Breeders' Cup Track Report

by Tim Clauss

10/28/98

Once again into the breach. Tuesday was another beautiful morning. Crisp fall weather dominated the air. A bit of cloud cover in the east delayed the sunrise as well as muted the morning colors. Despite a nagging head cold, I rolled out of bed this morning early enough to arrive on track by 6:30 am. This was a very good thing except for two Lukas juveniles, I was able to see most of the early works. That is, as well as you could see before the sunrise.

You can tell the big event is getting closer, there are more reporters out on track much earlier. Also, the press center is open, and they have coffee and donuts available to us press types. Thank you Churchill Downs, your hospitality is gracious as always. This morning, there was no waiting around, it was straight up onto the observation stand to see who was working and how this morning.

Time Bandit

As I said, two of the Lukas juvenile contingent had completed their works before I arrived. Both Time Bandit and Tactical Cat breezed 5 furlongs. Time Bandit in 1:01 and 3 and Tactical Cat in 1:01 and 4. Now while I didn't see the works, there was a VERY credible source on hand who stated that Tactical Cat worked well. He got over the track easily, and didn't really take any urging. However, that same source when asked about Time Bandit's work stated very firmly, "No Comment." I would take this to mean that while both horses received nearly the same time, Time Bandit required a great deal more urging to get the job done. Perhaps he's not readjusting well to the track?

Also on track early this morning were Victory Gallop and Arch. Both looking nice and comfortable. Victory Gallop was just out for a gallop, and I guess Arch was just getting some fresh air. All he seemed to do on this day was stand around. I guess you have to keep a horse in a routine.

High Stakes Player who is a probable for the Ack Ack was the first horse that really caught my eye. This Baffert trainee breezed 5 in 1:02 and looked like he was going very easy. He's a large dark bay horse with a nice long stride. Nicely on the muscle and worth some looking when it comes to his next race.

Excellent Meeting was the next of the Baffert horses on the track. She worked 6 furlongs this morning in 1:13 and 2. She's a lightly framed filly with a wiry build. She also looked to be very much on her toes. There's not a lot of muscle mass, but it seems that you can see every bit of it as it almost bulges through her skin. Fragile is the though that comes to mind when trying to describe her. Thin legs and a delicate structure. She has a longish body and her legs seem to unfold underneath her as she moves across the track. Either she was messing around, or she didn't much like the track, but she required constant monitoring from her jock.

Nick Zito had Cryptodiplomacy out on the track for a 5 furlong move. This two year old who is looking to draw into the Juvenile has a big loping sort of stride. His front legs move in a slightly clipped motion while his long rear legs reach far forward to propel him along. He is a dark brown horse with a good sized chest for one his age. There is a great deal of muscle mass in his shoulders going all the way down his deep chest. His rear end is not tremendously well developed, and he has a great deal of room for additional growth. He has nice sturdy legs that indicate he might be one to watch for the future. He made his move in 1:01 and it was clearly easy breeze for him. He wasn't really even blowing.

Partner's Hero

D. Wayne Lukas had a number of horses out on the track all morning long. It is hard to report on his charges because he doesn't say much to the press, and his barn has paneling up all around it to keep passers by from looking in on his horses. Also, his string is so large that it is frequently hard to tell one of his Grade I horses from a claimer. However, this morning there was one on track who will be hard to miss. Partner's Hero, an entrant in the BC Sprint, is just plain HUGE. He was only out for a gallop this morning, but he looks ready for anything. A very dark brown horse, he stands at least 17 hands. He also has the frame to fit those long legs. His muscles were just rippling down his shoulders and flank. He doesn't bulge with strength but just carries it very well on his strong frame. His legs are very correct, with incredibly long rear cannon bones.

Partner's Hero just looks like a powerhouse from the word go. He has run consistently against some of the tops of the sprinting ranks, but has failed to run much better than 3rd or 4th. His closing style seems to require a hot pace for him to be competitive. He is generally in the mix if the half goes quicker than :45. While he will probably see just such a pace in the sprint, it would seem that his style is better suited to a slightly longer distance. From a physical standpoint, I can certainly recommend him, but as a handicapper, I'm wary of him coming from behind in a field of 14 of the best sprinters in the world.

At the break, I wandered around the barns a little. Both Awesome Again and Touch Gold were getting saddled up for a gallop once the track reopened after the grooming break. These two horses are easy to get mixed up when viewing them from the side. Both have a brown coat with black socks. Touch Gold almost has a bronze shade when the light hits him just right. However, when you look at them from behind, it is easy to see the difference.

Touch Gold

Touch Gold appears to be overweight. There I've said it, and feel good about it. You just can't see the definition of his muscles in his flank, or see any definition of rib on his side. Now I'm not saying he's completely out of shape. Much the contrary. It just looks like he has more than his share of body fat. Other than that, this horse has a incredibly wide body. Looking at him strictly from the rear, you'd think sprinter because his the muscles on his rump are just huge. But the rest of his body matches that large engine in back. His chest is wider than any horse I've seen here so far. Just a big barrel sort of shape that makes the jock have to really stretch his legs wide just to stay aboard. The size of his chest indicates that he has a huge lung capacity. This, I would say, is the reason he is such a threat at longer distances. His legs are long and straight. Also, they've let his hooves grow out a little longer than usual in response to all the foot problems he had last year. His hooves are small and really the only body structure that Touch Gold has that are out of proportion with the rest of his frame. The rest of his legs are very stout and strong with large tendons holding things together. To sum him up, Touch Gold is not a long lean classic runner, instead he's a burley bull dog of a horse.

Awesome Again

Awesome Again is much smaller than his stablemate in all areas. He's shorter (About 16 hands) and definitely not as wide. Awesome Again doesn't have particularly long legs, but instead a very well muscled body that powers him across the ground. His body is longish with a good balance from front to rear. His muscles are very well defined both in the flanks as well as his shoulder. I did not have the opportunity to examine at length while standing still, but he moved well and had no obvious conformation flaws.

On the track, both horses galloped. Awesome Again reaching out with a shortish stride looked a little uncomfortable with the surface. Nothing major, just not really powering himself through the gallop. Touch Gold on the other hand, looked like he really wanted to run. Even with his head bowed under the hand of his jock, he really was getting good distance powering away with his hind legs. No signs of problems with the track here.

Silver Charm

The big story on this day was of course Silver Charm's workout. Coming to the track immediately after the freshening break, Charm looked very calm while every eye was on him. This was a different horse than the one I saw at Churchill in May. He is deceptively on the muscle. His gray coat hides some of the definition that is there. The lighter gray dappling with the dark black socks make him an imposing figure when compared to the other horses around him. His chest is wide and deep, housing the lungs that have powered him to so many spectacular victories. His shoulders and rump are covered with a solid mass of muscle. Not bulging, but quite impressive in their shape. He is absolutely professional and seems to be very much at ease with the entourage that follows him wherever he goes.

As The Charm came to the track, I noticed Shane Sellers up on another Baffert horse in front of him. I found out later that this was Gold Press. As they both galloped away on the track with their lead ponies, it was obvious to me that they were giving Silver Charm a horse to run at. Baffert has said many times that Silver Charm can get lazy once he's on the lead. Bob was taking no chances in ensuring that his superstar really got something out of this morning's work.

After warming up with the ponies, both horses came around the first turn on the inside rail. As the approached the 6 furlong pole, both were released by their outriders. The both geared up and took off at the 5 furlong mark. Seller's mount, Gold Press, broke about 4 lengths in front of Silver Charm. The Charm moved off very smoothly, looking like he was striding almost effortlessly. The ease at which he was moving was deceptive, and by the time the two reach the top of the turn, Silver Charm had caught his target, running all the way through the turn in the 2 path. They hit the front stretch and Charm was a neck in front. Unfortunately you can't see that front straight from the backside, but the run must have been impressive, because Silver Charm came home about 5 lengths in front of his stablemate across the finish line. Silver Charm wasn't done though as he cruised for another furlong and a half before gearing down. When he came back by our vantage point, he looked completely fresh and still every bit as smooth as when he had started. He set the bullet for the day by almost a full second and ran all the way through the line. 59 and 3 is the fastest 5 furlong work I've seen so far, and I'm still not sure I believe it. Silver Charm was really running that easily.

Following the work he cooled out well and had nary a head buck as he headed back to the stable. I didn't have time to stick around to see them wash him down, but as he came off the track, there was no noticeable sounds of even breathing hard coming from the champ. There have been a number of questions about Silver Charm as he came into this race, but this workout should have silenced a number of the critics. You can no longer say the Charm isn't himself. He's back at the track he loves, and ready to face the rest of the world.

From Louisville, KY

Tim Clauss

©1998, Tim Clauss

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Breeders' Cup logo courtesy of the Breeders' Cup and used with permission, photographs by Cindy Pierson except Time Bandit which is by Tom Sporney

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