Rich Strike Works for Classic; Aloha West Fires Bullet

Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Rich Strike  put in an easy move Oct. 25 at Keeneland, the day after his connections announced their intention to run in the Nov. 5 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

With Gabriel Lagunes in the irons, RED TR-Racing's 3-year-old son of Keen Ice   relaxed through five furlongs in 1:02 3/5 with a gallop out to six furlongs in 1:15 3/5 as trainer Eric Reed watched from the grandstand.

"We had to bump our schedule up because there's some rain moving in, so I had to work him a little bit different than normal," Reed said. "We kind of tricked him; we let him two-minute lick from the three-quarter pole, then let him start picking it up from there, and let him finish up down the lane a little bit but not a lot, so he went like :24, I think, the last part of the work. We're just trying to leave a little wiggle room if we need to do something more next week.

"It just was a nice, easy work, more of an endurance thing, because he put his speed work in the other day."

Rich Strike drilled four furlongs at Keeneland Oct. 15 in a sharp :47 3/5.

"He keeps getting better," Lagunes reported. "When I hit the lane, I asked for a little more and with one kiss, he (surged forward) to give me more. He finished good."

Coming in off a narrow runner-up finish to fellow Classic contender Hot Rod Charlie  in the Oct. 1 Lukas Classic Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, Rich Strike will take on older horses for the second time in his career. Reed said he has seen steady mental and physical progression from the colt since his Kentucky Derby win.

"He's just gotten a lot more willing to do it our way rather than his way, especially in the workouts," he said. "There was a time where he would go :34 and :46 and we'd have to adjust a little bit of training between that and the race day. So we've been trying to easily do his works and not go quite as hard, and the gallops I've not let him gallop as strong, because it tends to just make him want to do it his way. So he's starting to do what we need him to do.

"But since the last race to this race, he's gotten a little tougher. I think Hot Rod Charlie and him, they were leaning on each other down the stretch. He's never really had a horse do that and push back so I think he learned a little bit off that too, and he'll need that against these horses."

Aloha West Fires Bullet

Also on the Tuesday work tab at Keeneland were two contenders for the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1): 2021 Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Aloha West , who fired a five-furlong bullet in :58 3/5, and J. Kirk & Judy Robison's 2021 champion male sprinter Jackie's Warrior   (five furlongs in :58 3/5, out to six furlongs in 1:12 in company with County Final  for trainer Steve Asmussen).

Winner of the July 2 Kelly's Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill for Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and trainer Wayne Catalano, Aloha West is coming in off a layoff since then, with four works under his girth capped by Tuesday's sparkling drill.

"Just what I wanted, as most trainers would say," Catalano said with a chuckle. "I thought he worked very well. I was very happy with him, I got just the work I wanted out of him. He was beautiful. He did everything perfect... that was a very impressive work."

Aloha West won the 2021 Sprint by a nose over Dr. Schivel at Del Mar, where Jackie's Warrior faded to sixth after setting the pace. Jackie's Warrior came back this year to win four in a row capped by his July 30 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) score at Saratoga Race Course, then finished second last out to Cody's Wish  in the Aug. 27 Forego Stakes (G1) at the Spa.

With Tuesday's work, Aloha West took one step closer to starting in pursuit of a title defense in the Sprint, for which he was pre-entered Monday.

"Right now, all systems go," Catalano said. "We'll just see how he cools out and everything... see if he eats his feed up and everything's good, everything's well, and we'll give him a little sharp three-eighths before the race."

Catalano has a second Sprint contender in Susan Moulton's Manny Wah , winner of the Oct. 7 Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland, and has Moulton's Oct. 9 Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes (G2T) victor Andthewinneris  pointing toward the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T).