ELMONT, N.Y. – Due to the spate of wet weather that has taken its toll on Belmont Park’s turf courses this fall, the New York Racing Association canceled turf works scheduled for Sunday. That forced trainer Chad Brown to make some adjustments when it came to preparing horses for their upcoming Breeders’ Cup engagements.
Brown sent expected Breeders’ Cup starters Sistercharlie, Robert Bruce and Newspaperofrecord out over Belmont Park’s main track for workouts Sunday morning.
Sistercharlie, the three-time Grade 1-winning turf filly, worked a half-mile in 48.56 seconds in preparation for the Filly and Mare Turf.
Sistercharlie worked on the outside of Uni, who has won all three of her starts this year and is pointing to the Matriarch at Del Mar on Dec. 2. The team went their first quarter in 24.57 seconds and got their second quarter in 23.99. They galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.57.
Sistercharlie hasn’t run since winning the Grade 1 Beverly D. on Aug. 11. Brown missed a little time with her due to a bruised foot, but this is her third work since she missed one at the end of September.
“She’s maintained her fitness well from all the racing she had this year,” Brown said. “She might have gotten more out of that on the dirt going shorter than a lengthy turf work.”
Right after that team finished, Newspaperofrecord, winner of the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes, worked a half-mile in 48.54 seconds. She worked in company with Significant Form, winner of last year’s Miss Grillo Stakes who was scratched from Saturday’s Pebbles Stakes. Newspaperofrecord is pointing to the Juvenile Fillies Turf, in which she will be the probable favorite.
“She’s breezed on the dirt several times in Saratoga, she did fine,” Brown said. “She was well in hand, he had a lot of horse underneath him. She’s impressive.”
Brown said Significant Form could run in the $150,000 Winter Memories at Aqueduct on Nov. 22.
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Robert Bruce, the Arlington Million winner and runner-up in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic, worked four furlongs in 49.15 seconds in company with Projected. The team went in quarter splits of 24.31 seconds and 24.84.
“He did what I needed him to do,” Brown said.
Brown said he hopes to get all three horses back on the turf next week.
Miss Technicality injured
Miss Technicality, winner of the Juvenile Fillies Turf at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 1, suffered a condylar fracture to her right foreleg at the conclusion of a half-mile workout Sunday over Belmont Park’s main track.
Miss Technicality, who finished fifth in the Miss Grillo and who was not being considered for the Breeders’ Cup, had a boot placed on her right foreleg and was vanned off the track. She was later transferred to the Cornell Ruffian Equine clinic across the street from Belmont where she is expected to undergo surgery on Monday, trainer Christophe Clement said.
“It’s a bad condylar fracture,” Clement said. “She’s well enough to go to the clinic to have surgery tomorrow and be reassessed afterwards.”
Miss Technicality, a daughter of Gio Ponti owned by John McCormack and Namcook Stables, has won 2 of 3 starts and earned $283,460.
This story originally appeared on DRF.com.
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