Trainer John Sadler said via text message Tuesday that Elektrum will stay home in California rather than travel to Kentucky with the hope of drawing into Saturday’s Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf from the also-eligible list.
Untapable, the winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Distaff and one of the favorites for its 32nd running Friday at Keeneland, has been scratched from the $2 million race after spiking a temperature, trainer Steve Asmussen announced Tuesday.
The Indiana Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association fall mixed sale closed on Sunday with declines in gross and average sale price from a smaller catalog.
Bernier: Keeneland pick five play for Friday, Oct. 30
Golden Gate Fields showed slight gains in handle for both for its live races and from all sources for the 19-day summer meeting, which ran from Aug. 21-Oct. 4 with a two-week break for the San Joaquin Fair meet at Stockton.
The 32nd Breeders’ Cup figures to be dominated by men who are well established at the upper echelon of the training profession. Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Richard Mandella will saddle the leading contenders in the $5 million Classic. Earlier on Saturday’s card at Keeneland, two of the three winningest trainers of all time, Steve Asmussen and Jerry Hollendorfer, will be among the participants in the $1.5 million Sprint. In this company, Maria Borell could hardly be more of an outlier. She has won a total of five races as a trainer. She’s 32 years old. Underscoring the generational divide between her and the racing establishment, she could display (depending on her attire) the most impressive tattoo ever seen at stately Keeneland.
Litfin: Belmont Park Horses to Watch for week of Oct. 26
American Pharoah will wear saddlecloth No. 4 when he tries to close his career with a victory Saturday in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, a race in which 10 were entered Monday, including the two-time champion mare Beholder and the outstanding older runners Honor Code and Tonalist.
Sheer Drama drew the far outside post as one of a handful of favorites in a remarkably contentious renewal of the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Friday at Keeneland.
Golden Horn will begin his quest to become the first same-year winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Turf from post 1, a draw that’s not ideal but which Golden Horn ought to be able to overcome if his superiority shines through Saturday.
