Breeders' Cup Classic: Global Campaign best when fresh
As with fruits, vegetables, and a Prince from Bel Air, fresh is best when it comes to Global Campaign.
He won his first start in January 2019. He won his comeback race in 2020, returning from a layoff of nearly nine months. And when he makes his next start, in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 7 at Keeneland, he will not have run in two months, mirroring the schedule he had prior to his first stakes win, in last year’s Grade 3 Peter Pan.
Global Campaign is a much better horse now, too. At age 4, he has won three times in four starts, with consecutive stakes victories in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup and then, most recently, the Grade 1 Woodward on Sept. 4 at Saratoga. Blinkers came off for the Monmouth Cup, and have remained off. The Woodward was his first try at 1 1/4 miles, the distance of the Classic, and he produced a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 104.
“He can get into a nice rhythm going a mile and a quarter,” his trainer, Stan Hough, said from Kentucky on Wednesday morning. “When he got asked to run, he responded.”
Hough, 72, has long been known for doing well with fresh horses, going back to his days in the late 1970s and early 1980s when he built his initial reputation with well-prepared 2-year-olds. It’s obvious he has a feel for getting horses to peak in debuts, or following vacations. According to Daily Racing Form’s Formulator data, Hough has won with 5 of his last 22 starters who have had between 60 and 180 days off, a strike rate of 23 percent.
“It’s always worked pretty well for us. With 2-year-old first-time starters, you have to know when they’re ready,” Hough said.
Foot issues curtailed Global Campaign’s 3-year-old season. This year, after spending the winter at Palm Meadows, Global Campaign has done all his serious training at Churchill Downs. He shipped to Monmouth and Saratoga just before those races, then immediately returned.
“He does well at Churchill,” Hough said. “The surface is very forgiving for him. His feet are good now. I’m looking for a really good race from him.”
Global Campaign has had three works since the Woodward, the most recent last Saturday. He is scheduled to be on a Saturday breeze program for the next three weekends.
“He’ll have his final work the Saturday before the Breeders’ Cup, then go over to Keeneland,” Hough said.
Global Campaign, 4, is by Curlin, who, among his many victories, captured the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2007. Global Campaign was bred by WinStar Farm and sold as a yearling for $250,000 to Sagamore Farm, with WinStar staying in as a co-owner.
WinStar also is a co-owner of Improbable, who is the current 3-1 favorite on the Classic line of Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free.
Luis Saez rode Global Campaign in the Woodward, but since he is committed to Maximum Security for the Classic, Javier Castellano will ride Global Campaign, Hough said.