The following are the final thoughts on selected horses racing on Friday’s Breeders’ Cup card from impressions formed over the past two weeks at Belmont Park and Santa Anita, with additional input from the rest of the Daily Racing Form clocker team, Mike Vesce in Kentucky and David Grening in New York.
Marathon
Old Time Hockey – Turf specialist turned in a high-spirited gallop over the main track Wednesday and appeared to handle the surface well.
Allen Jerkens most likely will be at his Long Island, N.Y., home Saturday afternoon, but the Hall of Fame trainer’s presence will be felt across the country when the field is loaded for Saturday’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.
It is under the tutelage of the legendary Jerkens that Leah Gyarmati, the trainer of Juvenile Fillies morning-line favorite Sweet Reason, and Mike Hushion, the trainer of second choice Artemis Agrotera, learned invaluable lessons in horsemanship.
ARCADIA, Calif. – When Royal Delta lined up in the starting gate a year ago at Santa Anita against two undefeated champion fillies, Awesome Feather and My Miss Aurelia, it seemed as though the Breeders’ Cup’s championship dirt race for females had reached its zenith.
But, like the boys in Spinal Tap, they raised it one louder this year.
Wading through a sea of unfamiliar names from far and wide, it’s possible to make a case for the majority of horses entered in the 14 Breeders’ Cup races. Unlike typical races where no-hopers are matter-of-factly whittled away, easy throw-outs are few and far between. Practically all have impressed onlookers in their workouts and gallops – standard operating procedure for the classiest Thoroughbreds.
All things considered, Ken Ramsey would rather let his horses do the talking. But since they can’t – talk, that is – Ramsey is more than happy to share a few thoughts on their behalf.
“Yes, I’ve been told I’ve got a big mouth,” Ramsey said with a laugh earlier this week, as if conceding the grass was green.
At least one of the ideas in presenting 14 Breeders’ Cup races over two days of festive competition is to crown the champions of the various Thoroughbred divisions. But since there does not exist 14 championship divisions, some of these races end up being run just for the fun of it.
Hello Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
ARCADIA, Calif. – If Bobby’s Kitten turns out to be fractionally as good as the first prominent horse named after the late trainer Bobby Frankel, he will have a great chance to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.
ARCADIA, Calif. – From a trio of 2-year-old fillies with classic potential to an Argentine horse who became a stakes winner in his 23rd start, the foreign horses starting on Friday’s Breeders’ Cup program at Santa Anita represent a wide variety of runners, and a group capable of producing a winner.
ARCADIA, Calif. – There will be no red carpet for Royal Delta, even if she is the star of the show Friday at Santa Anita.
But wait, Royal Delta lost her final prep. So she is still mortal, still not invincible. But she still is very good, and both trainer Bill Mott and jockey Mike Smith believe Royal Delta is primed for Friday’s marquee event – the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
ARCADIA, Calif. – A race that was complicated to begin with, Friday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf grew more difficult when three of the top contenders drew the far-outside post positions in a full field of 14 set to run one mile over Santa Anita’s turf course.
My Conquestadory, with two graded stakes wins in as many career starts, landed in post 14, while Testa Rossi and Sky Painter, separated by a nose in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo at Belmont Park, drew posts 12 and 13.
