Trainer John Sadler sent Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) contender Higher Power through his final work Oct. 26 in preparation for the Nov. 2 race at Santa Anita Park, and put the final drills in two other Breeders' Cup runners on a busy morning at the California oval.
Hronis Racing's Higher Power worked six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 under jockey Flavien Prat in the early darkness Saturday morning, firing the bullet of five moves at the distance. Breaking off several lengths behind workmate Foxtail, the 4-year-old son of Medaglia d'Oro inhaled that rival coming off the turn and kicked clear with a solid gallop out under a strong ride.
"He's a good worker, even a little better worker than a normal worker when we put company with him," said Sadler, who won the 2018 Classic with Accelerate . "So we had a target horse, we put her out a couple lengths ahead, and then he got up with her and went past her in the stretch. We were able to get a really nice six-furlong work in him. It was a good work. It was what we were looking for.
"If they were to go together, he would outfinish her way easy, so we want to make him work a little bit for it. He did that really well. I wanted a good last work because next week he's going a mile and a quarter over a laboring track. So I was very pleased."
Higher Power comes off a third behind Classic rivals Mongolian Groom and McKinzie in the Sept. 28 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) going 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita. One start prior, he won the Aug. 17 $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) at 1 1/4 miles by 5 1/4 lengths.
"Last time he stumbled and went right to his knees at the start and was virtually eliminated," Sadler said. "So he has a legitimate excuse. If you go back and look at it, Prat was lucky to stay on. Hopefully, we can get a redo here. We think he's better at the mile and a quarter anyway."
Sadler also sent Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) contender Ollie's Candy through four furlongs in :47 flat and had Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) contender Selcourt work five furlongs in a bullet :59 3/5, fastest of 39 works at the distance.
"Ollie's Candy, that's her blowout for the Distaff. That went very good. She looked great," Sadler said. "Selcourt went very well also. All our Breeders' Cup works are in now. Breathe a sigh of relief."
Also prepping Saturday for the Classic was Charles Fipke's homebred Seeking the Soul. The 6-year-old son of Perfect Soul coming off a fourth in the Awesome Again went five furlongs in 1:01 2/5.
"He's doing great. We're happy with the way he worked," trainer Dallas Stewart said. "He's been out there since before the Awesome Again, had three works over the track since the Awesome Again. We're very happy with the way he's trained since that race. We know he's a good horse. He's won $3.3 million, and he knows his job."
Shancelot Sharp in Final Move
Crawford Farms Racing's Shancelot turned heads Saturday with his final drill for the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), four furlongs in a bullet :46 2/5. The work under jockey Martin Garcia was fastest of 69 at the distance.
A head behind Omaha Beach when second in the Oct. 5 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G1), the 3-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby won the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course as part of the three-race winning streak that launched his career for trainer Jorge Navarro.
Also working for the Sprint was Landeskog, who went four furlongs in :47.
Work Tab Roundup
Other Breeders' Cup contenders turning in their final moves on the main track were Distaff runner Secret Spice (five furlongs in 1:01), Filly & Mare Sprint-bound Bellafina (four furlongs in :48 1/5), Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T) runners Eddie Haskell (four furlongs in :47) and Stubbins (four furlongs in :49 1/5), Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) runner Giant Expectations (five furlongs in 1:01), TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) hopefuls Bolo (five furlongs in 1:02 2/5) and True Valour (five furlongs in 1:01 2/5), and Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) runner Acclimate (five furlongs in 1:01 1/5).
On the training track, Mile contender Bowies Hero worked four furlongs in :49 3/5, and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) hopeful Hit the Road worked four furlongs in :49 4/5.
Five Tune Up at San Luis Rey
Five Breeders' Cup contenders went through their final pre-race drills Saturday at San Luis Rey Training Center in Bonsall, Calif.
Filly & Mare Sprint contender Lady Ninja went five furlongs in :58 4/5, fastest of 39 works at the distance. The Richard Baltas trainee was joined on the tab by stablemate Next Shares, a contender for the Mile who went five furlongs in 1:01 3/5.
Peter Miller sent out a trio in Turf Sprint hopeful Om (who worked a bullet four furlongs in :46 2/5 from the gate), Distaff contender Mo See Cal (five furlongs in 1:01 1/5), and Filly & Mare Sprint runner Spiced Perfection (five furlongs in 1:01 2/5).
American Theorem to Bypass Breeders' Cup Juvenile
American Theorem, second to Eight Rings in the Sept. 27 American Pharoah Stakes (G1), will not run in the Nov. 1 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), trainer George Papaprodromou said Saturday morning.
"I just feel he's not 100% ready," said Papaprodromou, who conditions the son of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah for owner Kretz Racing. "If he's not 100% for a race like this against the best horses in the world, we have to do what's right by the horse.
"He's doing well, everything's good, but he's not 100% ready, so we're going to pass. There's no sense pushing something we shouldn't. We'll wait and put him on the trail to the Kentucky Derby (G1)."