Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Collusion Illusion works fast for Sprint Championship
Befitting a top sprinter, threetime stakes winner Collusion Illusion had one of the fastest half-mile workouts at Santa Anita on a busy Sunday morning.
The 3-year-old colt is approaching Sunday’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship in excellent form, despite a disrupted training schedule in recent weeks, trainer Mark Glatt said.
Collusion Illusion, winner of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby at six furlongs against older horses on Aug. 1 at Del Mar, worked five furlongs on Sept. 6 at Del Mar. Collusion Illusion was not given a workout on the weekend of Sept. 12-13 because of poor air quality at Santa Anita caused by a nearby wildfire.
A fast workout in 47.60 seconds on Sunday indicated to Glatt that Collusion Illusion has retained fitness in recent weeks.
“He worked very well,” Glatt said. “I was a little bit concerned because I chose not to work him in the smoke. He’s kind of a natural; he’s not a heavy horse. I thought I could get away with missing a work and be just fine. The workout this morning kind of proved our theory.
“He didn’t seem to miss a beat. I think everything is on schedule. I erred on the side of caution and hopefully it won’t be a problem for us.”
Collusion Illusion earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 7 at Keeneland with the win in the Bing Crosby. The Santa Anita Sprint Championship will be Collusion Illusion’s final start before the BC Sprint.
Officially, the quickest halfmile workout on Sunday was a 47.20-second clocking given to Maxim Rate, a candidate for Saturday’s Grade 1 Rodeo Drive Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf for fillies and mares. Trainer Simon Callaghan said in a text message that Maxim Rate actually worked a half-mile on Sunday in 49.20 and that his 3-year-old filly Harvest Moon had the quicker time of the two. Harvest Moon was officially given a time of 49.60.
Harvest Moon, a 3-year-old who has won her last three starts, won her stakes debut in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines on Aug. 22 at Del Mar and is a candidate for the Grade 2 Zenyatta Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on Sunday, Callaghan said.
There were more than 215 workouts Sunday, the third day of full training at Santa Anita after workouts were canceled Thursday because of air-quality issues. Workouts were also canceled last Tuesday.
The track’s autumn meeting was scheduled to begin last Saturday, but has been postponed until Friday because of a disrupted training schedule in the last 10 days caused by air-quality issues. There are 12 stakes from Friday through Sunday, including three races that were scheduled for this weekend.
Trainer John Shirreffs will run the 4-year-old filly Hard Not to Love, 5-year-old horse Midcourt, and 2-year-old colt Waspirant in graded stakes next weekend. All had five-furlong workouts Sunday, though not in quick times.
Shirreffs, and other trainers, have noted that some horses have recorded slow times in recent days.
“I think it’s because there is no racing,” Shirreffs said. “I think it will get quicker. When there is racing, they water it every 30 minutes.
“Everyone looked good.” Of the three horses trained by Shirreffs pointed to stakes next weekend, Hard Not to Love was the fastest, finishing in 1:02.20 in preparation for the Zenyatta. A two-time stakes winner in sprints last winter, Hard Not to Love was last of six in the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes on Aug. 2 at Del Mar.
“Hard Not to Love, she maybe lost a little bit of interest by the sixteenth pole, but she was moving nicely,” Shirreffs said of the workout.
Midcourt, third in the Grade 1 Pacific Classic on Aug. 22 at Del Mar, worked in 1:04.40 for Saturday’s Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at 1 1/8 miles.
“He never does a lot in the morning,” Shirreffs said. “He slowed down near the wire and picked it up on the gallop-out.”
Waspirant will have his stakes debut in Saturday’s Grade 1 American Pharoah Stakes at 1 1/16 miles for 2-yearolds. Waspirant won a maiden special weight race at a mile at Del Mar in his second start on Aug. 29.
Jockey Umberto Rispoli was aboard for that win and worked Waspirant on Sunday.
“I don’t think time is the critical factor here,” Shirreffs said. “Rispoli’s comment after the workout, he thought the track was deep and laboring.”
Shirreffs sent Waspirant to the San Luis Rey Downs training center in San Diego County on Sept. 14 for a workout when conditions were poor at Santa Anita.
“He’s fine,” Shirreffs said of Waspirant. “He’s been a on a six-day schedule since [his last] race.”
The fastest five-furlong workout Sunday was a clocking of 59.80 by the multiple stakes winner Ollie’s Candy. Trained by John Sadler, Ollie’s Candy is nominated for the Zenyatta and the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland.
In the American Pharoah, Waspirant will face Weston, who won the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes at six furlongs on Aug. 8 at Del Mar, but was third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity at seven furlongs on Sept. 7. On Sunday, Weston worked six furlongs in 1:15.20.
“He worked easily – long and slow,” trainer Ryan Hanson said. “We’re probably going to run. It’s kind to hard get any kind of read on this track. This track is so deep and heavy.”