TOP CLOCKER SAYS TAKE 'SOUVENIR' IN BREEDERS' CUP

"I think $7 million was an outrageous price to pay for half of Tale of the Cat. Storm Cat (his sire) is just an enigma. He throws crooked-legged horses and people just forgive that and pay huge prices for him. (John) Forbes is a very good trainer. I personally would like to see a different rider other than (Julie) Krone, but Tale of the Cat is my first choice, with Richter Scale second. When he's geared to sprint, he's very good and he's very fast. I can't help but like Lakota Brave as a horse, but his last workout looked like he had gone over the top." (Note: Young's comments on Lakota Brave were made before he ran next to last as the 7-10 favorite in Saturday's Ancient Title. Trainer Bruce Headley said it looked like the 8-year-old came out of the race lame and could miss the Sprint). Young on the mare Exotic Wood's chances: "I didn't care for the way she warmed up before her last race. Not to condemn her connections, but they finally got her back to her old self, and now they're going to throw her to the wolves. That wouldn't be my idea on how to go about it, but my vote doesn't count."

"About two weeks before Beautiful Pleasure had her first race, (Jerry) Bailey called me from Saratoga and said he was going to be riding a maiden that had impressed the hell out of him. And he doesn't get impressed that easily. Before the Alcibiades, she looked freaky, the way she did things. She attacked the race track and was striding like Ruffian. But both Beautiful Pleasure and Countess Diana (third and first, respectively, in Saturday's Alcibiades) were exhausted coming through the stretch in that race. Eastside Westside is very impressive and she's working very well. I'd go with her, after what I saw in the Alcibiades. Vivid Angel won't hit the board."

"This is a weird race. It's hard to believe Hidden Lake has gotten this good (since leaving California and going to New York under the care of trainer John Kimmel). She was just OK when she was here, and all of a sudden she goes to New York and she's King Kong. With all due respect to Twice the Vice and Jewel Princess, neither is the soundest horse in the world. I'd have to pass on them. Same with Sharp Cat. The way (David) Hofmans' filly (Relaxing Rhythm) runs, she's not bad (unbeaten in five starts). Put her on top, with Hidden Lake second and Twice the Vice or Jewel Princess third. It's kind of difficult to pick either of those two, they way they're coming into the race."

"The best American chances are El Angelo and Pinfloron. Jenine (Sahadi) has done a great job with El Angelo, and Plinforon worked unbelievably (a bullet 1:11 4/5 last Wednesday). I don't see the 3-year-olds in this race doing anything. I spoke to (Cash) Asmussen about Spinning World after last year's race, and he thought that with a little better trip he could have won it. I always look for value, so in this race I like Pinfloron, El Angelo and Spinning World."

"Souvenir Copy worked an unbelievable mile last week (1:37 2/5. He followed that with a bullet six furlong drill in 1:10 3/5 on Thursday). Grand Slam is a real nice horse, but I don't like the way he didn't change leads. Favorite Trick has some distance limitations, as do Old Topper, Commitisize and Double Honor. Cowboy Dan did not impress me when he won in Chicago. Souvenir Copy is my first choice. After that, you can throw the rest of them against a wall." Trainer Bob Baffert on Souvenir Copy's 1:10 3/5 drill: "He came off the track and wasn't even blowing. He was playing around. That's when you know you've got a great one."

"I'm a Singspiel fan. If Peintre Celebre had come here after winning the Arc, it would have been pretty tough not to like him. That was an awesome performance. But I like Singspiel."

"Touch Gold and Gentlemen have been held together thanks to the good jobs their trainers have done with them. Touch Gold has had ongoing problems with his left front hoof, and it's no secret around the track that Gentlemen is not the soundest horse in the world. Formal Gold's last race (5 1/2-length romp in the Woodward) was incredible. I thought (Kent) Desormeaux was cutting him loose too soon, but he still won very impressively. Behrens was impressive, too, winning the Pegasus. Not to take anything away from what he beat, but when Touch Gold didn't fire, it didn't become near as tough a race. Benchmark is a nice horse, but I never thought he was a Breeders' Cup Classic horse. Same with Coup d'Argent and Savinio. I didn't see anything in the Goodwood (a come-from-behind win by Benchmark) that made me think the Breeders' Cup winner is coming out of there. (Ron) Ellis is a good trainer and he's done a very good job with Benchmark, but I don't think he's the Breeders' Cup winner. When Savinio is the ninth contender, it shows it's not a strong race. Formal Gold is my choice. I don't like favorites, but if he is favored, he's not going to be 6-5."

"I always look for value and prices. I'd say Souvenir Copy. His mile workout was unbelievable. I don't know what he was on when he did it, but it was unbelievable."

BIG FIND -- Ran like a short horse but was in the hunt until deep stretch when he faded to fifth. Should benefit from first start in nearly eight months.

SIXY SAINT -- Early move didn't help this filly, who battled gamely to the finish, just missing second. Sitting on victory versus Cal-bred allowance routers.

THE HOMESTRETCH: The reign of David Flores as king of Pomona is over. Fairplex Park's career riding leader with 267 wins and a six-time Pomona champion, the 29-year-old Flores will not ride again on a regular basis at the 5/8-mile track. "David's got nothing to prove at Pomona," said his agent, Jim Pegram. "He's been a great rider there. He's won the title six times and it takes forever to rid yourself of being a 'Fair' rider as opposed to a big-time rider. David has finally achieved status as a world-class rider and it took a long time to get there. We intend to show we belong. He doesn't need Pomona now." Flores, leading rider at Oak Tree, accepted only 68 mounts during the recent Fairplex meet, winning with 10 . . . David Hofmans and Dick Mandella said Sunday morning that all systems were go with Touch Gold and Gentlemen for the Breeders' Cup Classic. "He worked really well," Hofmans said of Touch Gold's five furlong move in 1:00 4/5 Saturday morning at Hollywood Park. "He finished the last quarter real strong in :23 2/5." Asked if he would have preferred Touch Gold was going into the Classic other than coming off a 16-length defeat, Hofmans said: "Yeah, I would have preferred he had run a lot better in his last race. But at this stage, he's as good as he can be. We plan to work him seven-eighths next Friday." Mandella on Gentlemen: "Everything's good. We scoped the ulcer the other day and it's healing down real nice. There's no infection, no inflammation and it looks better than we'd even expect." On running a disappointing fifth in the Woodbine Mile, Gentlemen's final major Classic prep: "I'd always rather run better than fifth, but fact of the matter is, maybe we wouldn't have found this ulcer if we hadn't run him and we'd have had it blow up on us right in front of the Breeders' Cup. So I'm looking for the good in it." . . . Corey Nakatani, a dominant rider on the Southern California circuit before he was slapped with a 30-day suspension last August for pushing fellow jock Ryan Barber off his horse after a race at Del Mar, had gone winless in 30 Southern California rides since his ban ended on Sept.10. Nakatani ended the drought Oct. 10, a full month later, on The Exeter Man . . . Sudden thought: Bob Baffert is so entertaining, he ought to charge cover and minimum.