Pure Clan, winner of the Flower Bowl Invitational (G1) at Belmont Park in her most recent start, continued her preparation for a second bid for the $2 million Emirates Airline Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) with a five furlong workout on Tuesday at Churchill Downs.
The Robert Holthus-trained 4-year-old daughter of Pure Prize breezed five furlongs in a strong 1:00.40 over a “fast” track under exercise rider Steve Schmelzel. The work ranked as the seventh-fastest of 39 moves at the distance.
“This was her final major work,” said Holthus. “We’ll probably just let her do something easy Sunday morning before she gets on the plane on Monday. It looks like she came out of her work good, so we hope we’ll get a decent post, a clean trip and a little more luck than last year.”
The consistent Pure Clan turned in an uncharacteristically poor effort in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, which was run at Oak Tree at Santa Anita, as it will be for this year’s running on Friday, Nov. 6. She finished last of 10 fillies and mares behind champion Forever Together in that race, but has returned this year with a strong campaign in which she has compiled a record of 2-1-1 in four races. She also won the Modesty (G3) and finished third to Dynaforce in the Beverly D. (G1), both at Arlington Park, before overcoming soft turf to win the Flower Bowl on Oct. 3.
“She’s more mature and has been very lightly raced this year,” Holthus said. “She’s going into the race pretty fresh.”
Pure Clan will have a new jockey in the Breeders’ Cup race as regular rider Julien Leparoux is committed to ride Forever Together. Garrett Gomez will be in the saddle aboard Holthus’ filly on Breeders’ Cup Day.
Edited release
