LEXINGTON, Ky. – Mike Repole used to think partners were for dancing not horse ownership.
Content to go it alone for more than a decade, Repole changed his philosophy about five years ago and has now totally embraced the concept of racing partnerships. He readily rattles off the names of nearly a dozen entities with whom he owns horses – Coolmore, Eclipse, Lane’s End, St. Elias, WinStar, and West Point just to name some.
“I’m like the United Nations,” Repole said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – New York-based runners Fingal’s Cave and Lachaise were not entered in the Breeders’ Cup, and the New York horse Dancing Buck did not ship to Kentucky after being relegated to the also-eligible list for the Turf Sprint.
Fingal’s Cave was going to make it into the body of the Filly and Mare Sprint from the preference list, but was found to have heat in a front leg on Monday after working at Belmont Park on Sunday, according to trainer David Donk. Fingal’s Cave, a New York-bred daughter of Carpe Diem, finished second in the Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Happy Saver, the horse who has come closer to Flightline than any horse has at the finish line, did not train Wednesday morning due to a quarter crack in his left hind foot, trainer Todd Pletcher said.
Pletcher is hopeful that Happy Saver could still make Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Pletcher said. “We just need to stitch it up before we do anything.”
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The first Breeders’ Cup win for Charlie Appleby, about four months after he became a head trainer for Godolphin, came in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
The first Breeders’ Cup race Appleby and Godolphin could win in 2022 is the Juvenile Turf Sprint. There, Mischief Magic has a chance – but only a chance. The second race Appleby could win is the Juvenile Turf, and here, Silver Knott looks formidable.
“He’s probably the horse they’ve all got to beat, realistically,” Appleby said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It looks as though it will be Cave Rock’s early speed versus Forte’s late foot in Friday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland.
Combined, Cave Rock and Forte have won six of seven starts, including four Grade 1 stakes, in their brief careers.
Cave Rock, a son of Arrogate, has been nothing short of sensational winning his first three starts by a combined 16 1/2 lengths for trainer Bob Baffert, a five-time winner of this Juvenile, including last year with Corniche.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – A dozen overseas juveniles are entered in the three Breeders’ Cup grass races Friday, and the morning line pegs a European shipper as favored in each of them. We had better take a thorough tour of the participants.
Juvenile Turf Sprint
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Chop Chop lost the battle, but she stands a big chance to win the war. A furious rally in the Grade 1 Alcibiades at Keeneland came up just a few inches shy, but Friday presents a brand-new day.
Chop Chop and Wonder Wheel, the filly who beat her a nose in the Oct. 7 Alcibiades, are just two of the major players in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, the seventh of 10 races on the Future Stars Friday card at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, KY. – The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf ought to be sponsored by a department store. It’s got everything.
The 14-horse, fully stocked field has speed, pace runners, and closers, along with a shelf-load of potential pace scenarios. It’s got horses stretching out and horses cutting back. It’s got local horses, out-of-state horses, and horses from foreign shores.
The one thing it doesn’t have is an obvious favorite.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – To win the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on Friday at Keeneland, you must be fast – and you must be lucky.
With a full field of 12 2-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf, a good trip is paramount in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint.
“I think of all the races, the turf sprints, the trip you get can eliminate you or propel you,” said Steve Asmussen, who sends out multiple stakes winner Private Creed. “It’s obviously a very talented group here at the Breeders’ Cup of very similar horses, and that’s what makes it so difficult.”
More Than Ready accomplished many things in his quarter-century on Earth. He was a Grade 1 winner on the racetrack, and went on to become a leading sire on two continents, with champions around the globe.
In addition to those accomplishments, he is the all-time leading sire by Breeders’ Cup victories – a title in the crosshairs this year, as the late stallion does not have a prominent candidate, and several other sires are breathing down his neck.
