Scottish Lassie gives Abreu best chance yet in Breeders’ Cup

Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

Trainer Jorge Abreu has been knock, knocking on the door to Breeders’ Cup success. He might be ready to break it down with Scottish Lassie.

The daughter of McKinzie provided Abreu with his first Grade 1 victory and earned an automatic berth in the Nov. 1 Juvenile Fillies at Del Mar when she dashed off with the Grade 1 Frizette by nine lengths on Oct. 5.

Abreu, 50, has exceeded expectations in his first two Breeders’ Cup appearances. He knew it was a bit of a reach when he sent 71-1 Stellar Agent into the Juvenile Fillies Turf in 2018 after a third-place finish in the Miss Grillo (G2). He had her as ready as she could be, and she stepped up to take third.

The setup also was not quite right for Jody’s Pride in last year’s Juvenile Fillies. She was coming off a win in the Matron (G3) but was being asked to stretch out from six furlongs to 1 1/16 miles. After she was sent off at almost 18-1, she narrowly missed overtaking Just F Y I by a neck.

Everything has gone well with Scottish Lassie since Abreu spotted her at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March sale for 2-year-olds in training. “I saw her like 10 times because she really caught my eye,” said Abreu, a former assistant to Chad Brown for nine years.

Scottish Lassie sold for $85,000 to Parkland Thoroughbreds, a client that has been with Abreu since he opened his stable in 2016. Abreu kept a piece in the filly. Sportsmen Stable, Photos Finish and Corms Racing Stable also joined the ownership group.

The trainer’s eye did not fail him. He kept faith in her even after she weakened and finished third, beaten 6 1/4 lengths, going seven furlongs in her Sept. 1 debut at Saratoga. He urged his clients to draw a line through that result and insisted she was ready to step up for the Frizette, a one-turn mile at Belmont at the Big A.

The result provided the native of the Dominican Republic with the Grade 1 triumph he longed for. He finally had the horsepower he needed.

“To win a Grade 1, you need the horse more than anything. It doesn’t matter who you are,” said Abreu, who has about 50 horses in his operation.

When he targeted the Frizette with a maiden, Steve Weston of Parkland Thoroughbreds hopped on board. Abreu engenders that level of trust.

“He follows Chad’s teachings in that he’s never going to run a horse if that horse is not ready,” Weston said. “I think the horse comes first in his barn.”

Weston praised Abreu for the way he interacts with clients. “He’s extremely open. He tells you everything. I think he tells you things other trainers might not want to tell you,” he said. “There are no secrets. He is very clear and transparent about what is going on with your horse.”

Weston praised Abreu’s work ethic and said he never missed a day of work in his nine years with Brown. “I think he’s a great horseman,” the owner said. “He’s been doing it since he was a teenager. It’s not like he’s new to it.”

Abreu is optimistic as he prepares Scottish Lassie for the challenge ahead. “She came out of the race in really good shape. Every time she runs, she gets stronger to me,” he said. “If she keeps going that way and doing what she’s doing, I think we are going to be in good shape because I know the ability is there.”

Abreu’s two strong Bredeers’ Cup performances have only deepened his desire to win his first Breeders’ Cup race. He understands full well how dramatically that might improve his business and the quality of his stock.

“Wow, that’s every trainer’s dream, win a Breeders’ Cup and win a Kentucky Derby,” he said. “That would be … oh, my God, I have no explanation for that.”

No explanation needed.