Lane Way Workout Report and Breeders Cup Non-Selection Update

Lane Way Workout Report

Lane Way breezed a razor-sharp half-mile this morning at Santa Anita Park and was credited with a final time of :47 flat. His normal exercise rider Jose Contreras was aboard for today’s breeze, which started at the 3/8 pole and ended one furlong past the wire. Lane Way was guided by pony and ex-stablemate Charlito down the backstretch, and the moment he left the pony, Lane Way’s mind was on running. Jose had about as tight a hold as possible on him, as you will see in the video. Trainer Richard Mandella and our team couldn’t have been happier with today’s breeze.

Breeders Cup Non-Selection Update

As mentioned in our last update, we reached out to the Breeders' Cup and spoke with Tom Robbins who oversees the Breeders’ Cup selection committee. The committee is composed of 9 individuals, ranging from international handicappers to racetrack executives of some of the leading tracks in the US. Their selection process is very involved and uses PPs, video replays, ratings, points, charts, speed figures, international ratings, as well as recent performances to make their decision so it’s not just about straight-up wins and points. In Europe, it is clear-cut and based entirely on numbers so there’s no confusion, but not here.

The committee concluded that the distance of the race suited other entrants better, and it was their belief that Lane Way's perceived preference for longer trips ultimately worked against him to the benefit of those who were placed ahead of him. Admittedly, it can’t be easy to sort these things out for the selection committee and there are always going to be differences of opinion, but it’s still a tough one to take for sure.

We felt he deserved the opportunity to prove himself even at the five-furlong distance. A four-time winner over the Santa Anita turf course sprinting, including two stakes wins this year and the local prep win in the G2 Eddie D on the flat still should have been plenty to get him in in our opinion. He was also second last summer in the G3 Green Flash, a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race. Of course, we have a biased opinion and all the pre-entered horses have a case to be made.

With all that being said, the dream is not completely over. We would need a lot of luck, meaning multiple defections, but it is not impossible. Even if we get a few defections and have the opportunity to enter knowing we would be on the also-eligible list, a major decision will need to be made. If he was on the AE list and found himself lucky enough to draw into the body of the field, that would mean an outside post, which would be extra tough to overcome at that trip and with his running style. The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint was won from post 10 and 12 in recent years, but those victories came in wire-to-wire fashion.

It will be a bit of a waiting game as some horses will have their final breezes this weekend. We should hopefully have a better idea by Sunday of our true chances of getting in and of course, with entries being taken on Monday we will have 100% clarification.