The Haiku Handicapper: 2013 Breeders’ Cup card

DRF Breeding staff writer Joe Nevills analyzes each race of the 2013 Breeders’ Cup World Championships in the form of Haiku; a Japanese poem of 17 syllables, in three lines of five, seven, and five.

Friday, Nov. 1

Marathon
Close eyes, throw a dart
Indian Jones whips the field
But watch for Worldly

Juvenile Turf
Lots of ways to go
But when in doubt, just default
To the Ramsey horse

Dirt Mile
Goldencents kicks down
The door he’s been knocking on
Golden Ticket looms

Juvenile Fillies Turf
Chad Brown comes loaded
Testa Rossi leads the way
Closing from the back

Distaff
The Beldame faceoff
Leaves the top two with questions
Beholder sneaks in

President of the U.A.E. Cup (Arabians)
A Breeders’ Cup first
At last, So Big Is Better
Gets his Grade 1 win

Saturday, Nov. 2

Juvenile Fillies
In a well-matched field
Artemis Agrotera
Appears tough to beat

Filly & Mare Turf
It took just one start
For Dank to prove she’s the best
In this hemisphere

Filly & Mare Sprint
Groupie Doll’s swan song
Upstaged by Dance to Bristol
With a sweeping trip

Turf Sprint
Down the hill they go
Miz doesn’t lose on that course
Streak runs to seven

Juvenile
Two grays in the stretch
Havana hits his ceiling
Tap It Rich rolls on

Turf
The Fugue’s getting hot
But this is Ken Ramsey’s year
Big Blue Kitten scores

Sprint
Dubai Bounce-snapper
Faces Juvenile Sprint champ
The fresh horse gets it

Mile
Turf is to Wise Dan
What spinach is to Popeye
This one’s his to lose

Classic
A dominant Dude
Haunted by big-race fumbles
Macho Madness reigns