Arcangelo Tunes Up for Breeders' Cup Classic

Arcangelo | Horsephotos

Blue Rose Farm's Arcangelo (Arrogate) continued preparations for the Nov. 4 GI Breeders' Cup Classic with a five-furlong drill in 1:00.00 (3/33) at Santa Anita Sunday. Trainer Jena Antonucci, in from New York to watch the work, clocked Arcangelo's final furlong in under :12. He galloped out an extra two furlongs, which Antonucci clocked in “:13 and change” for each furlong.

“It was a serious work. A pretty work,” Antonucci said immediately after the drill. “I wanted sub-12 seconds the final furlong, which he gave me. I think I'm pretty spot-on with that. That's what he'll need to do on race day.”

Ten days ago at Santa Anita, Arcangelo had his first local work when going five furlongs in 1:02.20. Antonucci said the 3-year-old ridgling will have one more work about 10 days ahead of the 1 1/4-mile Classic.

“We'll increase the pace of his gallops and just continue to do what we're doing,” the trainer added. “For his final work, we'll see if we need to tighten something here or there, or if he needs more of a lung-opener.”

Arcangelo, who will be facing older rivals for the first time in the Classic, is coming off wins in the May 13 GIII Peter Pan S., June 10 GI Belmont S. and, most recently, the Aug. 26 GI Travers S.

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.

Copy Article Link

Liked this article? Read more like this.

  1. Future Stars Friday Posts Second-Highest Friday Handle Ever For Breeders' Cup
  2. A Tale of Two Trainers as Ireland Sweeps BC Turf Trio
  3. Safety Woes Delay Start Of Season At Turf Paradise
  4. Nyquist's Immersive Far Too Strong, Remains Unbeaten In the Juvenile Fillies
  5. Magnum Force Gets Europe On The Board First In Juvenile Turf Sprint
X

Never miss another story from the TDN

Click Here to sign up for a free subscription.