R. Lee Lewis and Lexi Lewis' Grade 1-placed Rum Twist posted a half-mile breeze Thursday in preparation for the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, with NYRA clockers timing her covering the distance in 47.25 seconds in rein to Jose Lezcano over the Belmont Park main track.
Trained by Mark Hennig, the daughter of Mandaloun worked to the outside of 4-year-old gelding Monte Avi [47.88], posting her first work since finishing a 2 3/4-length second to Dotsy in the Grade 1 Frizette on October 3 here.
"It was a little quicker than I anticipated, but there's a strong wind behind them coming down the stretch," Hennig said. "Jose Lezcano breezed her for us thankfully, and he had breezed her back at Saratoga this summer. He said, 'man, she's a lot stronger horse than she was then.' He was really pleased with her and he said he couldn't have gone any easier with her. She was dragging him."
Rum Twist debuted with a runner-up effort in July at Saratoga Race Course and graduated two starts later with a 5 3/4-length romp going seven furlongs on September 5 there. She then stalked the pace in the one-turn mile Frizette and made a willing run behind upset winner Dotsy. The Frizette and her maiden win, which both came under jockey Paco Lopez, garnered a 78 Beyer Speed Figure.
"She seems a little fiery coming out of that loss," Hennig said. "It's almost like she knows she got beat. God willing, she comes out of this well and we'll be on a van. She'll head out on Sunday afternoon to arrive there at Keeneland Monday morning. We'll gallop Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and call it a wrap."
Hennig added that Hall of Famer John Velazquez, who was aboard for Rum Twist's first two outings, will have the call in the Juvenile Fillies.
Rum Twist, bred in Kentucky by Machmer Hall, was a $260,000 purchase at the OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and is out of the winning Congrats mare Rumandice, a half-sister to graded stakes-placed Goldrush Girl and Cayala, dam of graded stakes-winners One Liner and Rodriguez.
