ARCADIA, Calif. (AP) -Trainer Aidan O'Brien had trouble restraining himself after Rip Van Winkle went for an easy gallop Wednesday in preparation for the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
``I have to be careful talking about him,'' the Irishman said. ``The feeling that he gave me this morning makes you say too much.''
Rip Van Winkle is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line behind Zenyatta, the undefeated mare, in the Classic on Saturday, the richest of the 16 Breeders' Cup races contested over two days at Santa Anita.
The low-key and soft-spoken O'Brien was clearly at ease after Rip Van Winkle, one of the top horses in Europe, took his first tour over Santa Anita's synthetic surface. A 3-year-old colt who won a pair of Group 1 races in England this season, Rip Van Winkle has battled foot issues. O'Brien was also concerned about the trip and the transition to bright and sunny Southern California.
Seeing the horse work up a good sweat convinced O'Brien that Rip Van Winkle was coming around.
``I liked to see him have a good sweat after traveling,'' O'Brien said. ``You like to see their systems clear. The journey took a little more out of him than the rest of the horses. He was bushed. I was very worried until this morning, but I was very happy after this morning.
More importantly, there were no issues with the troublesome right hind foot.
``He got a very bad infection in his heels over the winter and it went down into his feet,'' O'Brien said. ``The walls of his feet were left weak. It's amazing that he's raced at all. I've never seen a horse that's been though as much as him and kept going.''
The Classic will mark the first time Rip Van Winkle races on a surface other than grass.
O'Brien, based at Ireland's legendary Ballydoyle Stables, has a record of 3-11-4 from 52 Breeders' Cup starters.
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GUNNING FOR THE LEAD: It won't be hard to locate Presious Passion in the $3 milllion BC Turf on Saturday.
He'll be the one on the lead, probably by a huge margin. The free-running 6-year-old gelding doesn't like company. He sprints away from the pack, defying all challengers to come and get him.
His style flies in the face of traditional wisdom that grass horses must sit and patiently wait to make one bold move in the stretch, especially in 1 1/2-mile races like this.
Presious Passion will have none of that.
``It strikes me as real unusual,'' trainer Mary Hartmann said. ``We originally tried to teach him to do it the way a grass horse is supposed to do it. As he got older, he just wants to do it his way, or no way.''
Turns out, Presious Passion knew best. Since given free rein the last two years to open up at will, he has won three Grade 1 stakes: the last two runnings of the United Nations at Monmouth Park and the Clement Hirsch at Santa Anita last month.
``I expect him to be on the lead,'' Hartmann said. ``He seems to be on his game and ready to rumble. I don't think he's out of his league.''
It will be the first Breeders' Cup appearance for Hartmann and Presious Passion, 4-1 on the morning line.
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LOOSE HORSE: California Flag threw a scare into trainer Brian Koriner, and everyone in his path, when he dumped his exercise rider and ran off Wednesday morning.
A schooling session at the starting gate ended abruptly when California Flag unseated Colleen Hartford, taking off in a full-tilt gallop back to the barn area. Alert work by jockey Aaron Gryder, who was on foot, corralled the horse without incident. Hartford was also uninjured.
California Flag is the 7-2 favorite in the $1 million Turf Sprint on Saturday.
On a less tumultuous note, Free Flying Soul (Filly & Mare Sprint), Rainbow View (Ladies' Classic) and Chocolate Candy (Dirt Mile) had their final workouts Wednesday.
Going three furlongs, Free Flying Soul clocked 38.20 seconds, while Rainbow View ran it in 36.80. Chocolate Candy zipped five furlongs in 1:00.40.
