NY-Based Breeders' Cup Runners Visit Santa Anita Track

For most East Coast trainers, competing in the Breeders' Cup at a California track is tantamount to a road game.

For Chad Brown, it's a homecoming.

Breeders' Cup XXXVI has brought the horseman and his nine starters in the World Championships back to barn 48 at Santa Anita Park, the very spot where he mentored under Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel and began to acquire the superb skills set that has earned him three Eclipse Awards as the outstanding trainer and acclaim as one of the best trainers on any continent.

"I feel real comfortable and very much at home here," Brown said Oct. 29 after his horses' first day at the Arcadia, Calif., track. "I think Santa Anita is a great place. It's a fine venue for the event."

Aside from the memories of working alongside the late Frankel, Brown's fond sentiments about "The Great Race Place" involve notching six of his 12 Breeders' Cup wins at the scenic track with the San Gabriel Mountains in the background.

"We've had good success in the Breeders' Cup here and hope it will continue," Brown said.

Brown certainly arrived well-stocked for the Nov. 1-2 World Championships with a contingent that includes the favorites for two of the turf races, Klaravich Stables and William H. Lawrence's Bricks and Mortar in the $4 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and Peter Brant's Sistercharlie in the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T).

Though seven of Brown's nine starters will compete in turf stakes, the 40-year-old trainer plans to gallop all of them on the dirt main track until their respective race days. He said they all had smooth, uneventful introductions to the track Tuesday after arriving from New York the previous day.

In particular, Bricks and Mortar could exit the Breeders' Cup as the one to catch in the Horse of the Year race if he wins the 1 1/2-mile Turf, and Brown was pleased with the way the son of Giant's Causeway moved over the track after his cross-country flight.

"Bricks and Mortar is doing super. I was happy with today's training. His energy level is great and he's good and sound," Brown said.

The task became slightly easier for the 5-year-old bred by George Strawbridge Jr. in Kentucky when it was announced Oct. 28 that the stellar European filly Magical, the runner up in last year's Turf, would not be traveling across the Atlantic Ocean for Saturday's race.

"She's a serious horse," Brown said. "She would have been formidable."

Two of Brown's horses figure to face a formidable challenge of their own when he sends out Brant's Dunbar Road (post 5) and Wow Cat (post 6), who is owned by Brant and Stud Vendaval, in the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) to take on Midnight Bisou, who rates as Bricks and Mortar's leading rival for Horse of the Year honors.

"My horses are training well but Dunbar Road and Wow Cat are going to have their hands full with Midnight Bisou," Brown said. "She's done nothing wrong all year and from my vantage point she seems to be coming into the race in top form. Her connections have managed her super this season, but it's a horse race. I'm leading over two fillies who are training real well and who knows? If it's not Midnight Bisou's day, maybe one of my fillies can step up."

Wow Cat was second in last year's Distaff, finishing a half-length in front of Midnight Bisou, who was third and has reeled off seven straight wins since then. Wow Cat is winless in three 2019 starts, finishing second in the Beldame Stakes (G2) and the Shuvee Stakes (G3) and fourth in the Personal Ensign Stakes Presented by Lia Infiniti (G1) behind Midnight Bisou.

Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Dunbar Road was third in the Juddmonte Spinster Stakes (G1) in her first stakes test against older horses, but Brown was unhappy with her trip.

"She had a terrible trip in the Spinster," he said. "She was stuck inside. If she can get a cleaner trip, I expect a better effort of her."

Monday's post position draw was a mixed bag for Brown.

Bricks and Mortar (post 9) and Sistercharlie (post 2) came out fine. Uni and Selflessly didn't.

Uni (7-2), a 5-year-old More Than Ready  mare owned by Michael Dubb, Head of Plains Partners, Robert LaPenta, and Bethlehem Stables, landed post 11 in a field of 14 in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T). 

"She didn't draw well, but she was outside in the Matriarch and still won over those tight turns at Del Mar and hopefully she can do the same thing here," said Brown, referring to Uni's victory in the 2018 Matriarch Stakes (G1T) when she had post 12 in a field of 13.

In her last start, Uni won the First Lady Stakes Presented by UK HealthCare (G1T) at Keeneland.

Klaravich Stables' Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) winner Selflessly wound up with post 13 in a field of 14.

"That's not a good post," said Brown, who has won the last three runnings of the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T). "Selflessly is training well but it's a tough post."

The rest of Brown's starters are and Jeff Drown and Don Rachel's Structor (post 2, 5-1) in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Presented by Colmore America (G1T), Brant's Thais (post 6, 30-1) in the Filly and Mare Turf, and John and Tanya Gunther's Without Parole (post 10, 20-1) in the Mile.

Pletcher's Horses Visit Track

Todd Pletcher's string of four Breeders' Cup entrants also spent their first morning at Santa Anita, with Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) candidate Vino Rosso  topping the list.

"It's a nice morning to start things. The training conditions were good," the New York-based trainer said. "Everybody trained and everything went according to plan. So far it's been routine gallops but everyone got over the track the way you would want them to."

Vino Rosso drew post 10 in a field of 11, but Pletcher was fine with it.

"I'm happy with the post. I don't mind being out there. There's a good run to the first turn to establish some position," Pletcher said. "He seemed to travel in good order and I was happy with what I saw in the morning."

Vino Rosso is coming off a controversial decision in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) when he beat Code of Honor by a nose but was disqualified and placed second. Earlier in the year, the son of Curlin  shipped west and won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (G1) at the same 1 1/4-mile distance as Saturday's Classic.

Pletcher is also sending out LaPenta and Head of Plains Partners' Coal Front (post 7) in the $1 million Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Calumet Farm's Channel Cat (post 6) in the Turf, and Robert and Lawana Low's Sweet Melania (post 12) in the in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.

Code of Honor Settles in for Classic

Code of Honor also settled in nicely after arriving Monday at Santa Anita to begin final preparations for the Classic. The son of Noble Mission  galloped a mile and took a trip through the paddock in his first trip around the California oval.

"He seemed to travel fine," trainer Shug McGaughey said. "It's a long day for him, but he seemed to come out of it fine. He ate last night and was good this morning. We took him up there and galloped him a mile today and let him walk on through the paddock. It all seems to be good."

Code of Honor, winner of the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) before his win via DQ in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, will break outside of Vino Rosso in post 11 and was tabbed at 4-1 odds.

"I feel really good. I think we've got a very, very good horse and he matches up with any of them in the race," McGaughey said about William S. Farish's homebred. "I love having Johnny Velazquez on him. All I'm going to do is try to keep him as fresh as I possibly can until Saturday. He's coming off two mile-and-a-quarter races. All I'm doing is waiting to go over there."

Come Dancing Jogs for Martin

Trainer Carlos Martin was beaming and having the time of his life after his $1 million Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) contender Come Dancing enjoyed her first gallop over the racetrack.

This marks the first Breeders' Cup starter for the 50-year-old third-generation horseman and he is coming into the race with an extremely strong hand. Come Dancing, a 5-year-old mare owned by the Blue Devil Racing Stable of Marc Holliday, has won four of her five 2019 starts and became a grade 1 winner at Saratoga Race Course when she won the Ketel One Ballerina Stakes (G1).

"We had her out for a nice little jog this morning and she loved it. Tomorrow it will be a little more aggressive gallop. She'll go out there at 5:50 a.m. so it's quiet for her. That's what we do at Belmont Park when we trainer her. She's so competitive that she takes off when she sees other horses," he said.

Come Dancing, the 5-2 second choice in a field of nine, will break from post 4, which should help her stalk the 2-1 favorite, Covfefe, who came away with post 1.

Martin's daughter of Malibu Moon  is doing so well that he can focus on dealing with the minor issues a trainer must face before a big race. One potential involved Come Dancing shipping without her favorite lead pony, but it was solved when Come Dancing struck up a quick friendship with a pony from trainer Bob Hess' barn.

Another issue was solved when Martin dispatched his brother, Jose Jr., to get some carrots for the mare.

"Right now it's the little things you worry about," Martin said. "She's ready to run."