Breeders' Cup Classic: Familiar faces in the lineup
Same time, next year.
That could be the theme for as many as five runners in this year’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, which is looking as though it very well could have a maximum field of 14 when it is run Nov. 3.
Pre-entries are due Monday and will be announced Oct. 24, but as of Wednesday, Collected, West Coast, War Story, Gunnevera, and Pavel – all of whom chased Gun Runner, in that order, last year at Del Mar – were under consideration for the Classic, a refreshing development considering the widely held notion that too many of the sport’s stars prematurely depart.
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Now, none of them won the Triple Crown, became more valuable than a gallery full of Banksys, and were whisked off to stud. But West Coast is a champion who has earned north of $5 million, Gunnevera is a multiple stakes winner who has earned more than $3 million, Collected is a Grade 1 winner who has made just shy of $3 million, Pavel is a Grade 1 winner who has made more than $1.3 million, and War Story is a gelding who has made more than $2 million, even subtracting the $650,000 he is credited with for running 10th in this year’s Pegasus World Cup.
The Classic is headed by Accelerate, who got back to work Sunday with a half-mile breeze in 47.80 seconds at Santa Anita, the first of three works he is scheduled to have between his final prep, the Awesome Again, and the Classic. But his narrow victory in the Awesome Again, combined with the upset victory of Discreet Lover in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, has left as many as 20 horses still under consideration for the Classic 2 1/2 weeks out.
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At the pre-entry stage Monday – the first of two stages for all 14 Breeders’ Cup races to be run Nov. 2 and 3 – horses can be put in as many as two races. Chad Summers, who trains Mind Your Biscuits, on Wednesday said his horse would be pre-entered in two races. “The Classic will be one,” he said, adding that whether the other is the Dirt Mile or Sprint is yet to be determined.
Regardless, Mind Your Biscuits – and any other horse cross-entered next week – can only enter one race when final entries are due and posts drawn Oct. 29.
A subtle but significant change to this year’s Breeders’ Cup lineup will prevent any horse from entering two races. In years past, for instance, the Dirt Mile was run on Friday, the Classic on Saturday, and in theory a horse could enter both races as long as he was not forcing any other horse onto the also-eligible list in either race. Now, with all five 2-year-old races being run Friday, and all nine races for older horses being run Saturday, that option is no longer on the table, making for a tidier process at the final entry stage, as horses cannot enter two races on the same day’s card.
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Here’s a progress report on several Classic runners:
◗ McKinzie lost weight exiting his comeback win in the Pennsylvania Derby, but he’s put it back and then some. His trainer, Bob Baffert, reports that McKinzie weighed 1,170 pounds prior to going to Parx Racing, was at 1,138 coming out of the race, but was back to 1,178 after his workout Sunday at Santa Anita, in which he went six furlongs in 1:12.
◗ Axelrod, runner-up to McKinzie in the Pennsylvania Derby, worked an easy half-mile in 51.40 seconds on Sunday at Santa Anita, his first drill since a majority interest in him was purchased by Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Although no firm decision has been made by Phoenix on whether he goes in the Classic, “Right now, the horse is giving off all the right signs,” said his trainer, Michael McCarthy.
◗ Bravazo worked five furlongs in 1:00 on Wednesday at Churchill Downs for trainer D. Wayne Lukas.
◗ Discreet Lover worked a half-mile in 50.54 seconds on Wednesday at Parx for his owner and trainer, Uriah St. Lewis.
◗ Roaring Lion is scheduled to run Saturday at Ascot, after which a decision would be made on whether he would try dirt for the first time in the Classic for trainer John Gosden.
