oct. 25 for the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 1-2 at the Arcadia, Calif. track.

The pair recorded quick half-miles on a fast surface, with Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will covering the distance in :47 2/5, and Iroquois Stakes (G3) winner Dennis' Moment in a bullet :46 3/5. Both horses regularly breeze swiftly. 

"I thought he went extremely well," War of Will's trainer, Mark Casse said. "I think he looks great but he's got to pick up his game. He's going to need his A-plus game. We figure if he comes with it, he's got a shot. It's tough. He's playing against the older boys now."

Gary Barber's 3-year-old War Front  colt is winless in three races since the Preakness, finishing ninth in the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1), fifth in the July 27 Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga, and third in the Sept. 21 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing. All of his 13 starts have come in races limited to his age group.

Friday's breeze was his second at Santa Anita after he was sent to California in advance of the Breeders' Cup.

Dennis' Moment's workout was his first at Santa Anita, and typical of the talented colt, who has long impressed observers at Churchill Downs, the Dale Romans trainee went effortlessly under his regular exercise rider, Tammy Fox.

"He's so strong underneath you and has such a long stride," she said. "You don't want to take that away from a horse. So as long as he's going comfortable, at a quick speed, I don't mind, and I don't think Dale minds either."

Romans added: "He went fast, but you could just watch and tell he was well within himself doing it. It doesn't take anything out of him."

A 2-year-old son of Tiznow  owned by the Albaugh Family Stables, he is expected to vie for favoritism in the Juvenile with Three Rings and Maxfield, grade 1 winners in their final Breeders' Cup preps.

Also breezing Friday was Two Sixty, another trained by Casse for Barber. The filly is pointed to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and breezed four furlongs in :48. A Florida-bred daughter of Uncaptured , she has won two of four starts, all at Gulfstream Park.

"She worked well," Casse said. "(Jockey) Aaron Gryder worked her for us. They had just put up a big white tent in the infield and Aaron said she was watching that tent for a quarter of a mile. You can see her cocking her head and she lost focus. I'd call War of Will's work this morning an A-plus and Two Sixty's work a B."

Other Breeders' Cup pre-entered horses that breezed Friday at Santa Anita included: Catalina Cruiser  (Sprint, four furlongs in :47 4/5); Comical (Juvenile Fillies, four furlongs in :48 3/5); Donna Veloce (Juvenile Fillies, five furlongs in a bullet 1:00 3/5); Double Touch (Turf Sprint (G1T), six furlongs in 1:18 in the training track); Encoder (Juvenile Turf Sprint, five furlongs in 1:01 4/5;  K P Dreamin (Juvenile Fillies, half-mile in :50); Lazy Daisy (Juvenile Fillies, four furlongs in :47 4/5); Legends of War (Turf Sprint, four furlongs in :48 1/5); Storm the Court (Juvenile, six furlongs in a bullet 1:14 1/5); and War Beast (Juvenile Turf presented by Coolmore America (G1T), half-mile in 49 2/5).

Double Touch, the fourth alternate in an oversubscribed Turf Sprint, needs defections to gain entry.

Also in California Friday, Billy Batts breezed five furlongs in 1:01 4/5 in preparation for the Juvenile Turf at San Luis Rey Downs for trainer Peter Miller.