Cairo, Aesop's Fables drop out of Breeders' Cup races
LEXINTON, Ky. - The Breeders’ Cup overseas contingent, which saw three defections among pre-entered horses earlier in the week, lost two more runners late this week. Neither Cairo, selected into the Juvenile Turf field, nor Aesop’s Fables, who was in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, are shipping for trainer Aidan O’Brien.
The three horses taken off the overseas shipping lists earlier were Saffron Beach for the Filly and Mare Turf, Bayside Boy for the Mile, and Never Ending Story for the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
The absence of the two O’Brien-trained 2-year-olds paves the way for horses not originally selected to participate in their respective races to make the field from the list of alternate runners. With Cairo out, Webslinger will make the field in the Juvenile Turf, and with Aesop’s Fables not racing, Manhattan Jungle, another European horses, now has a spot in the race.
There are more dominoes to fall in these two Friday turf races. Nagirroc has automatic fees-paid entry into these races through his Breeders’ Cup Challenge win in the Futurity Stakes. He was entered first preference in the Juvenile Turf – where he is likely to wind up, trainer Graham Motion said Saturday - and if Nagirroc comes out of the Juvenile Turf Sprint, Sharp Aza Tack gets in. That would leave Oxymore, who was entered with first preference for the Juvenile Turf, as the next alternate and his trainer, Chad Brown, said Saturday he was “kind of leaning” toward the Juvenile Sprint if Oxymore can make the field. If Oxymore gets into the Juvenile Turf Sprint and comes out of the Juvenile Turf, that would allow Mo Stash into the race.
Meanwhile, Brown paired Oxymore, second last out in the one-mile Nownownow Stakes at Monmouth, with confirmed Juvenile Turf runner I’m Very Busy in a half-mile dirt workout Saturday, both horses receiving a time of 49.60 from track clockers for their half-mile. It was I’m Very Busy, second in the Pilgrim last out, who clearly was going the better of the two.
“Oxymore, he’s not much of a work horse,” Brown said. “I’m Very Busy, he handles the dirt fine.”
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