Watchmaker: Lingering Breeders' Cup thoughts

** The strongest visual impression I got from the Classic is that several horses did not really stay the 1 1/4-mile distance. And that is not good when you consider the Classic field did not exactly fly home, not with a final half-mile in 52.32, and a final quarter-mile in 27.03.

One of the non-10-furlong stayers was Yoshida. Yes, I know the official chart says Yoshida, who finished fourth, gained 2 1/4 lengths in the final furlong. But my feeling is that was purely a function of how slow the field was coming home, and borders on optical-illusion territory. There was actually a fleeting moment in upper stretch when I thought Yoshida might pick them all up with a wide sweep, but he simply did not sustain the momentum he had at that point in the final furlong.

Anyway, it’s worth keeping in mind that horses who didn’t quite stay 1 1/4 miles in the Classic might merit a different look should they run back at Gulfstream in late January in the Pegasus World Cup, which, don’t forget, is at 1 1/8 miles. I’m not suggesting that deep closers such as Yoshida are necessarily matches for the main track at Gulfstream because, historically, they are not. Still, the upcoming Pegasus could well be a different animal than the Classic, if only for the difference in distance. So it might be a good idea to not get too hung up on the Classic form when Pegasus time comes.

** A quick detour. Speaking of the Pegasus, does anyone really think the new Pegasus Turf will attract a significantly better field with a $7 million purse than it would if the purse were, say, $500,000? I mean, which legitimately big horses out there, assuming there are any truly big horses out there who are plausible Pegasus Turf starters, would turn their backs on this race if the purse were a fraction of what it is?

** Gunnevera has won three graded stakes races in his career – the Grade 2 Saratoga Special and the Grade 3 Delta Downs Jackpot in 2016, and the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth early last year. Yet coming out of the Breeders’ Cup, Gunnevera boasts career earnings of more than $4.1 million. Shows you what finishing second in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and third in the Pegasus (beaten over 13 lengths) can do for you. Just amazing.

** Frankie Dettori purposely kept Enable extremely wide in the Turf because, as he announced after winning the Mile on Expert Eye, that is where he believed the best footing was on that decidedly off turf course. How many American jockeys do you see openly discuss track (or course) bias, and then follow through on their beliefs in a very big way like Dettori did on Enable? Not enough, which is why Dettori's words and actions last Saturday were so refreshing.

** Given the sub-par nature of this year’s Mile – and with only 4 1/2 lengths separating the first 12 finishers (yes, the first 12 finishers), it’s virtually impossible to argue it was anything but sub-par – it’s difficult envisioning Polydream not winning had she been allowed to start.

** City of Light was sensational winning the Dirt Mile. He ran so well that I wouldn’t argue with anyone suggesting that with an identical performance, he could have won the Sprint, or maybe even the Classic. And yet City of Light will essentially be a non-factor in Eclipse Award voting.

This underscores my biggest issues with the Dirt Mile as a race. For one, it has no link to an existing championship division. And we don’t need to have the tail wag the dog here and create another divisional championship to address this, because even after 11 years of the Dirt Mile, there is still no coherent series of races through the year for milers. Moreover, the Dirt Mile can and does weaken other Breeders’ Cup races – legacy Breeders’ Cup races – with City of Light being just the latest example. He would have made the Sprint or the Classic a better race if he were in either one.

** As comebacks go, Audible’s win in the Cherokee Run Stakes on Breeders’ Cup Saturday’s undercard in his first start since finishing third in the Kentucky Derby was okay. I just want to see better before I buy into him.

** No offense to Juvenile winner Game Winner, who is a totally deserving 2-year-old male champ, but the 2-year-old male I want going forward is Improbable, winner of the Street Sense on the Breeders’ Cup Friday undercard. Improbable’s debut win was, at best, workmanlike. But he was very impressive running away with the Street Sense.

** The Juvenile Turf doesn’t count. It was not an attractively run race and it was decided by a suspect crew. The only question I have about it is, why did it take so long for the official sign to go up? There was no infraction whatsoever through the stretch run, and that objection/inquiry could have been adjudicated in about a fifth of the time it actually took.

** How lucky were we to see the brilliant pair of Newspaperofrecord and Jaywalk win the Juvenile Fillies Turf and Juvenile Fillies in back-to-back races?

** According to the Breeders’ Cup, despite having three official out-of-state satellite locations and online participation, the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge produced an on-track handle at Churchill Downs of $2,487,670, or a staggering 12.52 percent of on-track handle during Breeders’ Cup weekend.

Chuck Grubbs of Georgetown, Ky., charged from 31st to first on winning wagers in the Classic, the last race of the contest, to take down total winnings of $394,020. Congrats!