BIG MACHER

With his connections pointing him to the TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) Oct. 31 at Keeneland, grade I winner Big Macher turned in an easy five-furlong move in 1:01 2/5 Monday, Oct. 5 at Santa Anita Park.

Trainer Richard Baltas said he is pointing 2014 Bing Crosby Stakes (gr. I) winner Big Macher to the Sprint off his 4 3/4-length victory in the Pirate's Bounty Stakes Sept. 7 at Del Mar. That easy victory marked the first race for Tom Mansor and Tachycardia Stables' Big Macher since his fifth-place finish in the March 28 Dubai Golden Shaheen presented by Gulf News (UAE-I) at Meydan.

Baltas said Big Macher was impressive in the Pirate's Bounty—earning a nice speed figure—and the trainer plans to call Breeders' Cup officials Oct. 6 to see where he stands in terms of making it into the $1.5 million Sprint. Big Macher finished ninth in last year's Sprint at Santa Anita Park.

"We're pointing for the Sprint; we want to bring him in fresh," Baltas said. "He runs better fresh. He probably should get in."

On Monday, Big Macher completed five furlongs in 1:01 2/5 at Santa Anita. It marked his third move at Santa Anita since his Sept. 7 Pirate's Bounty win. The 5-year-old Beau Genius gelding has won five stakes including two graded stakes with earnings of $684,038.

"The track was a little bit deep today, we just gave him an easy work," Baltas said. "He went real nice, he's doing really well out of the Pirate's Bounty. ... He was in Dubai and that took something out of him so we gave him some time off. His comeback race was really good. We're looking forward to trying to get to Lexington later this month."

Other works of note at Santa Anita on Monday included grade I winner Obviously working toward a start in the Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT) with a five-furlong move in :59 1/5 on the training track, earning the bullet; and grade II winner Big John B working toward the Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) with a six-furlong move in 1:14 3/5 on the main track.