LEXINGTON, Ky. – Catch a Glimpse filled one of the few holes on the distinguished résumé of multiple Sovereign Award-winning trainer Mark Casse on Friday, providing him with his first Breeders’ Cup victory in winning the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - It was no surprise that Liam’s Map won Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. It was quite surprising the manner in which he won it.
Breaking slowly under Javier Castellano, Liam’s Map found himself in the unfamiliar position of being behind horses. Three-quarters of a mile into the race, he was still fifth, about four lengths behind Lea, who appeared to be cruising after taking the lead outside the quarter pole.
The $920,000 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Friday at Keeneland had a full field of 14 horses, with that bulky field a daunting prospect for inexperienced runners. But it was nothing new for European invader Hit It a Bomb, who faced 22 in his debut at the Curragh in Ireland just over a month ago.
Last midway down the backstretch of the one-mile Juvenile Turf, Hit It a Bomb rallied to win by a neck over Kentucky-based Airoforce.
Ryan Moore, who was aboard the colt in his career debut and on Friday, said of Hit It a Bomb's experience with large fields, "Sure, it helped him."
You’ve got potential bookend singles in Saturday's early Breeders' Cup pick four at Keeneland in SONGBIRD (No. 10 in the Juvenile Fillies) and LEGATISSIMO (No. 3 in Filly-Mare Turf), and there’s enough of a chance for chaos in the other two races - the Turf Sprint and, to a lesser extent, the Filly and Mare Sprint - that both those favorites could get home and you might still get paid.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Beholder, who on Thursday was scratched from Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, was scheduled to fly back to California on Sunday and will race next year, trainer Richard Mandella said at Keeneland on Friday.
“She’ll have six to eight weeks off, and then we’ll get her ready,” Mandella said, adding that Beholder’s main goal in 2016 will be the Breeders’ Cup, to be run at Santa Anita, where Beholder won the Juvenile Fillies in 2012 and the Distaff in 2013.
“I know how to find my way there,” Mandella said.
Bettors in Canada wagering on the Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland Racecourse in Kentucky on Friday and Saturday will face significantly higher takeouts and receive significantly lower payouts than other North American bettors due to a decision by Woodbine Entertainment Group to raise the takeout rates on most of the betting pools.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - When Tale of S’avall missed a workout Sunday at Belmont Park due to sore feet, trainer Barclay Tagg held out some hope that he could still make Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile if things turned around quickly during the week in Kentucky.
Exaggerator (Last 3 Beyers: 86-85-77)
• Ran like a horse in need of a race when second, beaten a length, by Brody’s Cause in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity here Oct. 3, his first start in seven weeks.
• Had gotten sick shortly after winning the Grade 2 Saratoga Special in August, throwing off his training schedule leading up to the Futurity.
• After a so-so work by himself here Oct. 17, he worked a bullet five furlongs in 59.60 seconds over this track last weekend.
I really like STOPCHARGINGMARIA (4) in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Friday for a couple reasons. One is she figures to go back to rating off the pace and making one run, and that seems to be her preferred style. She was on the lead in the Personal Ensign and gave way late, but with established speeds in the Distaff, it's hard to believe she will engage in a duel when she's perfectly capable of taking off a potentially quick pace and making a late move.
