LEXINGTON, Ky. – Perhaps the biggest surprise when pre-entries were released Wednesday for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint was seeing the name of Aloha West on that list. The upset winner of the 2021 Sprint at Del Mar, Aloha West has not started since winning the Kelly’s Landing on July 2 at Churchill Downs. But if all continues to go well over the next 10 days, he will be back to defend his BC Sprint title, said his trainer, Wayne Catalano, after watching his star work five furlongs in 58.77 seconds here Monday.

Led by undefeated superstar Flightline, exciting 2-year-old prospect Cave Rock, sensational stablemates Nest and Malathaat, seven previous Breeders’ Cup winners, and 45 international-based runners, a total of 205 horses were pre-entered for the 14 races that make up the two-day Breeders’ Cup World Championships, to be held Nov. 4-5 at Keeneland.

KEENELAND
Weather: Cloudy
Temperature : 54
Track: Good

LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was a very cold and relatively uneventful morning on the Breeders’ Cup front Wednesday at Keeneland where the highlights came early and late, with FLIGHTLINE galloping at his usual time shortly after 5:30 a.m. and BLUE STRIPE working an eye-catching five furlongs for the Distaff nearly four hours later.

A 3-year-old colt and a 6-year-old mare might be the only American horses standing in the way of a European win in this year’s $2 million Breeders’ Cup Mile.

Three-year-old Annapolis faced older horses for the first time and beat all of them in the best top-to-bottom North American grass mile of 2022, the Coolmore Turf Mile, run over the Keeneland course on Oct. 8.

A mare who comfortably beat males earlier this month, a two-time Group 1 winner in Germany, a veteran with more than $15 million in earnings, and the 2021 runner-up are among 15 horses pre-entered for the Breeders’ Cup Turf on Nov. 5 at Keeneland.

The $4 million race at 1 1/2 miles is the richest grass race in the United States.

The pre-entries are led by Rebel’s Romance, who has won his last four starts for Godolphin and trainer Charlie Appleby. Godolphin and Appleby won the 2021 BC Turf at Del Mar with Yibir, who is not part of this year’s field.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – There were no major surprises when pre-entries were revealed for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, which promises to have a full gate of 14 with its 24th running at Keeneland.

In all, 15 are pre-entered, with Dreamloper expected to run against males in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Her defection would allow the only also-eligible, Mise En Scene, into the 1 3/16-mile race. Mise En Scene, one of six 3-year-old fillies pre-entered, will indeed be on the overseas flight in anticipation of being allowed to run, according to the International Racing Bureau.

Slow Down Andy is getting faster – just in time for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

He was one of 13 horses pre-entered for the Nov. 5 race at Keeneland – and one of six who also were pre-entered in other races. The field for the Dirt Mile, which ends at the first finish line, will be limited to 12.

Laurel River, Jack Christopher, Cyberknife, Cody’s Wish, Gunite, and Senor Buscador are among the top horses who were pre-entered Monday for the Dirt Mile. Final entries are next Monday, Oct. 31.

The Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 5 at Keeneland is likely to have a full and eclectic starting gate, and it looks like Golden Pal versus the world.

The biggest surprise regarding the pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Nov. 4 at Keeneland is a name absent from the list of 23 candidates.

The French filly Blue Rose Cen was not pre-entered after suffering a bruised foot earlier this week, trainer Christopher Head wrote on Twitter. A five-length winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac on Oct. 2 at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, Blue Rose Cen would have been favored in the $1 million BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at a mile.

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Everything went pretty much as expected when pre-entries were taken for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, with the winners of all the major divisional preps among those set to clash in a showdown that surely will produce a champion.