Bright Future, White Abarrio Lead BC Classic Workers

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Bright Future, White Abarrio Lead BC Classic Workers
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Bright Future (inside) outlasts Proxy to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes at Saratoga Race Course

Four years ago, when the Breeders' Cup was last held in Arcadia, Calif., at Santa Anita Park, trainer Todd Pletcher and owners Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable took home the event's largest prize as Vino Rosso   captured the $6 million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1).

On Nov. 4, these same connections will aim for more Breeders' Cup and Santa Anita glory when Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) winner Bright Future  represents them in the latest renewal of the prestigious, 1 1/4-mile dirt race. The 4-year-old colt was one of a dozen Breeders' Cup horses that breezed Oct. 27 for the Hall of Fame trainer at Keeneland, timed covering a half-mile in company with stablemate and Pennsylvania Derby (G1) runner-up Dreamlike  in :48 2/5. 

His horses travel by plane to Southern California Oct. 28.

Watch: Pletcher Discusses Workouts From His Breeders' Cup Horses

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Pletcher said similarities between Vino Rosso and Bright Future can be drawn, including the two being by Curlin  .

Speaking of Bright Future, Pletcher said: "We've always had really high hopes for him, sort of put it together at Saratoga this summer with an impressive allowance win followed up by a Jockey Club Gold Cup. He's trained great since then, and like I think everyone else (believes) leading into this, (in) what appears to be kind of an open (Breeders' Cup) Classic, I think if he can make another step forward, it puts him in the mix."

The chestnut is 4-0-2 in seven starts with earnings of $716,940. The Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga Race Course, where he outlasted Godolphin's Proxy   by a nose, was his first stakes win. Proxy   is also expected in the Classic for trainer Mike Stidham.

Bright Future is one of three horses Pletcher pre-entered in the Classic, along with Charge It and Dreamlike, who were also pre-entered in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1). Dreamlike is expected to compete in the latter race.

Whisper Hill Farm's Charge It went a half-mile in :48 3/5 Friday at Keeneland. 

Discussing his horses who breezed, Pletcher said his group had a "great morning" of training.

"We kind of went a half-mile with everyone, various gallop-outs," he said. "I thought Locked was very good coming off his win here in the Breeders' Futurity (G1). Candied was very good coming off her win in the Alcibiades (Stakes, G1). Up to the Mark had his second good breeze. Overall, I think the group did exceptionally well this morning."

Locked , pointed for the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1), was timed with four furlongs in :48. Candied , racing in the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1), was clocked in :49 1/5. Up to the Mark  —pre-entered with first preference in the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) and second preference in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) on the same card—went a half-mile in :48 4/5.

Some of the other trainers to work horses Friday at Keeneland included Ignacio Correas IV, who breezed Le Da Vida  a half-mile in :49 for the Nov. 4 Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1), and Cherie DeVaux, who gave She Feels Pretty  a four-furlong workout in :47 4/5 for the Nov. 3 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).

Other trainers breezed their Breeders' Cup horses Friday all around North America, from Woodbine in Canada to Churchill Downs in Kentucky and Gulfstream Park in Florida.

Working at Santa Anita early Friday morning in a breeze postponed from earlier in the week was C2 Racing Stable and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio , who covered five furlongs in :59 4/5 toward the Classic for trainer Rick Dutrow. Private clocker Gary Young timed him with a final quarter-mile in :22 4/5.

"He worked great. He cooled out great. We're thrilled," assistant trainer Chip Dutrow said.

Like Bright Future, White Abarrio earned a paid, automatic berth into the Classic with a  top-level stakes victory this summer at Saratoga. The gray son of Race Day  rolled by 6 1/4 lengths in the Whitney Stakes (G1).

White Abarrio had been scheduled to breeze Oct. 23, which was delayed due to what his connections said was an issue with White Abarrio's shoes. Noted blacksmith Ian McKinlay flew in Monday and re-shod White Abarrio. He thereafter continued to train this week in advance of Friday's breeze.

Dutrow is a prior Breeders' Cup Classic winner, having scored in 2005 with Saint Liam .

The following pre-entered Breeders' Cup horses worked Friday:

Horse Track Distance Time Division
Adhamo Saratoga 5F (Turf-Firm) 1:01* Turf
Agate Road Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 Juvenile Turf
Air Recruit Fair Hill 5F (All Weather-Fast) 1:01 4/5 Juvenile Turf
Alys Beach Churchill Downs 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 Juvenile Fillies
Amidst Waves Saratoga 4F (Turf-Firm) :51.85* Juvenile Turf Sprint
Bright Future Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 2/5 Classic
Brocknardini Saratoga 4F (Turf-Firm) :51.88* Juvenile Fillies Turf
Bubbly Champagne Palm Meadows Training Center 5F (Dirt-Fast) 1:02.90* Juvenile Fillies Turf/Juvenile Turf Sprint
Candied Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 1/5 Juvenile Fillies
Charge It Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 3/5 Classic/Dirt Mile
Chatalas Santa Anita Park 5F (Dirt-Fast) 1:01 Juvenile Fillies
Crimson Advocate Saratoga 4F (Turf-Firm) :49* Juvenile Turf Sprint
Dark Vintage Santa Anita Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 2/5 Juvenile Turf Sprint
Dreamfyre Golden Gate Fields 4F (All Weather-Fast) :49 4/5 Juvenile Fillies Turf/Juvenile Turf Sprint
Dreamlike Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 2/5 Dirt Mile/Classic
Elm Drive Santa Anita Park Training Track 5F (Dirt-Fast) 1:03 1/5 Filly & Mare Sprint
Endlessly Santa Anita Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 4/5 Juvenile Turf
Fierceness Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 3/5 Juvenile
Flattery Santa Anita Park Training Track 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 Juvenile Fillies Turf
Fulmineo Fair Hill 4F (All Weather-Fast) :48 2/5 Juvenile Turf
Grand Mo the First Santa Anita Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 Juvenile Turf
Hoosier Philly Churchill Downs 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 1/5 Filly & Mare Sprint
Le Da Vida Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 Distaff
Life Talk Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 Juvenile Fillies
Life's an Audible Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 3/5 Juvenile Fillies Turf
Locked Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 Juvenile
More Than Looks Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 1/5 Mile
No Nay Mets Saratoga 4F (Turf-Firm) :49.95* Juvenile Turf Sprint
Noted Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 3/5 Juvenile Turf/Juvenile
Omaha Girl Gulfstream Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :50.25* Juvenile Fillies
Pharoah's Wine Churchill Downs 5F (Dirt-Fast) :59 4/5 Juvenile Fillies Turf
Pipit Woodbine 4F (All Weather-Fast) :49 2/5 Juvenile Fillies Turf/Juvenile Turf Sprint
Pretty Mischievous Churchill Downs 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 1/5 Distaff
Scalable Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49 1/5 Juvenile Fillies
She Feels Pretty Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 4/5 Juvenile Fillies Turf
Shirl's Speight Woodbine 5F (All Weather-Fast) :58 4/5 Mile
Slider Santa Anita Park 5F (Dirt-Fast) :59 4/5 Juvenile Turf Sprint
Stage Raider Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 2/5 Dirt Mile
Stay Hot Santa Anita Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 2/5 Juvenile Turf
Three Witches Palm Meadows Training Center 4F (Dirt-Fast) :49.05* Filly & Mare Sprint
Timberlake Churchill Downs 5F (Dirt-Fast) :59 4/5 Juvenile
Tok Tok Fair Hill 5F (All Weather-Fast) 1:01 1/5 Juvenile Turf
Tripolina Woodbine 4F (All Weather-Fast) :49 Juvenile Fillies Turf
Up to the Mark Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 4/5 Turf/Mile
Where's My Ring Santa Anita Park 4F (Dirt-Fast) :47 4/5 Juvenile Fillies/Juvenile Fillies Turf
White Abarrio Santa Anita Park 5F (Dirt-Fast) :59 4/5 Classic
Yuugiri Keeneland 4F (Dirt-Fast) :48 4/5 Filly & Mare Sprint

*Note: Clockers in Florida and New York time in hundredths of a second. Other times are listed in fifths.