Breeders' Cup: Cape Blanco looks to solidify status as Turf favorite

Racing action on both sides of the country and both sides of the Atlantic Ocean this week should help determine the composition of the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

At Belmont, Cape Blanco makes his third straight U.S. start, and if the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic produces a performance similar to what Cape Blanco delivered winning the Man o’ War and Arlington Million in his first two trans-Atlantic trips, Cape Blanco could be favored in the Turf, regardless of what other horses might ship from Europe.

And as for Europe, this is Arc weekend, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe scheduled for Sunday in Paris almost always produces a Turf starter or two. Workforce won last year’s Arc before shipping to Churchill Downs, where he was scratched the morning of the Turf because his connections were unhappy with course conditions. Workforce’s trainer, Michael Stoute, also has 3-year-old Sea Moon as a possible runner in the Turf, a race that Stoute has won four times, more than any other trainer.

The West Coast’s best long-distance grass horse, Acclamation, is expected to return to grass Sunday in the Clement Hirsch Turf Championship on Sunday at Santa Anita after winning the Pacific Classic over Polytrack in his most recent race. A win in the Hirsch might cement a spot in the Turf for Acclamation, who does his best work racing on the front end.

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