Timboroa Becomes a Flores Favorite

Named to ride morning-line favorite Mash One in the $125,000 Carleton F. Burke Handicap, jockey David Flores made out very well after the 6-year-old was scratched.

With Victor Espinoza already in Kentucky for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup, Flores picked up the mount on Timboroa and the English-bred responded with a victory at 9-1 odds in the Grade III race Sunday at Santa Anita.

No threat in two Grade I events in New York in his first two starts in the United States, Timboroa, who is owned by Edmund Gann and trained by Bobby Frankel, was dominant in his California debut.

Well-placed throughout, the 4-year-old Salse colt took over early in the stretch and went on to win by 2 1/2 lengths in 2:27 4/5 for the 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Kerrygold, a 6-1 shot making his first start in this country, and 22-1 outsider Res Judicata finished in a dead heat for second. Northern Quest, the 19-10 favorite who is also trained by Frankel, finished fifth.

“What a great horse to pick up at the last minute,” said Flores. “I had so much horse underneath me the whole way around the course. I knew all I had to do was just wait, keep my position and then push the button.

“When we got to the three-eighths pole, I saw a little hole and put him into position. Then I just waited until the quarter pole, and, boom, he put it into another gear. He was just beautiful to ride.”

According to Humberto Ascanio, Frankel’s assistant trainer, the boss predicted days ago that Timboroa was going to win the Burke.

“That’s what Bobby told me,” he said. “He said that he was going to run a couple in here and that Timboroa was going to win.

“David did a good job. There wasn’t much speed in the race and he kept him close to the pace.”

Keemoon, the lone filly in the race, was fourth, then came Northern Quest, Perssonet, the pacesetter Alvo Certo, Clure and Single Empire, the 2-1 second choice who appeared to pull up in some distress shortly after the wire.

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The Frankel-trained Aptitude, the runner-up in the Belmont Stakes and Kentucky Derby earlier this year, did what he was supposed to do in his comeback Sunday at Churchill Downs.

The 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy pulled away in the final yards to win by nearly three lengths as the 1-9 favorite in his first start since the Belmont on June 10.

Ridden for the first time by Victor Espinoza, Aptitude completed the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03 1/5 in winning for the second time in eight starts.

Frankel indicated Aptitude may remain in Kentucky and make his next start in the $400,000 Clark Handicap on Nov. 24 at Churchill Downs.

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A day after winning five stakes races on California Cup Day and surpassing 9,000 victories, jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr. won twice on Sunday, both for trainer Bill Spawr.

Pincay, who now has 9,004 wins, took the fourth on Rain Minister and the fifth with favored Lady Di Huntley. Pincay now has 23 wins at Oak Tree, tying him with Espinoza for the lead. Spawr took over the top spot in the trainer standings with six days remaining in the Oak Tree meet. He has 13 victories, one more than Bob Baffert.

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All six of the horses Baffert is scheduled to run in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup worked Sunday morning at Santa Anita.

Baffert, who failed to win a Breeders’ Cup race with eight starters last year, saw the unbeaten Flame Thrower work five furlongs in 59 2/5, Arabian Light went the same distance in 1:01 3/5, and Point Given worked six furlongs in 1:11 2/5. All three will start in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.

Notable Career, one of many contenders in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, worked six furlongs in 1:13 2/5, Captain Steve, who will take on Fusaichi Pegasus, Lemon Drop Kid and others in the BC Classic, worked the same distance in 1:12 and the erratic Caffe Latte, who will race in the Filly & Mare Turf, went six furlongs in 1:14 1/5.

Notes

Smooth Player, who scratched from Saturday’s California Cup Matron, will run next in the $175,000 Las Palmas Handicap on Sunday. Trained by Dan Hendricks, the Bertrando filly worked seven furlongs on the grass in 1:30 3/5 Sunday morning. The Las Palmas is also expected to attract Happyanunoit. . . . Jockey Corey Nakatani ended streak of winless rides at 35 when Love All The Way won Sunday’s eighth race at Santa Anita. . . . Tippity Witch, a 9-2 shot, won the $100,000 Martha Washington Stakes Sunday at Laurel. . . . Chindi ($14.40) won the $100,000 Ack Ack Handicap, the opening-day feature at Churchill Downs. . . . Wild Heart Dancing, a 5-1 shot, led every step of the way under jockey Jorge Chavez to take the $100,000 Athenia Handicap Sunday at Aqueduct.