Anmaat did not run like the 38-1 shot he was on Saturday at Ascot, bursting between horses in deep stretch to take the measure of favored Calandagan in the Group 1 Champion Stakes.
Hopelessly buried behind a wall of horses with not much more than a furlong of this 1 1/4-mile contest remaining, Anmaat bravely squeezed between rivals under Jim Crowley to outkick Calandagan by a half-length.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Domestic Product, who had been mentioned solely as a candidate for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, will also be pre-entered in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint, trainer Chad Brown said Saturday.
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The day after he worked three of his Breeders’ Cup contenders at Saratoga, trainer Todd Pletcher was back at Belmont Park on Friday morning to put two more of his BC hopefuls through their penultimate workouts.
Tapit Trice, Pletcher’s “other” BC Classic contender, worked a half-mile in 49.12 seconds over the training track. Going in company with Crupi, the Grade 2 Suburban winner, Tapit Trice went in splits of 12.69 seconds, 24.72, 49.12, and continued on through five furlongs in 1:02.00, six furlongs in 1:14.79, and seven furlongs in 1:28.90.
No winner of the Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland went on to capture the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. Trainer Will Walden hopes his first Breeders’ Cup starter will be the first horse to do the double.
Minaret Station might come to Del Mar under the radar, but that didn’t matter in the Bourbon. At odds of 38-1, he blew past three rivals in the final furlong like they were tied to a post and galloped out powerfully – right into the Juvenile Turf.
When Auguste Rodin won the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita last November as the 5-2 favorite, many trifecta bettors were foiled by the Japanese shipper Shahryar who was third at 25-1.
Back in 2019, the even-money favorite Bricks and Mortar was fully extended to win the BC Turf by a head over 51-1 United.
Full Serrano and Katonah are among at least five Southern California-based runners expected for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, making this year’s renewal a home game for many in the anticipated field.
Other California-based hopefuls include likely favorite National Treasure, as well as Dr. Venkman and Muth.
Stablemates Kilwin and Totally Justified comprise the ideal tandem for trainer Rusty Arnold in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 1 – two stakes winners approaching the $1 million race in excellent form.
A deep team will be a benefit for Arnold, too, in a one-mile race expected to draw a full field of 14 with runners from throughout the United States as well as Europe.
Kilwin, unbeaten in two starts, won the $998,500 Untapable Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 8 in her stakes debut.
After a Group 3 win in July and a victory in a Group 2 in August, the 3-year-old filly Friendly Soul won her third consecutive start, and first Group 1, in Sunday’s Prix de l’Opera for fillies and mares at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris.
The win may lead to a start in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 2, co-trainer John Gosden told the press on Sunday. Friendly Soul earned a fees-paid berth to the BC Filly and Mare Turf with Sunday’s win.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Sweet Azteca’s puzzling misfire Saturday at Santa Anita did not knock her out of the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint yet, but trainer Michael McCarthy will take a wait-and-see approach before planning her next start.
Trainer D. Wayne Lukas said he will evaluate the potential competition before deciding whether to run Pennsylvania Derby winner Seize the Grey in the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic or the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. Both races are scheduled for Nov. 2 at Del Mar.
Lukas said Sunday he is not inclined to pre-enter Seize the Grey in both races. Pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup are due on Oct. 21 and will be announced two days later.
“I think I’ll make up my mind before then,” Lukas said Sunday as he drove back to Louisville, Ky., from Pennsylvania.
