ARCADIA, Calif. – Trainer Al Stall has started seven horses over four Breeders’ Cup events. Only once has he run a horse when the event was held outside of his home base at Churchill Downs.
That was in 2008, when Terrain finished fourth, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths at 15-1, in the $2 million Juvenile held at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Main Sequence was at the end of an unsuccessful 2013 campaign in England when he was sent to trainer Graham Motion in Maryland. The transfer, suggested by former trainer David Lanigan, has resulted in a transformation for the gelding.
Main Sequence is America’s leading hope for Saturday’s $3 million Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Todd Pletcher, the trainer of top contenders Daredevil and Carpe Diem, had mixed emotions when he heard about the defection of race favorite American Pharoah from the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
“From a racing fan’s standpoint, I was kind of looking forward to the matchup,” Pletcher said Wednesday at Santa Anita. “I have a lot of respect for how good he is. I also think we have two very good horses. From a handicapping standpoint, it’s a major change to the complexion of the race anytime you take the favorite out.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – In his brief but remarkable five-race career, No Nay Never has won graded or group stakes in England, France, and Kentucky. Even in a growing era of international racing, that is unheard of.
Fittingly, No Nay Never’s next challenge is one far from trainer Wesley Ward’s Kentucky stable, where he is based – Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita. The BC Turf Sprint will be the richest race of No Nay Never’s career and his first appearance over about 6 1/2 furlongs on Santa Anita’s unique hillside turf course.
ARCADIA, Calif. – To view Dank up close this week at Santa Anita, one would have to believe the European star is the same top mare who won the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf one year ago. Physically, she looks that good.
To view her 2014 past performances, one might wonder why Dank bothered to return to Santa Anita for the same race. She has two starts this year, both losses, and was not close in either.
“You’re looking at it completely wrong,” jockey Ryan Moore cautioned.
ARCADIA, Calif. – All the players are on the grounds for Breeders’ Cup 2014, and many of them had their first opportunity to really stretch their legs Wednesday.
A large European contingent visited the turf course shortly after 7:30 a.m., among them Just The Judge, who breezed five furlongs in 1:02.37, with her final three-eighths in 36.39 seconds. Brown Panther blew out a half-mile in 51.27, coming down the stretch in 23 and change. Dank and stablemate Telescope looked very sharp blowing out on the grass.
