Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Polydream impresses again
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – With heavy rain forecast beginning early Wednesday afternoon and expected to continue through Thursday, there was action on the Churchill Downs main track and over the turf course with the start of Breeders’ Cup 2018 only 48 hours away.
More than a half-dozen European horses turned in official workouts, while several others, including the odds-on Turf favorite Enable, were allowed to really stretch their legs in what was more than likely their final opportunity to train on the grass.
After nearly two weeks of frigid mornings, the weather moderated Wednesday with the temperature in the mid-60s when the racetrack opened at 5:15 a.m., before dropping gradually during training hours in advance of the impending storm. The main track was on the quick side, with the turf still having some cut to it, a condition certain to deteriorate prior to Friday and Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup races. Work of the day: POLYDREAM made an awesome appearance galloping here Tuesday and came right back with an extremely impressive breeze Wednesday morning, pulling well clear of a couple of stablemates down the stretch, going a half-mile in 23.46, 49.22. It was an eye-catching move for the long-striding turf specialist working over the main track in preparation for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Mile. WILD ILLUSION (Filly and Mare Turf) was a little feisty getting on the turf course, even going so far as to dump her rider while backtracking to the finish line. But once remounted, the multiple Group 1 winner was all business, breezing five furlongs in 1:02.91 and finishing full of run down the lane in 23.50. He ran down stablemates La Pelosa and Line of Duty while having to weave around them, and galloped out six furlongs around the dogs into the clubhouse turn in 1:17.55.
EXPERT EYE was certainly put on his toes for the Mile by trainer Michael Stoute when zipping a half-mile on the turf in 48.40, shading 23 for his final quarter while urged along almost every step. His rider angled the multiple Grade 3winning 3-year-old inside the dogs and right up near the inner rail on the final turn before taking him out again for the stretch run. OSCAR PERFORMANCE,
the potential pacesetter in the Mile, also got a chance to blow out over the turf, breezing an easy three-eighths in 38.30.
Other turf workers Wednesday morning included LILY’S
CANDLE (Juvenile Fillies Turf), a half-mile while futilely chasing Polydream in 51.39,
THE BLACK ALBUM (Juvenile Turf), who came in behind Lily’s Candle after completing the same distance in 51, and
LA PELOSA (Juvenile Fillies Turf), five-eighths in 1:07.54. On the main track, THUNDER SNOW (Classic) showed off some of his speed by zipping four furlongs in 47.40, with his final quarter in 24 and change, while asked along much of the way. He was also fully extended down the stretch in his previous work when going seven furlongs here just five days ago.
ARTHUR KITT, who runs Friday in the Juvenile Turf, breezed four furlongs from the gate in 50.60.
ENABLE (Turf) didn’t receive an official time but she looked fantastic open-galloping over the turf, picking up the pace with each succeeding eighth from the half-mile pole into the clubhouse turn. The two-time Arc winner completed her final furlong in 13.47 while appearing to just skip over the less-than-firm surface enthusiastically with her ears pricked the entire way.
ROARING LION (Classic) had a busy morning and left the track quite lathered up. After turning in a fairly aggressive gallop, the four-time Group 1 turf winner schooled in and broke out of the gate. He immediately was put to some vigorous urging before easing up after completing a little over a furlong.
COMEDY (Juvenile Turf Sprint) followed a similar routine several minutes later, a day after looking razor sharp blowing out down the stretch over the turf in 23 and change.
IMPERIAL HINT (Sprint) did not work on Wednesday but it looked like he just might when he ran off with his rider down the backstretch and nearly hooked in with another horse breaking off to breeze at the eighth pole. Imperial Hint finally came to hand after fighting his rider for nearly three furlongs into and around the turn. Defending Turf champion
TALISMANIC had by far his best day locally, open-galloping down the stretch on the main track inside and just in front of stablemate and fellow Turf candidate WALDGEIST, who seemed to lose focus a bit approaching the wire.
Among the others who have made very favorable impressions during routine gallops here the past two mornings were juveniles CODE OF HONOR, GAME WINNER, COMPLEXITY, and the South Floridabased WELL DEFINED; key Juvenile Fillies contenders JAYWALK and SIPPICAN HARBOR; the Juvenile Turf favorite NEWSPAPEROFRECORD; and FORTY UNDER, perhaps the one to beat in Friday’s Juvenile Turf. Classic morning-line favorite ACCELERATE has also looked good since shipping locally from California, while both MONOMOY GIRL (Distaff) and CATHOLIC BOY (Classic) gave every indication they bounced out of their final works on Sunday well with aggressive gallops of their own on Wednesday.
The scariest moment of the morning came shortly after 9 a.m., when WEST COAST narrowly avoided a collision with a non-Breeders’ Cup galloper who began to wander in his path near the sixteenth pole. Both riders did a good job to avoid disaster.