Sippican Harbor Among Breeders' Cup Workers at Belmont

With one week remaining until the Breeders' Cup World Championships Nov. 2-3, and with incoming inclement weather forecast Saturday in the New York Metropolitan area, several Breeders' Cup connections opted to put in their final works the morning of Oct. 26 at Belmont Park, before shipping to Churchill Downs Monday.

Lee Pokoik's Sippican Harbor, a stylish winner of the grade 1 Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, was among those contenders, covering seven furlongs in 1:28.65 under exercise rider M.C. Brock.

The work was the final prep for the Gary Contessa-trained Orb  filly before her expected start in the Tito's Handmade Vodka Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

"She's a willing work horse, but I did work her in company with a turf horse that needed a work, and she blew his doors off. It was a good combination. She broke off about five lengths behind him and took off at the sixteenth pole and hit the wire about five lengths in front. She does it so easy," Contessa said.

Sippican Harbor will mark the conditioner's fourth Breeders' Cup starter, and he's relishing the opportunity to compete with a legitimate contender.

"I go out there and buy 10 2-year-olds every year. I don't have the bench some of my peers have, so it's a phenomenal opportunity," Contessa said. "I've been to the Breeders' Cup three times, but this is my first time going with a legitimate opportunity to win the race. She's such a level-headed filly. I'm in a great place. They're going to have to be better than her to beat her, because she's not some one-dimensional speed horse or a drop-dead closer—you can put her anywhere. She's a 2-year-old with the mind of a 5-year-old."

With Joel Rosario slated to ride Jaywalk in the Juvenile Fillies, Contessa has lined up Irad Ortiz Jr. to pilot Sippican Harbor.

"I've been doing this long enough to know that every top rider has multiple choices in every Breeders' Cup race," Contessa said. "I'm not the only one it's happened to, but to have Irad is an even swap. I've won a lot of races with Irad, so I'm thrilled. The alternative is not a bad thing."

Trainer Todd Pletcher also sent out several contenders for their final workouts Friday morning, including Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) entrant Opry, with regular rider Javier Castellano aboard. The Declaration of War colt worked in tandem with Argentine-bred Smart Choice, who is pre-entered in the Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf (G1T). The pair completed four furlongs in :48.02 on the inner turf.

"I thought it was a good and progressive work with a strong gallop out," Pletcher said. "The turf course this morning was actually fairly firm considering it hasn't been that way much of the meet, but we got what wanted out of it with both of them."

Smart Choice earned her way to the Breeders' Cup with a "Win and You're In" victory in the June 24 Clasico Pamplona (G1) at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Peru, after which she was transferred to the care of Pletcher.

"She first came to us at Palm Beach Downs, where we had a little bit of a challenge getting her acclimated, and then she came up here," Pletcher explained. "It's a situation where we would have loved to have a bit more time with her, but she seems to be getting progressively better and getting settled in. It's a tall order, but she was fortunate enough to win a 'Win and You're In' race, and we'll give her the best opportunity we can. By now, she's settled in well enough that it wouldn't be obvious she came from South America."

Hi Happy visited the main track in preparation for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) along with Blind Ambition, who is hoping to draw into the field for the Turf Sprint (G1T). They covered four furlongs in :49.04.

Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) contender Code of Honor, trained by Shug McGaughey for owner William Farish, breezed five furlongs in 1:00.71 under John Velazquez, who will have the riding assignment. The Noble Mission  colt finished a game second in the grade 1 Champagne Oct. 6.

Chad Brown, the leading trainer at the Belmont fall meet, sent a number of his troops to the Belmont inner turf, including Turf contender Robert Bruce and Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) entrant Almanaar. They breezed four furlongs in company in :49.77.

Sistercharlie, who is heading to the Filly & Mare Turf, went four furlongs in :48.04, while Fourstar Crook and A Raving Beauty, also entered for the Filly & Mare Turf, competed five furlongs in :50.04 in tandem.