Breeders' Cup at Arlington Park horse racing in Illinois

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Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Contact: Notes Team (847) 385-7472/7473

$1 million Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I)
World Thoroughbred Championships
Two-Year-Old Fillies
1 1/8 Miles
Appleby Gardens -- The daughter of A.P. Indy jogged 1 ½ miles at Belmont Park and will ship to Arlington Park Wednesday after galloping again. Trainer Todd Pletcher said she was "doing well."
Though the filly lost ground in the stretch of her last race, a third-place in the 1 1/16 mile Frizette, Pletcher said he thought the extra sixteenth of the Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies "could help her.
"In the Frizette, she didn't settle as much as she will [Saturday]," he said. "She was nervous. I think she'll settle more and we're going to let her drop back as far as she wants to and come with one run down the lane.
"It didn't surprise us that she got a little tired (after being close to the pace.) She's bred to go long, and she's got the stride to go long."
Atlantic Ocean/Composure/Santa Catarina -- All three of trainer Bob Baffert's Juvenile Fillies entrants galloped at Santa Anita on Tuesday morning. Each went a mile and a half and will have a quiet afternoon before catching a plane at 4 a.m. Pacific on Wednesday for the trip to Arlington Park.
Baffert was en route to Arlington Park on Tuesday.
Buffythecenterfold -- The double graded-stakes winner arrived Tuesday on a flight from California and was bedded down at Arlington Park as she continued preparing for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Trainer Mel Stute, a two-time winner in Breeders' Cup competition, was due to arrive later in the day from his Santa Anita base.
The daughter of Capote, owned by Allen Brian and Stronach Stables, finished second to Composure in the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita Oct. 6 in her most recent outing. The filly was undefeated in her first three starts before finishing seventh in the Del Mar Debutante and second in the Oak Leaf.
She will be ridden by her regular jockey, Matt Garcia.
Humorous Lady -- Classic Star LLC's Humorous Lady galloped 1 ¼ miles Tuesday morning at Belmont Park. The filly is scheduled to gallop Wednesday at Belmont, ship Thursday to Arlington, and then gallop here Friday.
Humorous Lady has won four of five starts, including two stakes in California.
"She got sick after her win in August and we lost three weeks with her," trainer Michael Smith said. "That's why we were looking for a race to get some points for her, but we didn't want to go two turns. The Astarita (at Belmont Oct. 13) was perfect. It was a Grade II and 6 ½ furlongs."
Ivanavinalot -- The Florida-homebred filly galloped at Calder Race Course Tuesday morning for trainer Kathleen O'Connell, who today reported that the filly will be ridden by Calder-based jockey Manoel Cruz in the Juvenile Fillies. A native of Brazil, Cruz has ridden Ivanavinalot in each of her six starts. He is the second-leading rider at Calder.
"He deserves to ride her," O'Connell said of Cruz on Tuesday. "He's like the Stevie Cauthen of Brazil. You'd have to see his immigration papers and work visa to understand. When coming to this country, he had to compile a report that included newspaper clippings and a bunch of articles. He is a very good rider and I'm happy he's going to ride her again.
"She can be a little funny and Cruz just knows her best. The starting gate has been a little issue for her and he's schooled her in the gate. And she has had a problem with drifting in the stretch, but only when she's real far in front. Cruz is aware of all those things, which could be a problem for a new rider," she added.
Both Ivanavinalot and O'Connell are expected to arrive in Chicago on Thursday.
Ruby's Reception -- The Alcibiades and Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up arrived at Arlington at 5:30 a.m. following a van ride from Ellis Park and walked the shedrow before settling into her new accommodations.
"She's excellent," said trainer Larry Jones. "It was a very uneventful trip. She ships like an older horse. She's going to love it here because she loves the attention. She was born to be a star. The day before the Alcibiades I walked her through the paddock at Keeneland and I could feel an ease come over her. It was like she said 'I belong here'.
"I feel like David going up against a whole lot of Goliaths. We're here with our little Ruby. You can make a case for just about every horse in the race, but the thing about this filly is we know that she's going to give 120% every time. She's just a little, bitty thing and may not have the look of some of the dominant fillies over the years, but she's going to try every time."
Jockey Terry Thompson, who like Jones, will be making his Breeders' Cup debut, has the mount.
"It's our first time, it's Ruby's first time and it's Terry's first time," said Jones. "I've had at least three or four of the better known riders call me about the mount. I don't care if there's a contest for the best athlete and best jockey to ride Ruby's Reception, I'm still going to ride Terry. I don't want a jockey that's going to go out there and have the Classic on his mind. I know all Terry has to worry about is the Juvenile Fillies."
Sea Jewel -- The third-place finisher in the Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita arrived about noon Tuesday at Arlington Park in her pursuit of the championship in Saturday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The daughter of Sea Hero, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss and trained by John Shirreffs, has only a maiden win in three tries but will be fitted with blinkers for the first time and Shirreffs believes that will help her focus better.
Sea Jewel will be under the guidance of assistant trainer Michelle Jensen until Shirreffs arrives on Thursday.
Storm Flag Flying -- Back in 1986, trainer Claude "Shug" McGaughey was readying Personal Ensign for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Belmont Park when she suffered a fracture of her left foreleg. It was a devastating blow, but with patience and a well-thought out plan, McGaughey eventually guided her to a perfect 13-for-13 record, capped by the stirring, nose victory over Winning Colors in the 1988 Distaff in what might have been the greatest finish in racing history.
Saturday, McGaughey will saddle Personal Ensign's granddaughter, Storm Flag Flying, in the Juvenile Fillies. It is a race in which she figures to be the favorite. And it is why McGaughey has elected to stay at Belmont Park until Thursday to bring her to Arlington Park.
"If I could, I would stay here until Saturday morning, ship in, run and come home," McGaughey said from New York, after Storm Flag Flying walked the Belmont shedrow Tuesday morning. "That's the honest truth. As soon as she gets there, there is going to be a lot of attention on her and she is liable to do just about anything."
The problem is that Storm Flag Flying has a blueblood pedigree, complete with all sorts of quirks. Her sire, Storm Cat, is notorious for producing temperamental offspring. Her dam, My Flag, is a daughter of Personal Ensign and winner of the 1995 Juvenile Fillies. She, too, was a handful.
"Personal Ensign was just very aggressive," McGaughey said. "My Flag and Storm Flag Flying are also temperamental in a different way. They are eligible to do something dumb at any time."
Although Storm Flag Flying is a perfect 3-for-3 and is coming off her most professional race yet -- a two-length victory over Santa Catarina in Belmont Park's Frizette on Oct. 5 -- she still hasn't totally convinced her trainer that she has mastered her manners.
"She stops," McGaughey said. "She'll just freeze when she comes out of her stall, or even in the paddock. That's what gets to you. She has so much talent, but she can go ahead and do something dumb at any moment. My Flag was the same way."
Over the years, McGaughey has had to deal with head cases of all kinds. One of his most famous cases was Coronado's Quest, who also would freeze up as if in a trance. McGaughey later found that a breathing problem was a contributing factor and Coronado's Quest wound up winning the Haskell and the Travers as a 3yo.
"Naturally, we check out all of our horses and we've found no physical problem with Storm Flag Flying," McGaughey said. "Her problem is that she is out of My Flag, then you throw Storm Cat on top of that. So, I expected she might have some quirks when I first got her. But she was actually pretty good for the Frizette. She had a good work yesterday and, to tell you the truth, she has acted as good as a horse can act over the last week or so. That's why I've kept her in New York. It's home and it's quiet. There will be enough commotion for her when she gets to Arlington."
John Velazquez will have the mount on Storm Flag Flying on Saturday.
Westerly Breeze -- Trainer Carl Nafzger was at Arlington Park on Tuesday overseeing his local stable and awaiting the arrival of his Keeneland Alcibiades winner, who walked the shedrow of her Churchill Downs base one day after her final workout. Westerly Breeze was scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
"She came out of work good," said Nafzger. "It was a very nice work. She's been doing really well and seems to be getting better and better. The important thing coming out of the Turfway race (fourth in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile race) was that she got the two-turn experience. A lot of times it's how they came out of a race that's most important because that's what tells you where to go next. I was in Montana for the Turfway race and when I talked to (assistant) Ian (Wilkes) afterward he told me he wanted to go to the Alcibiades. I said let's go."
Jockey Robby Albarado has the mount aboard the Gone West filly.
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Monday, October 21, 2002
Contact: Notes Team (847) 385-7472/7473

$1 million Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (Grade I)
World Thoroughbred Championships
Two-Year-Old Fillies
1 1/8 Miles
Appleby Gardens -- The 2yo daughter of A.P. Indy walked the shedrow of her Belmont Park barn after working in 1:02 Sunday. She'll gallop up to the Long John Silver's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The filly will gallop "lightly" Tuesday, trainer Todd Pletcher said, and then ship to Arlington Park with a large contingent of New York-based runners on Wednesday.
Assistant trainer Judy Elias, who will double as exercise rider, will be in charge until Pletcher arrives later Wednesday. Martin Estrada is her groom.
Her jockey Saturday is Richard Migliore.
Atlantic Ocean/Composure/Santa Catarina -- Trainer Bob Baffert's trio for the Juvenile Fillies galloped at Santa Anita this morning, and will join their four other stablemates for the plane ride to Arlington on Wednesday. Baffert can't wait.
With the distance of the race increased to nine furlongs this year - the Juvenile Fillies was previously run at a mile and a sixteenth - Baffert thinks his fillies will have a decided advantage.
"Atlantic Ocean didn't run her race last time," Baffert said of the Stormy Atlantic's distant fourth in the Alcibiades. "She was on the lead and that's not really her game. You have to take back on her.
"Composure is really going to move up because of the distance. Her race in the Oak Leaf was a big one and she had a lot left.
"Santa Catarina was second in the Frizette around one turn. That's just not her. She needs two turns, and I think more distance and two turns will make a big difference for her. I think my fillies have a big edge now that this race is a mile and an eighth."
Victor Espinoza will ride Atlantic Ocean, while Mike Smith will ride Composure and Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey has the mount on Santa Catarina.
Buffythecenterfold -- The filly whose name has caused nearly as much attention in Southern California as her running style will be heading to Arlington Park early Tuesday on a flight from California.
The filly put in her final work in preparation for the Juvenile Fillies on Saturday when she ticked off 7f in 1:27 at Santa Anita. Matt Garcia, who will ride, was up for the work.
"I was very happy with her work," said trainer Mel Stute, who has two Breeders' Cup victories in five starts. His winners: Brave Raj, 1986 Juvenile Fillies; and Very Subtle, 1987 Sprint.
Humorous Lady -- Astarita Stakes winner Humorous Lady galloped Monday morning at Belmont Park, where she has been stabled since winning the Oct. 13 Astarita.
Trainer Michael Smith was heading to New York from his Hollywood Park base Monday morning to accompany the filly to Arlington when she ships in Thursday.
Alex Solis has the call for Saturday.
Ivanavinalot -- An impressive 13 ¾-length winner in her last race, the restricted My Dear Girl Division of the Florida Stallion Stakes on Oct. 12, Ivanavinalot continues to train at her Calder Race Course base in south Florida.
She galloped 1 ½ miles on the Calder training track Monday morning and trainer Kathleen O'Connell indicated that the filly will only gallop up to the race and not have any workouts because of the short time between races. Ivanavinalot will fly to Chicago on Thursday afternoon and the trainer is expected to arrive that day also.
As of Monday morning, the jockey assignment is undecided. O'Connell said the decision is up to Ivanavinalot's breeder and owner, Gilbert Campbell. The filly was ridden by Calder-based Manoel Cruz in her five career starts.
Reach for the Moon -- The Aidan O'Brien-trained filly by Pulpit will not be making the trip to Arlington for the Juvenile Fillies, according to the International Racing Bureau.
Ruby's Reception -- The Alcibiades and Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up had an "open gallop down the lane" at Ellis Park with trainer Larry Jones aboard on Monday and was scheduled to leave her Henderson, Ky. base later this afternoon for Arlington.
Prior to her two second-place finishes behind fellow Juvenile Fillies contenders Westerly Breeze and Atlantic Ocean, respectively, the Rubiano filly was the easy winner of the Ellis Park Debutante.
"This morning was all she needed," said Jones, who serves as groom, exercise rider and trainer. "She's been doing very well since the Keeneland race. She was trying in that race, but just couldn't get to Westerly Breeze. We were very proud of her effort and if anything, she's been more focused since then. It was a wake up for her."
Jockey Terry Thompson has the mount.
Sea Jewel -- The Juvenile Fillies contender worked 5f in 1:01 1/5 Monday morning at Hollywood Park for trainer John Shirreffs. Regular exercise rider Juventido Mendoza was up for the work.
The 2yo filly, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss, will be ridden by Patrick Valenzuela.
She will be flown to Arlington Park on Tuesday, and will be cared for at the Chicago track by assistant trainer Michelle Jensen until Shirreffs arrives on Thursday.
Storm Flag Flying -- The likely favorite for the nine-furlong Juvenile Fillies had a strong 5f work at Belmont Park this morning. Working in company with another filly, Arabis, and with her regular jockey John Velazquez in the irons, the daughter of Storm Cat and 1995 Juvenile Fillies winner My Flag went in 1:01 4/5, breezing on the fast main track.
"She went out in the second set," said trainer Shug McGaughey, after clockers caught her splits in :25 and :48 4/5. "I was happy with her work. I worked with that other filly because I wanted to get her to pay attention."
Undefeated in three starts, Storm Flag Flying has shown immense talent, as her bloodlines would suggest. Her dam, My Flag, is a daughter of Hall of Famer Easy Goer and Personal Ensign, who capped a perfect 13-for-13 career with one of the greatest finishes in history, winning the 1988 Distaff at Churchill Downs by a nose over Winning Colors.
She has, however, also shown a bit of a temperament problem. She has stopped, propped and even tried to wheel into the gap and head back into the barn when galloping back from her races.
Storm Flag Flying seemed to get it all together in her last start, with a professional victory in Belmont Park's Frizette on Oct. 5 at a mile and a sixteenth.
"She is bred to go longer, and I think the added distance in the Juvenile Fillies will help her relax more," McGaughey said.
Storm Flag Flying will board at 10 a.m. flight from New York to Chicago on Thursday.
Westerly Breeze -- The Keeneland Alcibiades winner had her final workout on Monday in preparation for Saturday's race, working a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 4/5 over a fast Churchill Downs track.
The move was the fastest of 46 at the distance. The Gone West filly, trained by Carl Nafzger, will arrive at Arlington on Thursday following a van ride from Louisville.
"We're very pleased with her," said assistant trainer Ian Wilkes.
"The Alcibiades was a great race and we're hoping she can duplicate it. She shouldn't have a problem with the 1 1/8 miles. She's getting better with every start and is just learning how to race."
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