Pembroke a Surprise Entry in Saturday’s Feature Race

After Pembroke broke the world record for 5 1/2 furlongs on turf when he won the Hollywood Park Budweiser Breeders’ Cup in 1:01 2/5, trainer Gary Jones was asked about the possibility of running the 5-year-old on the main track.

He said Pembroke would remain on grass, indicating he would be shipped out of town because Del Mar doesn’t run any sprints on the turf.

But Pembroke was among seven horses entered Thursday morning for Saturday’s $101,800 Pat O’Brien Breeders’ Cup Handicap at seven furlongs on the dirt.

There is a deal pending to sell an interest in Pembroke, who is owned by Darley Stud Management, and the new partners, who would stand the horse as a stallion next year, would like to see if the horse is potential Breeders’ Cup Sprint material.

“I’ve got no choice,” Jones said. “They want to see if he could be a Breeders’ Cup horse.

“Soundness has always been a problem for him and I thought turf would be kinder to him. But he’s going better now than he was before the last race at Hollywood Park or I wouldn’t be trying it.”