Breeders' Cup Classic: O'Brien might have sleeper pick in Declaration of War

Aidan O’Brien has started a horse in the Breeders’ Cup Classic 12 times, his best finishes being seconds with Giant’s Causesway in 2000 and Henrythenavigator in 2008, the latter on Santa Anita’s old all-weather main track. Many of those runners, like Duke of Marmalade and Black Minnaloushe, were no-hopers, and we have been conditioned to some extent to treat O’Brien’s dirt Classic attempts with skepticism.

But this year might be different. The 4-year-old Declaration of War has a better dirt pedigree – by War Front and out of a Rahy mare who raced on dirt – than any of his previous Classic runners, Giant’s Causeway included. The horse has speed, and he has come to Santa Anita fresh, the Classic his year-end goal for the last several months.

“He’s different from any horse we’ve run in the Classic before,” O’Brien said Thursday after his Breeders’ Cup horses had trained for the first time since arriving here from Ireland.

Declaration of War stood out among the O’Brien contingent. He is stout and powerful, and his winter coat has not started to come in nearly as much as his stable companions. He looked fresh, and he should be fresh; the Classic will be his first start since Aug. 21. The colt, O’Brien said, cannot abide soft turf, and he was held out of both the Irish Champion Stakes and one of two major races at Ascot in October because of soft going.

“I didn’t want to be racing on bad ground and take any speed out of him,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien flew Declaration of War and a handful of other horses from his base in Ireland to the Southwell all-weather track in England two weeks ago strictly to give Declaration of War his major work for the Classic. Southwell’s Polytrack is believed to more closely approximate dirt than any other synthetic track in England or Ireland.

[BREEDERS’ CUP 2013: Fields with DRF odds and comments]

Joseph O’Brien, who has the Classic mount and will ride in a dirt race for the first time Saturday, piloted him in the work, placing him in behind two Grade 1 horses in an attempt to simulate the kickback Declaration of War will experience for the first time in the Classic.

Having racing surface thrown in his face didn’t deter Declaration of War in the slightest: He came out and drew away from his workmates in the stretch. Giant’s Causeway had a similar work with one horse at Southwell before his Classic runner-up finish, and O’Brien said Declaration of War worked much better.

“Visually, he was very impressive – whatever that is worth,” O’Brien said.

Declaration of War has plenty of speed – six- and seven-furlong speed, both O’Briens said. He will have no problem keeping up with the Classic pace, though his connections expect him to drop in behind the leaders. If getting dirt thrown in his face does not stop him, Declaration of War has a real chance to give O’Brien, one of the world’s most successful trainers, his first Classic win.

Awards handed out

Ramon Dominguez, Bob Fortus, Jack Whitaker, Marylou Whitney, and John Hendrickson received awards at the annual National Turf Writers and Broadcasters dinner Wednesday night in Arcadia.

Domginuez, who was forced into retirement by an injury last winter, received the Mr. Fitz Award, for “typifying the spirit of racing.”

Fortus, a respected former turf writer for the New Orleans Times-Picayune and a contributor to Daily Racing Form, won the Walter Haight Award for lifetime achievement in turf writing. Whitaker, the retired television commentator, won the Jim McKay award for broadcasting, while Whitney and Hendrickon received the Joe Palmer award for lifetime contributions to racing.