'Charlie, Knicks Go, Essential Quality Work for Classic

Three of the favorites for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) Nov. 6 at Del Mar recorded their penultimate works Oct. 23 for the 1 1/4-mile race, with Hot Rod Charlie breezing at Santa Anita Park and Knicks Go and Essential Quality at Churchill Downs. Hot Rod Charlie, owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and Bill Strauss, zipped seven furlongs in 1:26 3/5 under regular rider Flavien Prat. Though the 3-year-old son of Oxbow utilized his speed to win his last start in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing, he breezed Saturday behind horses. "Today he sat off a workmate, and there were a couple others out there from other barns. So he kind of sat in behind three horses, split 'em turning for home, and finished up good," trainer Doug O'Neill said. "He had a taste of what the Classic could look like." Knicks Go, Medina Spirit, and Art Collector are other horses with speed in the anticipated Classic lineup. "He galloped out good, and we're feeling good," said O'Neill said of Hot Rod Charlie. "He'll ship Wednesday to Del Mar, where he'll have his final work." Also breezing Saturday at Santa Anita was Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Idol (Curlin), a Classic longshot following a comeback sixth in the Oct. 2 Awesome Again Stakes (G1) in his first start since March. The Richard Baltas trainee owned by Calvin Nguyen went six furlongs in 1:14 2/5. The two horses expected to attract the most wagering support in the Classic, Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go and Godolphin's Essential Quality, worked hours apart at Churchill Downs for trainer Brad Cox. The former traveled six furlongs in 1:12 2/5, the latter six furlongs in 1:13, while in company. Both horses are leading Horse of the Year candidates. Cox said Knicks Go's breeze was "as good as he's ever worked." "I guess really the only thing new we're gonna throw at him is a the mile and a quarter," Cox said, assessing the Classic. "He's able to ship." Knicks Go (Paynter) has traveled outside his principal training base of Kentucky to win this summer's Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (G3) and Whitney Stakes (G1). He is now riding a three-race win streak after a home-track victory at Churchill Downs in the Lukas Classic Stakes (G3). Essential Quality, the most accomplished 3-year-old in the country, also goes for his fourth straight win in the Classic after triumphs in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1), Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1). Working under the lights early Saturday morning, he settled a length off workmate and older graded stakes winner Night Ops, poked his head in front near the finish line, and galloped out past the wire. Afterward, Cox marveled out how little energy the Tapit colt seemed to expend. "Following the work, he just didn't act like it took much out of him at all," Cox said. "We were hoping to get a blow out of it for him, but I didn't really look like it took much out of him at all. He has a tremendous amount of stamina and fitness, and he's a good horse." The deadline to pre-enter horses to the Breeders' Cup Classic and other Breeders' Cup races is Oct. 25. Final entries are due the morning of Nov. 1, with post positions drawn later that afternoon. A comprehensive list of Saturday workouts from possible Breeders' Cup contenders appears below.