Charlie Whittingham and his partners Howell Wynne and Mary Bradley had one of the country’s best horses poised for the 1985 Breeders’ Cup at Aqueduct. But for one of the few times in his Hall of Fame training career, Whittingham was not sure which way to turn.
Skip to main content
Create Your DRF Account
New to DRF?
Everything you could possibly
need in one place
need in one place
Register
Don't have an account?
Register Here
DRF Past Performances
The speedy Liam’s Map will be pointed to the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Oct. 30 at Keeneland and bypass the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Oct. 31, trainer Todd Pletcher said on Wednesday from Keeneland.
The decision has major implications for the $5 million Classic, as Liam’s Map would have added considerable pace to a race that now might find American Pharoah, the Triple Crown winner, as the controlling speed.
Trainer Dale Romans and the Albaugh Family Stable already have one of the favorites for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in Brody’s Cause, who was a good-looking winner of last Saturday’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland.
But Romans and the Albaughs have another 2-year-old they like just as much, if not more, in Unbridled Outlaw, and are hopeful that he too can get into the Juvenile field.
An American-based winner of the $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on Oct. 31 will produce a longshot payoff.
European-based runners are expected to dominate the betting in the richest turf race in the United States. As of Wednesday, Golden Horn, the winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris last Sunday, was the consensus 4-5 favorite in future-book betting with British bookmakers.
Flintshire, the runner-up in the Arc and second in the 2014 BC Turf at Santa Anita, was the clear second choice at 5-2.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Lady Shipman has never run in a graded stakes, nor against males. And yet with one more powerhouse performance, the 3-year-old filly might well be the favorite when the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is run at Keeneland on Oct. 31.
After briefly toying with the notion of running Private Zone in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, his connections have now all but decided on running the four-time Grade 1 winner in the Sprint, in which he is expected to be favored over Rock Fall and Runhappy.
Rene Douglas, the racing manager for Private Zone, said Wednesday that the decision is a tough one because he believes his horse would be very formidable in both spots. But in the end, the larger purse for the Sprint and Private Zone’s history of success in one-turn races helped Douglas make the final decision.
The $100,000 Surfer Girl at Santa Anita on Saturday is the last major North American prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and should help identify at least one serious contender for the one-mile race at Keeneland on Oct. 30.
The Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint is being run over 5 1/2 furlongs for the first time, and few horses have accomplished more at the distance this year than Lady Shipman. She will be seeking her fifth consecutive stakes win at the trip Friday, when she starts in the $100,000 Franklin County at Keeneland. The race will be Lady Shipman’s final prep for the Grade 1, $1 million BC Turf Sprint over the same course Oct. 31.
The Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile lost one likely pace horse but gained another this week. The speedy Liam's Map is now the probable favorite for the $1 million Dirt Mile on Oct. 30 after trainer Todd Pletcher announced Wednesday the horse will bypass the 1 1/4-mile Breeders' Cup Classic.
Private Zone would have been the likely pacesetter in the Dirt Mile, but his connections said after his work at Monmouth on Monday that he is being pointed for the BC Sprint. Private Zone, who this year has been beaten only by Honor Code and Tonalist, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has an advantage in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Distaff – volume.
Got Lucky won the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes last weekend at Keeneland, joining Curalina and Stopchargingmaria as legitimate Distaff contenders for Pletcher. Combined, they have won 18 races and more than $3.5 million.
“They’re all fillies we’ve had from Day 1, so it’s great to see them develop … all three Grade 1 winners. It’s fun to see that,” Pletcher said this week from Keeneland.