ARCADIA, Calif. --- 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."
GUNNING FOR THE LEAD: It won't be hard to locate Presious Passion in the $3 million 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 11/2-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 past two years to open up at will, he has won three Grade 1 stakes: the past two runnings of the United Nations at Monmouth Park and the Clement Hirsch at Santa Anita in September.
It will be the first Breeders' Cup appearance for Hartmann and Presious Passion, 4-1 on the morning line.
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.
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.
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