Janet Garaguso Photo

G1 winners Zandon, Search Results, Goodnight Olive breeze for Breeders’ Cup engagements

by NYRA Press Ofiice

• G1 winners Zandon, Search Results, Goodnight Olive breeze for Breeders’ Cup engagements
• Law Professor logs first breeze since G2 Woodward; GSW Battle Bling retired
• Cynane breezes in preparation for Chelsey Flower

Trainer Chad Brown managed to dodge the anticipated morning rainfall for the Nassau County area and breezed several Breeders’ Cup prospects on Saturday at Belmont Park, including Jeff Drown’s Zandon, who registered his first move since capturing the Grade 2 Woodward on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A.

Under overcast skies and temperatures in the 50s, Zandon went a half-mile in 48.87 seconds over the Belmont main track. The son of New York-bred stallion Upstart ended a streak of four consecutive runner-up finishes at graded level this year with a triumph in the nine-furlong Woodward and is targeting the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 4 at Santa Anita Park.

“He went great, he worked super,” Brown said. “His energy level is good coming out of the Woodward. He’s doing well and it was just what we wanted to see.”

A win in the Breeders’ Cup Classic would give Zandon his first Grade 1 victory since last year’s Blue Grass at Keeneland, which came four weeks before he finished a game third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.

Other Breeders’ Cup aspirants on the work tab for Brown include Klaravich Stables’ multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Search Results, who covered a half-mile in 49.66 seconds and is pointing towards the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

The move was Search Results’ third work back from a fifth graded stakes victory in the Grade 3 Locust Grove on September 16 at Churchill Downs. The 5-year-old Flatter mare, who won the 2021 Grade 1 Acorn, finished a distant sixth in last year’s Distaff behind dual Eclipse Award winner Malathaat, who defeated Search Results by a neck in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks in 2021.

First Row Partners and Team Hanley’s reigning Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive breezed a solo half-mile in 49.44 seconds. The move was the 5-year-old daughter of Ghostzapper’s fifth work since finishing second in the Grade 1 Ballerina on August 26 at Saratoga Race Course. 

“They both went well - a solo work to stretch their legs a little bit,” Brown said of Search Results and Goodnight Olive. “We got all of our works in ahead of the rain which was good.”

Brown also sent out Klaravich Stables’ Accretive for a half-mile breeze in 49.45 seconds for his first work back since a game runner-up effort to Cody’s Wish in the Grade 2 Vosburgh on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A. The son of Practical Joke is pointing towards the Grade 2, $300,000 Forty Niner going a one-turn mile on October 28 at Belmont at the Big A.

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Law Professor logs first breeze since G2 Woodward; GSW Battle Bling retired

Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Law Professor worked Saturday for the first time since finishing third in the Grade 2 Woodward on October 1 at Belmont at the Big A, covering a half-mile solo in 49.41 seconds over the Belmont Park training track for trainer Rob Atras.

“I saw the rain coming and was going to wait until tomorrow, but he went today and went really good,” said Atras. “The rider gave me a good report. We’re just kind of getting him back on schedule.”

Law Professor hit the board for a second consecutive year in the Woodward, adding to a runner-up effort last year to Life Is Good when the race held Grade 1 status. This year, the Constitution dark bay tracked in third throughout under Manny Franco and was within 1 1/2 lengths of the lead at the stretch call, but could not reel in the victorious Zandon and settled for show 4 1/2 lengths back.

“I was very happy with it and thought he came back good off a little bit of a layoff,” said Atras. “He ran a good race.”

Atras said Law Professor, who captured the 2021 off-the-turf Grade 2 Mathis Mile at Santa Anita Park and the Excelsior and Queens County this year at the Big A, has several options for his next start. Possible targets include the one-mile Grade 2, $300,000 Forty Niner on October 28 here, the nine-furlong Grade 2 Fayette on the same day at Keeneland, or the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Autumn on November 4 over the Tapeta at Woodbine.

“I’m not 100 percent sure where we’re going. We did nominate for the Fayette and for the Forty Niner, but I don’t think a mile is really his game,” said Atras. “The Fayette is a mile and an eighth, so we’re going to look at that. He settled into Kentucky last fall pretty good, so I wouldn’t worry about shipping to Keeneland. I should nominate to the race in Toronto, too. He seems like he can run on anything.”  

Atras also provided updates on two other stakes-winners in his barn in Michael Dubb and Gandharvi Racing Stables' graded stakes winner Battle Bling and Madaket Stables’ Balpool.

Battle Bling, who made the grade in November with a neck score in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm Handicap at Aqueduct, finished a well-beaten eighth in the Twixt on September 30 at Laurel Park. The six-time winner of over $600,000 has been retired from racing and is catalogued as Hip 209 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale on November 7.

“She’s been retired and she trained really good and sound, I think she just lost her competitive spirit a little bit and it’s time for a new career,” said Atras. “She did very good for us for a long time and stayed in form for a long time.”

In addition to the Turnback the Alarm, Battle Bling notched victories last year in the Twixt and the Ladies at Aqueduct, and hit the board in six other stakes events. Claimed for $62,500 in December 2021, Battle Bling banked over $500,000 for her current connections and is the third-highest earner Atras has trained.

Balpool, a 3-year-old daughter of Uncaptured, was last seen finishing off-the-board in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on July 1, two starts after winning an off-the-turf edition of the Memories of Silver in April at the Big A. The dark bay had been entered for the main track-only in the Noble Damsel that was run on Sunday, but was scratched by Atras despite the race being taken off the turf.

“We had some trouble spotting her and then she’s had some physical issues, so we decided to stop on her. I think they’re going to retire her,” said Atras. “It’s nothing bad, it’s just little nagging issues.”

Balpool posted a career record of 7-3-0-0 with total purse earnings of $179,900. She was a $75,000 purchase at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select Yearling Sale and is out of the Take Charge Indy mare Remington Rose.

“I hate to see both of them go,” Atras added. “They’re tough to replace.”  

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Cynane breezes in preparation for Chelsey Flower

VinLaur Racing Stables, West Paces Racing and Rainbow’s End Racing Stable’s Cynane breezed a half-mile in 50.68 Saturday over the Belmont Park dirt training track in preparation for a start in the $135,000 Chelsey Flower, a 1 1/16-mile turf test for juvenile fillies on October 27 at Belmont at the Big A.

With trainer Tom Morley currently overseas, the breeze was overseen by his assistant Axelle Solares.

"Axelle said she worked fantastically. She's on point for the 1 1/16-race at the end of the month," Morley said by phone.

The dark bay daughter of Omaha Beach, a $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, sped to a frontrunning debut score sprinting five furlongs over firm Belmont turf in May to best next-out winner Sam’s Treasure by 2 3/4-lengths. She then shipped overseas to Royal Ascot and finished 10th in the five-furlong Group 2 Queen Mary when eight lengths back of the victorious Crimson Advocate.

Cynane was slated to make her return to action on August 30 in the one-mile P.G. Johnson at Saratoga Race Course, but Morley had to call an audible when that race came off the turf. She subsequently shipped to Kentucky Downs for the one-mile Juvenile Fillies where she prompted the pace from second position before faltering to finish a distant sixth.

"She had a long ship from Saratoga - obviously our plan was to run in the P. G. Johnson - and then she had to breeze and get straight on a van,” Morley said. “In hindsight, she just didn't seem happy at Kentucky Downs, so draw a line through the race."

Cynane is out of the Arch mare Burning Arch, a two-time winner going two turns on the grass and a half-sister to Cat’s Claw – who won the 12-furlong Waya at Saratoga in 2014. Her third dam, Matlacha Pass, was the dam of dual Grade 1-winner Pine Island as well as Point of Entry – a five-time Grade 1-winning turf stayer.

Reagan Jack Racing’s Unified Alliance worked three-eighths in 38.82 over Big Sandy Saturday in her second breeze back since a fifth-place finish in the Grade 2 Prioress on September 2 at the Spa.

"We turned her out for three weeks to Patty Hogan, so we're getting her back going again and will point to a winter campaign,” Morley said. “We're very happy with the way she came back in.”

The sophomore daughter of Unified captured the Spa’s off-the-turf Coronation Cup in July in her first start for Morley which came after six outings for trainer John Servis that included a pair of wins at Parx and a runner-up effort in the Jersey Girl at Belmont.