Mongolian Groom Turns in Final Work Ahead of BC Classic

Mongolian Stable's Mongolian Groom was one of the final Breeders' Cup hopefuls to take to the Santa Anita Park track Oct. 27, breezing five furlongs for trainer Enebish Ganbat. 

Working solo in his final breeze before the Nov. 2 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), the 4-year-old son of Hightail  went in 1:02, 17th of 42 horses at the distance. 

"I am not very happy," Ganbat said. "He was much slower today. I don't (think it was the track) because Improbable breezed five-eighths in :59.20. If the track was slow, (Improbable) shouldn't have been able to go so fast." 

The work was the fourth timed move over the Southern California dirt track in the past two months for Mongolian Groom. He worked five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 Sept. 22. Ganbat said it was unclear why the gelding performed slower Sunday.

Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, Mongolian Groom earned a fees-paid berth to the Classic by virtue of his upset win over fellow Classic hopeful McKinzie in the Sept. 28 Awesome Again Stakes (G1). Because he was not Breeders' Cup nominated as a foal, his connections put up $200,000 to make him eligible to compete in the program as a horse of racing age.

Though the Awesome Again was only Mongolian Groom's second victory in 10 starts this season, he also finished on the board in three other stakes, running third in both the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) and Santa Anita Handicap Presented by San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino (G1) and second in the San Diego Handicap (G2). 

"I'm trying to understand why he ran slower today, but I can't say anything about how he will run in the Breeders' Cup," Ganbat said. "No one knows what will happen tomorrow."

Working toward a start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) for trainer John Shirreffs Sunday at Santa Anita was 5-year-old Union Rags  mare Paradise Woods, who breezed five furlongs in 1:00 flat—the second-fastest at the distance—under Abel Cedillo.

"I thought she worked very nicely this morning," Shirreffs said. 

Owned by HS Stable, Martin Wygod, and Pam Wygod, Paradise Woods performed consistently through six starts this season, earning graded stakes wins in the Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) and Zenyatta Stakes (G2), both at Santa Anita. 

"I think the big thing is getting her not to want to run through the bit," Shirreffs said. "Just doing a lot of, not slow gallops, but just gallops where she is comfortable. She's never going to really relax, but we try and work with her in a way that doesn't get her too excited." 

Breezing in the first set of the day for trainer Eoin Harty was Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) contender Fair Maiden, who also turned in a five-furlong move on the dirt in 1:01 2/5. 

"She worked great. I was very happy," Harty said. "The track is very deep and tiring. None of them looked super over it, but she looked good and she's not tired at all. She's plenty fit, and my rider was very happy." 

Ridden by Drayden Van Dyke, who will have the call in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, the filly has proved to be an extremely versatile runner in her short career, winning a maiden special weight on the polytrack at Arlington International Racecourse before taking the Catch A Glimpse Stakes on the Woodbine turf. 

A Godolphin homebred, Fair Maiden will enter the Nov. 1 Juvenile Fillies Turf off a third-place finish in the Sept. 15 Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine, where she finished a neck behind winner Abscond. 

"She was at Arlington and that's a synthetic track, and she broke her maiden in her second start, then I went looking for a stake with her," Harty said of the 2-year-old daughter of Street Boss . "They had a stake at Woodbine on the turf. She won that impressively, so I decided … I might as well come back in the Natalma. 

"She got ready very quickly. Those good ones do. The only reason she's never been on dirt is because I've never been at a track where they had dirt with her until I came out here. I wouldn't hesitate to run her on the dirt in the future the way she runs on it. But this was her only serious work here, so now we just have to keep her happy."