Full Definition of PRISTINE:

1: belonging to the earliest period or state : original <the hypothetical pristine lunar atmosphere>

2 a : not spoiled, corrupted, or polluted (as by civilization) : pure <a pristine forest>

b : fresh and clean as or as if new <used books in pristine condition>

American Pharoah tightens down with fast six furlongs
By Jay Privman

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVuGj6NAH38

ARCADIA, Calif. – With Triple Crown winner American Pharoah coming into the Breeders’ Cup Classic off a two-month layoff, having to race 1 1/4 miles, and facing elders for the first time, trainer Bob Baffert cranked up the intensity of his last two works, including a brilliant six-furlong drill on Tuesday morning at Santa Anita that was officially timed in 1:10.80.

“He did it the right way,” Baffert said. “He’s going to have to run hard. The Breeders’ Cup will be pedal to the metal from the gate.”

And since the Classic on Oct. 31 at Keeneland will be the final start of American Pharoah’s career, Baffert said that when it came to Tuesday’s work, “There’s no hanging back.”

A crowd larger than usual for Tuesday works was at Santa Anita, with many fans bringing cameras. In the stands, one of the interested bystanders was jockey Victor Espinoza, who rides American Pharoah in his races. Martin Garcia is his regular work rider; Baffert entrusts Garcia to with most of his most-important works.

As in his prior drill, American Pharoah and Garcia started well behind stablemate Madam Aamoura, a filly who like American Pharoah is owned by the Zayat family. They began their work shortly before the six-furlong pole, with American Pharoah about five lengths behind Madam Aamoura.

By the three-furlong pole, midway through the drill, American Pharoah was three lengths back and under a pull. He caught Madam Aamoura at the quarter pole and quickly left her, then focused his attention on a horse from the barn of trainer Tim Yakteen, To Tonia and Mike, who was finishing a solo five-furlong work and was about a sixteenth of a mile in front of American Pharoah.

That gave American Pharoah a new target, and though he didn’t catch that horse, it allowed him to continue strongly to the wire and then gallop out powerfully.

“I think he tried to catch that other horse,” Garcia said. “He was good; just galloping.”

Baffert had American Phaorah going out seven furlongs in 1:23.40 and a mile in 1:37.

“Really good. He was Pharoah,” Baffert said.

The time of 1:10.80 was the best of the eight horses who worked six furlongs at Santa Anita on Tuesday. Only one other horse, the Karen Headley-trained Circle the Moon, went faster than 1:13.20, the final time recorded by Madam Aamoura.

American Pharoah also had a major work six days earlier, when he went seven furlongs in 1:23. He is scheduled for a final drill here on Monday before flying to Kentucky on Tuesday, but Baffert said the Monday work will be short and easy compared to the last two.

“It’s sort of sad that this was the last work we’ll ever let him work that way,” Baffert said. “The next one will be really easy.”

It's going to be really disappointing if this colt wins the Classic in a romp and is in the breeding shed next season. That's the reality though.

it is indeed. he won't be leaving kentucky after the race.

No temperature for Beholder; more scans today to be safe
By Nicole Russo

Sounds like Beholder is in good shape this morning - no temperature. Trainer Richard Mandella, while stressing he is proceeding with caution, seems optimistic that the temperature she spiked yesterday was indeed due to shipping stress, not uncommon in horses.

“Today, I think we’re back in the game," Mandella said.

The mare was to walk the shedrow on Wednesday morning while having additional bloodwork and lung scans done. Assuming those come back clean, Mandella would then devise a training schedule for the mare’s final Classic preparations.

“We're gonna scan her lungs and we anticipate that they'll be perfect again,” Mandella said.

Beholder missed a scheduled easy gallop Tuesday morning at Keeneland when she was found to have a slight temperature. The 5-year-old mare's initial lung ultrasound and bloodwork both came back clean, showing only a slightly-elevated white blood cell count indicating a stress response. The mare was treated with a precautionary course of penicillin, as well as Banamine to treat the temperature. Mandella said the mare's attitude had greatly improved by the afternoon, and that the temperature has not returned.

"She sounded good and that [yesterday morning], but she was depressed," Mandella said. "She had her head hanging, which is not typical of her. She's usually pretty aggressive. … By afternoon, we could hardly walk her, and the temperature had not returned. It's good right now. She's eating good, she's feeling good, but with horses you have to be very respectful and worried about the chance of pneumonia [as a complication].”

Beholder arrived in Lexington on Monday afternoon, following a cross-country Tex Sutton flight from her California base. This marked just the third trip outside of California for Beholder, who finished second in the 2013 Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs and fourth in the 2014 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park, emerging from the latter with a cut on her leg that kept her out of action for several months. Beholder is known to be high-strung, and Mandella believes the excitement of travel led to a stress response.

“She just got too worked up and too upset shipping,” Mandella said. “She just got too pumped and upset.”

Mandella was right on, by shipping her early, he probably expected something like this, but by being here early, there is plenty of time for Beholder to get acclimated to Keeneland and be ready to run the race of her life......look out

I won't be disappointed in his career at all. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would see a Triple Crown winner, let alone one who raced in the Haskell, Travers and BC Classic afterwards. We're fortunate if a horse is sound enough to make the Travers after winning the Derby.

I'm with you. I'd be happy as a clam if he won the Classic, and his trip to the breeding shed next year was a foregone conclusion.

Found this from March when I was in Vegas. Only survivors are AP, Tonalist, and Honour Code.

Mike Welsch , Keeneland , 2015-10-24 - DRF Live Posted : 2hrs 2mins ago

Stopchargingmaria

Steady rain was falling when the track opened this morning creating some changes in workout schedules most notably for STOPCHARGINGMARIA who went at 6:00 a.m. instead of after the break and couldn't have been any more impressive breezing over a track that did tighten down considerably because of the weather conditions. She went a half in company with Catron in 46.91, out 5/8's in 58.80, up 1:11.92 and did it all in hand. Trainer Todd Pletcher said by text afterward he had an "insane gallop out" when asking to verify the times of the work.

Questions seem to be accruing for Victor Garcia & SMOOTH ROLLER, who despite arriving with Beholder, has put off any vigorous work with the Awesome Again winner day after day..

Just wants to draw into the race and get his name on the program maybe? Odd to just jog and not gallop at least.

Another curiously easy morning for Smooth Roller
Jay Privman , Keeneland , 2015-10-26 - DRF Live Posted : 1hr 37mins ago

Smooth Roller continues to have easy mornings here. He merely jogged again today, with bell boots on. He hasn't even galloped since his arrival, and now won't work here prior to the BC Classic, which means his last work will have been Oct. 17 at Santa Anita.

He worked twice between races of Aug. 26 and Sept. 26, when he won the Awesome Again, and has had two works since that race. But this doesn't seem the ideal way to come into a 1 1/4-mile race against the likes of American Pharoah, Beholder, Honor Code, and Tonalist, all of whom have had a regular series of works heading into the Classic.

Trainer Victor Garcia's response when I asked about the lack of a work here was that the five-furlong work at Santa Anita, with a strong gallop out to a mile, was sufficient.

"He doesn't need that much," Garcia said. "Plus it's been raining, so I don't want to take a chance."

Untapable out...

Per DRF.. Untapable is out of the Distaff.

Beholder on the outside..............it doesn't get any bette:{>:

You can have her. I'll have the horse running by her like she's standing still midstretch, Keen Ice.