Breeders' Cup Classic

Champion Echo Zulu (Gun Runner) and probable champion Epicenter (Not This Time) topped a busy worktab for Steve Asmussen's potential Breeders' Cup starters Sunday morning at Keeneland as the racing world draws closer than two weeks away from the 39th World Championships in Lexington Nov. 4-5. With exercise rider Wilson Fabian aboard, Echo Zulu drilled five furlongs in :59 2/5 in company with Marsalis (Curlin). The move was the fastest five-eighths of 30 Sunday over the fast main track. Echo Zulu, who returned off a layoff to win the GIII...

The brilliant and unbeaten MGISW Flightline (Tapit), who figures to be the prohibitive favorite for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland Nov. 5, worked six furlongs in 1:11.80 Saturday morning at Santa Anita prior to a scheduled Sunday flight to Lexington. The work was his fifth consecutive on a Saturday morning dating back to Sept. 24. As per usual, Flightline was accompanied by a pony and ridden by his regular work partner, trainer John Sadler's assistant Juan Leyva, before sunrise. Leyva wears a light on his helmet to...

Wertheimer and Frere's homebred Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver--Happy Week, by Distorted Humor) will retire to Airdrie Stud in Midway, Kentucky following this year's GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Airdrie Stud announced Friday. He will stand for an initial fee of $12,500 LFSN. Undefeated in his first five starts, Happy Saver's signature victory came in the historic GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, where he won the race as a 3-year-old in his fourth career start. Most recently, Happy Saver has finished second in each of...

Unbeaten 'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit) continued his march towards the GI Breeders' Cup Classic Saturday morning with another strong breeze at Santa Anita, where he worked five furlongs but was credited with six panels in 1:12.40 (1/2). "He's right on point," said trainer John Sadler following the 6:35 a.m. drill. "I had him in a 1:00 2/5. He went the first eighth in :12 1/5, the half in :48, five eighths in a 1:00 2/5 and he went out six furlongs in 1:12 3/5 and seven eighths in 1:25...

   The gutsy Hot Rod Charlie clawed his way back late to deny a late rally from GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike in the GII Lukas Classic S. Saturday beneath the Twin Spires. Favored at 6-5, the bay hustled up to press Art Collector (Bernardini) through opening splits of :23.55 and :47.94. Turning up the heat as three-quarters went in 1:11.77, the bay took control entering the far turn and had his nose in front at the top of the stretch. Rich Strike rallied up the outside and briefly...

While his main locally based rivals were gearing up for the GI Awesome Again S. Saturday afternoon, unbeaten superstar Flightline (Tapit) continued his march towards the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup Classic with another strong breeze at Santa Anita. The 'TDN Rising Star', last seen dropping jaws in the Sept. 3 GI TVG Pacific Classic S. to go five-for-five lifetime, covered five furlongs in 1:00.40 (11/59) under John Sadler's assistant trainer Juan Leyva (Click for video via XBTV). "He went nice and easy, no heavy lifting," Sadler said. "We've got...

Thoro-Graph, which has been computing speed figures for 35 years, gave Flightline (Tapit) a negative 8 1/2 for his win in the GI TVG Pacific Classic, the fastest number it has ever assigned to a horse. The previous record was a negative 8, the figure Frosted (Tapit) ran when winning the 2016 GI Metropolitan H. Flightline was given a 126 Beyer figure. That is the second fastest Beyer number ever, trailing only the 128 that team gave to Ghostzapper (Awesome Again) when he won the GIII Philip H. Iselin H....

Four years ago on the eve of the GI TVG Pacific Classic, the hunt for the heavy favorite amid the lettered labyrinth of Del Mar's backstretch ended at Barn J. The stall, of course, belonged to Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky), a sleek, shiny copper penny of a colt, who carried weighty expectations that this was the year his trainer, John Sadler, would finally shrug off the voodoo that had cursed his previous attempts at the coveted prize. It was also viewed as a new high altitude for a horse whose...

'TDN Rising Star' Flightline (Tapit), who puts his unblemished 4-for-4 career mark on the line in Saturday's GI TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar, has been made the 5-2 favorite for the second and final future wagers on this year's GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic to be held at Keeneland Saturday, Nov. 5. The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Future Wager is a $2 minimum and features win betting only. Second favorite for the Future Wager is Epicenter (Not This Time), who saw his Classic stock rise with a comprehensive victory...

'TDN Rising Star' Life Is Good (Into Mischief) got the job done Saturday in the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga, which probably means that a start in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic is on his schedule. The Whitney was a "Win and You're In" race for the Classic and has traditionally been one of the most important preps for the season-ending $6-million race. If trainer Todd Pletcher and owners WinStar Farm and the China Horse Club play this one by the book, the Classic is where they will end up....

The streaking Olympiad (Speightstown) punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in style with an ultra-impressive fifth consecutive victory in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill Downs. The 3-2 favorite raced in between rivals as five of them stacked up passing the grandstand the first time. Olympiad found a perfect spot rounding the clubhouse turn and raced in a tracking second behind Caddo River (Hard Spun) through sharp fractions of :23.05 and :46.45. He turned up the heat on the pacesetter on the...

The undefeated sensation Flightline (Tapit), last seen thumping his rivals in the GI Runhappy Malibu S. at Santa Anita Dec. 26, may return to the races sooner than later and one possible spot where he could have his next start is the seven-furlong GI Churchill Downs S. May 7, the day of the GI Kentucky Derby. Appearing on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast, trainer John Sadler said he did not think the injury suffered by the 'TDN Rising Star' would keep him sidelined for long. Sadler announced last week...