Breeders’ Cup Turf: Blue blood vs. blue collar
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Start with the names.
“Golden Horn” evinces society’s upper crust.
“The Pizza Man” prompts the question: Thick or thin crust?
Golden Horn was bred in England, The Pizza Man in Illinois. Golden Horn’s owner, Anthony Oppenheimer, was a director of the diamond titan De Beers. The Pizza Man is owned by Midwest Thoroughbreds, whose principal, Rich Papiese, grew up in East Chicago.
At 3, Golden Horn won the English Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. At 3, The Pizza Man won the Tex’s Zing and the Buck’s Boy.
Golden Horn is trained by John Gosden, who once studied economics at Cambridge. The Pizza Man is trained by Roger Brueggeman, who once worked at an auto-body shop near Fairmount Park.
But if there’s a horse to keep Golden Horn from winning the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf, it might be The Pizza Man. The 6-year-old gelding was a pie that took time baking. In August, The Pizza Man won the Arlington Million, and in October, he quieted cries of “fluke” by rallying for second in the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile right here at Keeneland.
“On paper, I know Golden Horn is the most accomplished horse,” said Florent Geroux, who rides The Pizza Man. “But I’m pretty confident. I think the horse is getting better.”
Those two horses, the highbrow and the hoi polloi, are among 12 entered in the 1 1/2-mile BC Turf, which is heavy on familiar Americans and light on Europeans. Found is the only overseas shipper besides Golden Horn, while Big Blue Kitten, Twilight Eclipse, and Slumber are old standbys in the North American long-distance turf division. They’re all very good horses, yet fully exposed as something less than Golden Horn. We know less about The Pizza Man.
An Arlington Million-level performance won’t be quite good enough to take down an in-form Golden Horn, the seventh Arc winner to come for a Breeders’ Cup start. The first six lost, seeding the notion Arc winners can’t succeed at the Breeders’ Cup, but Golden Horn looks like the rare European star well suited to American racing: He has speed and relishes fast ground like the course he found in the Arc.
The problem is, Keeneland’s turf won’t be fast. It started raining Tuesday morning and could rain through Wednesday night, though sunshine Thursday and Friday could help turn things back Golden Horn’s way.
“He should be suited by the turf course there, but if it rains on the day, let’s just say it wouldn’t be ideal,” said Gosden, who scratched Golden Horn from the King George this summer after heavy rain.
Concerns Golden Horn could be past his peak should be allayed by the mere fact he’s here for his career finale.
“He’s got a great constitution,” Gosden said.
Golden Horn also has a great record. After the English Derby and before the Arc, Golden Horn twice beat older horses in Group 1’s, winning the Eclipse and the Irish Champion, leading all the way in both. His only defeat came in the International at York, where longshot Arabian Queen stunned him.
“We got the tactics completely wrong at York,” Gosden said. “It rained, and that caught him out.”
Frankie Dettori rode a brilliant race on Golden Horn in the Arc, latching onto the tail of another horse’s rabbit and blowing the field away with a move at the head of the homestretch. Dettori must cope with post 1 on Saturday, but if he can get Golden Horn to the outside, just behind Shining Copper, a pacemaker for Big Blue Kitten, a trip similar to the one in the Arc seems plausible.
DRF FORMULATOR FACT: No. 1 Golden Horn. Trainer John Gosden is 14-1-1-4 with a $0.88 ROI in North America over the past five years, including four beaten favorites. – Mike Hogan
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Trainer Chad Brown isn’t concerned about a wet course for Big Blue Kitten, who runs on anything, but his other hope, Slumber, would prefer something firmer. Big Blue Kitten, an overachieving 7-year-old who started his career in maiden claimers, has finished third or better in 24 of 27 starts, but in his only BC Turf start, Big Blue Kitten was eighth in 2013. The Pizza Man outfinished him over 1 1/4 miles in the Million, though both horses might be better at the 1 1/2 miles of the Turf.
Twilight Eclipse has won only twice in his last 14 starts, but was third in the 2014 Turf and is just about Big Blue Kitten’s equal. Red Rifle ran the race of his life finishing second to the excellent Flintshire in the Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga, but “ran flat,” trainer Todd Pletcher said, finishing a well-beaten fourth in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic last out.
The 3-year-old Aidan O’Brien-trained filly Found exits a strong second in the Group 1 Champion Stakes, but that race came just two weeks ago and only two weeks after Found finished ninth in the Arc. A win by Da Big Hoss, Cage Fighter, or Big John B would be a massive upset.
Boil things down, and it looks like Golden Horn or The Pizza Man, and a wet course helps The Pizza Man. His last two wins came on wet turf, and Geroux, who hatched the plan of prepping for this in the Shadwell, described the going that day as “very soft.”
“That was his major work for this race,” Geroux said. “It really tightened the screws. He’s a funny horse. Early in the race, I have no horse at all. He doesn’t give me any indications.”
There was no indication, either, that The Pizza Man would be this good. But he is. The Arc winner or Pizza for dinner? Your call.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf is race 10 on Saturday’s card, with a post time of 4:50 p.m. Eastern.