By Bloodhorse.com
ARCADIA, Calif. (Oct. 6, 2016) –The difference in a year for Masochistic has been noticeable, and in a good way.
The California-bred Sought After gelding is still blazing fast, but during morning workouts, he’s learned to settle down.
When Masochistic moved to the Ron Ellis barn in 2015, he could hardly be contained in the mornings and would often run off during works. The horse out on the track Oct. 6 at Santa Anita Park, in his fourth work in preparation for the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I), looked like a different animal.
The three-time graded stakes winner relaxed well under exercise rider Balthazar Contreras and finished off his six-furlong drill in 1:12 3/5. His furlong fractions went in :12 4/5, :24 4/5, :36 2/5, :48 1/5, and 1:00 1/5.
“He’s much more relaxed now,” Ellis said. “It also depends on who you put on him. (Contreras) has him down pretty good.”
Thursday’s drill was Masochistic’s fourth straight bullet work since a dominant 3 3/4-length victory in the Pat O’Brien Stakes (gr. II) at Del Mar Aug. 27, and two full seconds quicker than the second-fastest worker at six furlongs, albeit of only five at the distance.
“He’s not a very big horse, and even though it looks like he’s just galloping along, he’s still running fast,” said Ellis, who watched the work with co-owner Samantha Siegel of Jay Em Ess Stable (she owns the gelding in parntership with Los Pollos Hermanos Racing). “He did exactly what I wanted. An easy work for six furlongs and we’re just biding our time. No sense in cranking him up too much.”
The crank up might begin next week at a shorter distance. Ellis is considering adding jockey Mike Smith to the mix for his next workout.
But firing fresh off a layoff is what Ellis wants most. He feels Masochistic runs his best races rested, which is why the gelding’s schedule has been so light this year. Before the O’Brien, he humbled an allowance field by 6 1/4 lengths July 8 at Santa Anita in his 2016 debut.
“For him, he’s run his best races fresh. We’ll start doing more, but I’m just letting him build up his fitness and get a foundation under him,” Ellis said. “They’re going to run fast all the way (in the Sprint)—that’s the thing—and you see horses like Runhappy and X Y Jet off a layoff running fast and getting hooked. Clearly, you have to be fit. Off a layoff, your fitness gets tested.”