october 23 - juvenile turf

Bittel Road (Tr: Todd Pletcher) - James T. Scatuorchio and John Iracane's undefeated son of Stormy Atlantic colt Bittel Road galloped 1 1/4m, stood at the gate and was schooled in the paddock. A poor draw, 11 of 12 at a flat mile with a short run to the first turn, puts the dual stakes winner and the 7-2 morning line favorite at a distinct disadvantage.

But, trainer Todd Pletcher said, recalling that Bittel Road was the pacemaker in a strongly run 6f maiden race on grass at Belmont in July, his first start: "He's shown he's handy enough to get position and if that scenario plays out here, he'll give a good account of himself."

City Style (Tr: Cheryl Asmussen; ex. rider: Cash Asmussen) - Stonerside Stables' gelding City Style jogged at Santa Anita for the first time under Cash Asmussen, husband and assistant of trainer Cheryl Asmussen and brother of trainer Steve Asmussen. City Style flew in to California from Oklahoma on Wednesday.

Cheryl and Cash have been married for 16 years and live in Laredo, Texas, where they operate El Primero Training Center. "It's very exciting to be in this race and to come back to California where Cash won his Breeders' Cup race as a jockey," said Cheryl. Cash Asmussen rode Spinning World to win the 1997 Mile at Hollywood Park. The Juvenile Turf marks Cheryl's first Breeders' Cup race.

"I'm very optimistic and I think he'll run well," Cheryl Asmussen said.

City Style is expected to exercise over the Santa Anita turf course on Friday morning.

Coronet of a Baron (Tr: Eoin Harty) - Trainer Eoin Harty reiterated on Thursday morning that although he cross entered Coronet of a Baron in the Juvenile and Juvenile Turf, he chose the latter because he deemed it the best spot for him even though the colt has never raced on the grass.

"He was beaten twice by Midshipman (one of the probable post time favorites in the Juvenile) and on form I chose what I thought was a better spot for the horse," Harty said.

Coronet of a Baron worked 5f over the turf course here in 1:02 4/5 on Oct. 20 in his final breeze and that was a major factor in the decision by Harty and Sheik Mohammed's Darley Stable, the owner. Coronet of a Baron was supplemented to the race for $150,000.

The colt galloped and stood in the gate Thursday morning.

Donativum (Tr: John Gosden) - Princess Haya of Jordan's gelded son of Cadeaux Genereux Donativum was out of the barn early Thursday and visited the main track with stablemate Raven's Pass at 6:15 a.m.

Donativum enters the race off wins at Yarmouth and Newmarket in England.

Mark S the Cooler (Tr: Doug O'Neill) - The maiden on the also-eligible list galloped 1 1/2m Thursday with exercise rider Norberto Vasquez.

"We're still on the outside looking in," said trainer Doug O'Neill of the gelding who finished second in a seven-furlong maiden race Sunday at Santa Anita.

"He's bred to love the turf," said O'Neill of the son of 2003 Breeders' Cup Turf winner Johar (dead-heat) out of the Diesis mare Felucca.

Ninth Client (Tr: D. Wayne Lukas) - Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he had to do a little convincing to get owner Marylou Whitney and husband John Hendrickson to consider a run in the Breeders' Cup after a so-so third in the Bourbon at Keeneland on Oct. 5.

"It took a little salesmanship," said Lukas, who has sold more owners than any trainer in Breeders' Cup history with his 146 previous starters. "That horse, I thought belonged for a number of reasons. Yet when I said to John Hendrickson that I wanted to run that horse in the Breeders' Cup, he asked me if I thought we really belonged? Finally they said take him if you like, but they're not even coming out."

Ninth Client will likely be one of the longer prices in the field of 12, but Lukas has produced a number of longshot winners among his 18 Cup victories. Spain, for instance paid $55 in the 2000 Distaff. Julien Leparoux will be aboard for the fourth race in a row on the son of Malibu Moon.

"He's doing well," Lukas said.

Paddy The Pro (Tr: Paddy Gallagher) - Trainer Patrick Gallagher sent the new member of his barn out to gallop 1¼ m Thursday morning. He was scheduled to school in the paddock later Thursday during the racing program.

Paddy The Pro was purchased and turned over to Gallagher. He arrived at Gallagher's Santa Anita barn Tuesday morning. So far, Gallagher likes what he sees.

"He seems good," Gallagher said. "He's behaving great. We'll see what happens."

Skipadate (Tr: Mark Casse) - Skipadate, a son of Skip Away, visited the paddock Thursday morning and galloped 1 ½ m and Norman Casse, assistant trainer to his father Mark Casse, said the colt is now "full of himself".

Skipadate's three lifetime starts have all been on the grass at 1 1/16 m or 1 m, so the distance and the surface are not a question mark for him, as they are for some of the other entrants.

"He should be fine. The turf will be really firm and that should help him," Casse said.

Westphalia (Tr: Aidan O'Brien) - The Danehill Dancer colt cantered a mile Thursday morning with the other seven Breeders' Cup horses trained by Aidan O'Brien.

In his last start, Westphalia won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on September 13 by a neck over Zacinto

"Westphalia had very high quality form at home and he's in good form," O'Brien said. "You'd think and hope that he'll get a mile."