october 22 - filly & mare sprint

Dearest Trickski (Tr: John Sadler) - Tom Mankiewicz's Dearest Trickski galloped 1 1/4m under exercise rider Jose Alfarez on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita as she continued preparations for Friday's Sentient Flight Group Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

Trained by John Sadler, Dearest Trickski drew post position nine for Friday's 7f test and will be ridden Mike Smith, who never has lost in four races on the 4yo daughter of Proudest Romeo.

"The nine is OK," said Sadler of the draw for Dearest Trickski, who is undefeated at the distance and at Santa Anita. "The synthetic here moves her way up."

Dream Rush (Tr: Will Phipps II) - Last year one of the most feared filly sprinters in the East, the four-time graded stakes-winner Dream Rush may be ready for a big effort in her second start on an artificial surface.

"She's doing really well," said Will Phipps, a relative newcomer who took over the training duties from Rick Violette after a third-place finish in the Princess Rooney at Calder in mid-July. Dream Rush was third in the ungraded Presque Isle Downs Masters the first time Phipps tightened the girth on Sept. 13.

"She looks great and she's happy," Phipps said. "I think she is as close to being back to her original form as you could hope for."

As a 3yo Dream Rush was in the exacta in all of her seven starts except the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, fading to fifth after setting a hot pace on the sloppy track.

"The Tapeta surface at Presque Isle is very similar to this track," Phipps said. "We're finding it plays the same way. She trained on it at Keeneland, and she liked it very much. But you never know how they're going to run on it. We wanted to see if she liked it, and she did. That's why we're here today."

Indian Blessing (Tr: Bob Baffert; ex. rider: Janell Gruss) - Hal and Patti Earnhardt's Indian Blessing galloped 1 1/2m under exercise rider Janell Gruss on Wednesday morning at Santa Anita for trainer Bob Baffert.

Winner of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall at Monmouth Park, Indian Blessing will break from post position five on Friday under John Velazquez.

"The five is fine with her; all of my draws are decent," said Baffert, who has four horses entered in the World Championships this weekend.

Baffert hopes that Friday's race does not mark the end of the line for Indian Blessing, who has eight victories and two seconds in 10 career starts and is unbeaten at the 7f distance and one-for-one at Santa Anita.

"The Earnhardts are having a lot of fun with her," Baffert said. "As long as she is sound and healthy, I'd like to take her to Dubai next year."

Indyanne (Tr: Greg Gilchrist) - David and Jill Heerensperger's Indyanne arrived from her Northern California base at Golden Gate Fields on Tuesday afternoon after an eventful van ride. The trip was delayed by two hours because of an unrelated accident on the freeway. As such, the 3yo speedster simply walked the shedrow at Santa Anita on Wednesday morning for trainer Greg Gilchrist.

Except for one second-place finish, in which she lost by a half-length in the Victory Ride at Saratoga, Indyanne has never been challenged, and her past performances are full of "1s."

"She really should be undefeated," Gilchrist said. "She lost all chance at the start in the Saratoga race and only lost by a half-length."

Indyanne drew post position number two in the Filly & Mare Sprint. It will mark the filly's first attempt at seven furlongs. She is 12-1 on the morning line.

"I didn't really want the one (post one) or anywhere from 10 to 14," said Gilchrist of the draw. "Anywhere from two to nine would have been fine, I just didn't want the way outside. She separates herself from the field pretty quickly. The question is if she can run that far and sustain her speed.

"But you can't hit a home run sitting on the bench," he added.

Intangaroo (Tr: Gary Sherlock) - Intangaroo, the Ballerina Handicap winner, galloped 1 3/8m at Hollywood Park before being vanned to Santa Anita.

"She galloped well," trainer Gary Sherlock said. "Everything's good."

Jazzy (Tr: Mark A. Hennig) - The 6yo Team Valor mare Jazzy was on a roll heading into last year's inaugural edition of this race, but she never handled the sloppy track at Monmouth Park and finished last. The daughter of Mutakddim is winless in five starts this season, but improved in her last when fourth on the Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs.

"She's had an unlucky year and a lot of bad trips," said trainer Mark Hennig, who is seeking his first Breeders' Cup victory. "We've zigged when we could have zagged, pointed to one place and the race is off the turf and she doesn't like the mud. We just kind of ended up being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Jazzy jogged and galloped over the Pro-Ride track Wednesday morning and seemed comfortable, according to Hennig.

"We ran her in that Masters Stakes on the Tapeta surface at Presque Isle, and she really liked it,'' Hennig said. "She closed nicely. We figured in the Breeders' Cup, going seven-eighths, it might really suit her. We just took a shot. She sells in the November sale next week, so this will be her last race."

Lady Sprinter (Tr: Juan Reviriego) - Trainer Juan Reviriego was all smiles as he watched Lady Sprinter prepare to go out to the track to jog 1m and gallop 2m on Wednesday.

Since the Orientate filly arrived in his care in June, Reviriego and jockey Octavio Vergara have been teaching the speedy filly to relax and adjust to the American style of racing. The champion filly in Argentina had only raced on straight-aways in her native country, and Friday will mark her first race around a turn. Vergara said that one of the things that impressed him most about the filly was the natural way she changed leads, and adjusted to the turns.

Magnificience (Tr: Bruce Headley) - A walk around trainer Bruce Headley's barn area was on tap for Magnificience on Wednesday, as the filly continues to prepare for Friday's Filly & Mare Sprint.

The daughter of Stormy Atlantic's 3f workout on Tuesday closed out her serious training for the race.

Headley eschews schooling his horses in the paddock, saying, "I school all my horses here at the barn. They know what to do when they get to the paddock."

Miraculous Miss (Tr: Steve Klesaris) - Miraculous Miss hasn't won a race in more than two years, but trainer Steve Klesaris is far from discouraged.

"We've been chasing a grade 1 with her," Klesaris explained. "It's the only thing missing on her resume."

The 5yo daughter of Mr. Greeley's past five runs have come in grade 1 events, and she's finished no worse than fourth. In a rare two-turn appearance, her most recent start came in the Ruffian over a sloppy Belmont strip.

"She just missed second," Klesaris said. "I still believe she can go long, but seven furlongs is a great distance for her."

Ventura (Tr: Robert Frankel) - Trainer Robert Frankel, who'll run seven horses in different Breeders' Cup races this coming weekend, was asked to say which of the crew he might like best of all.

It was Wednesday morning down by Clocker's Corner and the Brooklyn-born conditioner said it was "Ventura," his starter in the Filly & Mare Sprint.

"I like her," he said. "I like her and (Breeders' Cup Mile entrant) Precious Kitten. They're both doing well.

"Ventura loves the 'Poly' (synthetic). She won on it in the U.S. and overseas. And the race might set up nicely for her. She'll be back there a bit; there's lots of speed in the race.

"She's a high-strung one. She's full of herself. You've got to get her out of her stall and give her some room or she'll hurt herself. Yet, when you take her over there (to race) in the afternoons, she's calm; she's no problem. You saddle her with no trouble at all. She's doing great coming up to this. She's never been better than she is right now."

Ventura galloped 1 1/4m Wednesday morning. Garrett Gomez will ride her Friday and they'll break from post 12. She's been made the 5-1 third choice in the 14-horse field.

Zaftig (Tr: Jimmy Jerkens) - Acorn Stakes winner Zaftig stood in the starting gate Wednesday morning before galloping 1 1/2m in preparation for a start in the Filly & Mare Sprint. Zaftig schooled in the paddock, along with stablemate and Juvenile Fillies hopeful Doremifasollatido, after the first race on Wednesday.

Trainer James Jerkens reported that the daughter of Gone West will be given a 1/4m breeze during her morning exercise Thurday.

Rafael Bejarano will ride Zaftig for the first time on Friday.