Witch Creek Breeders' Cup Workouts

[*Ripley*]

Witch Creek Stable Breeders' Cup Update

Countdown to the Breeders' Cup is four days now and horses are finally showing up to work out and train over Green Horse Fields. Firestone Racing Stables and Grayson Meadows have had some notable workers, but neither stable is quite done flashing the talent.

One notable barn is missing from the scene and that is Witch Creek Stable. The prominent racing barn doesn't typically show up early when Green Horse Fields hosts the Breeders' Cup. They tend to do their training over The Wire or at their home base. Rumor has it Witch Creek has already completed their major workout preparations for the year finale.

WCS is notorious for always being done ahead of schedule as they prefer to gallop their horses into the big dance. I spoke with Ripley Marsh myself and she passed on the workout fractions.

Witch Creek's tracks tend to be deeper so faster times are very impressive.

Optimus Unstoppable: The bay son of Shiver Me Timbers is coming off multiple second place finishes to Aquatic Addiction, but his camp is more excited than ever about the Sprint. He notched five furlongs in a sizzling :59 seconds over the dirt track. He finished on even terms with Sun King and Flashpoint, but it was quite obvious that he was held back. Optimus has been knocking at the door for some time now and he's proven his versatility on several occasions. He's likely going to head for the lead or just off it and make his competition catch him.


Sun King: The brawny son of Native Flame seems to be just revving up now. According to an observer, King is almost scary good right now. The colt is heading for the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile as the Overall Mile Champion and Red Mile Series Champion. His workout against older horses Optimus and Flashpoint was sensational. He had Ripley Marsh on his back and he never looked like he was truly extended. He is probably the most dangerous horse heading for the Dirt Mile at this point in time.


Flashpoint: WCS had been toying with sending this well-groomed son of Flash Limits to the Breeders' Cup, but he is going for all the marbles. The dark bay horse actually outfooted Sun King to the turn in the workout and he definitely is on his game. After shortening up to a mile last out, Flashpoint is likely to relish the ten furlong Classic. He's a different animal than he was in past years and he's at his highest level in physical and mental performance.


Spotlight Pride: If Sun King is heading to the Dirt Mile with favoritism locked up, Pride might be the best turf miler going for the Breeders' Cup Mile. Although he lost to Turf Triple Tiara winner Impress The Moonlight in The Wire Green Mile, Pride took the Green Mile Series Champion Honors. The sleek chestnut is as brilliant as they come at the moment and he will be making his second consecutive start at a mile since beating older horses in the Winter Cup Grade One Turf. He was brilliant in his workout against Taboo over four furlongs, notching the distance in :46 2/5ths over a surface that is not his best.

His supporters will be thrilled to know that Ripley Marsh was aboard for the workout and that she is ready to send Pride with guns ablazing into the eight furlong race.


Taboo:: This filly has been sneaky good all season. While Call Me Crooked, Pandora and Impress The Moonlight were off sweeping crowns, Taboo was quietly sneaking off with victories. She's notched six Horse Of The Year wins to date and became a grade one two weeks ago in the Glissade over older horses. She's been brilliant enough to win two preps for the Turf Tiara and two legs of the Turf Sprinter Tiara. She's following in Paranormal Hunter and Cross My Heart's footsteps and has been pointing to the Filly & Mare Turf Sprint all season. She's a force at seven furlongs and her work against Pride was a great lung opener. She got the four furlongs in :46 3/5 and looks to continue her quiet win spree.


Casualty Of War: Everyone at Witch Creek raves about this horse. He's coming in to the Breeders' Cup Turf Marathon off of a loss in the Eddie Read, but he's been training like a monster. He needed some edge taken off and was worked six furlongs against Breeders' Cup Juvenile candidate Notorious. The Prince Of Wales winner has never looked more sharp and he is quite push button now at the end of his three year old season. He was given a test by Notorious, but the plan for the colt is to stay ahead of Wish Upon A Star at all times and stay at a consistent pace. He's been great at twelving his competition into submission, but he'll need to be at his best to take down SOPS's turf monster.


Notorious: This Like A Cheetah son has been a bit of an enigma this season. He's won four Horse Of the Year races out of the eight times he's won and he's really been the standout of the juvenile class at Witch Creek. Yet... Notorious has not won a race at Green Horse Fields where the Breeders' Cup is run. In fact one of his worst finishes was over the major track in the AJC Sires Produce Stakes. Then again... Note brings his excuses to the track. "He's a hot shot," David Carter, his jockey, stated when contacted. "He's the most brilliant turf colt, probably the best since Frozen Motion, but he lets his man parts get the best of him. At The Wire we can keep him separated from the fillies, but not at Green Horse Fields."

How are they going to avoid Note's studly side then? "The plan is to keep him far away from the girls. Ripley's gotten special permission to skip the paddock and tack on the track. We'll keep him far away. This will keep everyone involved safe and hopefully, it'll allow Note to put on a show for his fans."


Artemis' Glory: Artemis is one of those special Positively Precious babies that seems to love the spotlight. She's won three Horse Of The Year races, most notably the Hawk Cup and the Follow The Hoofprints Turf Sprint. She's won seven races total and has performed awesomely at Green Horse Fields. She's got one huge advantage because she loves six furlongs, distance of the Juvenile Turf Sprint. She's beaten males and she is super tough. She worked out four furlongs over the indoor synthetic track recently and held off the challenges of Awestruck and Enrapture. She's sharp and ready to roll. Maggie is hoping to set Artemis up for a sensational three year old campaign, but she'd love to take down the race than even Hall Of Fame mare, Paranormal Hunter, couldn't.


Awestruck: This one's one of the last daughters of Touch Up. She's only been getting better with age and her four wins on the season don't really do her justice. She has yet to finish out of the money in 17 starts and has been facing the best horses of the Turf Filly division all season long. She's only getting better and she had a huge confidence booster against Artemis and Enrapture. It's still not clear which surface and distances she favors because she's really excelled at them all. She'll be in tough, but Awestruck defines toughness. Her connections are looking for a strong finish with an eye toward bigger and better plans in Year Sixteen.


Enrapture: The daughter of Triple Crown winner Furious Passion is considered to be the fiercest competitor of the crop. The tawny filly worked the best out of the trio in her final workout, but she's always been a much better work horse. Brooks could barely pull the lady up and she nearly completed another half-mile on her own. Ennie has been running in tough races, but Witch Creek is eager to turn her back in distance. Since May, Enrapture has not run less than 10 furlongs and she may be a horse that needs shorter distances for her powerful closing kick. Enrapture will be firing on all cylinders for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and she might be a large surprise. However, her talent is undeniable and still a relative unknown at this point.


In Front: The bay stallion will head a two-pronged attack in the Breeders' Cup Classic with Flashpoint. He's had another awesomely consistent season under David Carter and has won two major races quite recently in the Independence Cup and Senior Superstars Finale. He's one to watch and he's been knocking on the door quite steadily in the second half of the season. He's the most versatile horse in the Classic field and will be as tough as nails to beat. No directions have been given to David, but it's likely the jock will make a decision depending on the pace. In Front could very well find himself tapping out fractions on the lead... and if that's the case, the Classic could wind up being that much more tough to win for his competition.

"I've been saying all along how much I've liked this horse," Ripley stated. "He exudes class. He's only been getting better and he's the best he's ever been. I can't wait for the race because I honestly think they'll have to run hard to beat my boys."


Saintly Touch: Speaking of descendants of Touch Up, Saint marks the third descendant in the Breeders' Cup this year. The Preakness Stakes winner has done really well this year and he's going to be a tough horse in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Marathon. His willingness to engage in a dog fight will benefit him in the latter portions of the twelve furlong race. Heart and courage make a champion and Saint will be all out to prove his worth. His workout against In Front and Uno was very impressive and he looked like he could have gone faster if they'd asked him. He's full of horse right now and Witch Creek would love to see a beautiful Touch Up Breeders' Cup.


Uno Momento: The final entrant for Witch Creek will be the son of Barely A Moment and El Sol Del Mar. The colt has not been the brilliant machines that Sun King and Mastermind were. In fact, he's a much different animal entirely. He's a grinder, a horse that does well at ten furlongs and up. He's only actually run nine furlongs twice, resulting in a third place finish and fourth place finish. "It's hard to believe this," Ripley said, "but I wish the Juvenile was ten furlongs or up. He's such a good horse, but he's a horse that needs distance. He's going to be the prime Triple Crown candidate because he's won at all three distances already."

"We're looking for a strong performance from him because his workout against the older horses was so good. He really held his own and he's a big, strong colt."