Breeders' Cup Turf: Erupt staying home

ARCADIA, Calif. – Erupt, the winner of the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine on Oct. 16, will not be sent from his base in France to California for the $4 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 5, trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said on Thursday.

“He’s not coming to the race,” Graffard said. “It’s too soon to put him back on the plane.”

Erupt ended a streak of seven consecutive losses with a 12-1 win in the Canadian International.

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Erupt has won 5 of 12 starts and earned $1,287,485 for the Niarchos family’s Flaxman Holdings. The Niarchos family will have a BC Turf runner in the lightly raced Ulysses, who is trained in England by Michael Stoute.

A winner of 2 of 6 starts, Ulysses was 12th in the Grade 1 English Derby in June and has started twice since – winning the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood Racecourse in July and finishing second as the 3-5 favorite in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor Racecourse on Aug. 27.

Stoute has won the BC Turf three times, most recently with Conduit at Santa Anita in 2008.

The absence of Erupt gives Texas Ryano a berth in the field. Texas Ryano was second in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.

The BC Turf drew 17 pre-entries and will have a maximum of 14 starters. Texas Ryano was the first alternate among horses not originally selected.

Trainer Carla Gaines said on Thursday that Flavien Prat will replace Joe Talamo on Texas Ryano, who has won 4 of 16 starts and earned $278,355 for owner and breeder Warren Williamson. Texas Ryano has yet to win a graded stakes and was beaten a half-length by BC Turf contender Ashleyluvssugar in the John Henry Turf Championship.

“We’re in deep as it is,” Gaines said.

Texas Ryano worked five furlongs in 1:00.80 under Prat on Thursday.

Ralis is the second alternate and is likely to gain a berth in the BC Turf field. Pretty Perfect and Seventh Heaven were pre-entered in the BC Filly and Mare Turf and the Turf and have first preference for the Filly and Mare Turf.

Ralis, sixth in the John Henry in his most recent start, worked six furlongs in 1:18 on Thursday. In the workout, Ralis was a pacemaker for Nyquist, the Kentucky Derby winner who is being pointed for the BC Classic on Nov. 5.