ARCADIA, Calif. - For trainers John Gosden and Todd Pletcher, the post position draw for this year's $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf went exactly like last year. Only Gosden hopes the race goes the same way.
Gosden won last year's Juvenile Turf here at Santa Anita with Donativum, who broke from post 4 while the Pletcher-trained Bittel Road checked in eighth after being forced to break from post 11.
ARCADIA, Calf. - The only contender that might have been compromised by the post draw for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint has no worries regarding her starting position.
Informed Decision "does not really like dirt in her face," trainer Jonathan Sheppard said.
Good thing for Sheppard that Informed Decision landed an outside post and will not have any dirt in her face, or Pro-Ride synthetic material.
Lillie Langtry and House of Grace, installed as the first and second favorites for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, will break side by side in the one-mile turf event. The 3-1 Lillie Langtry will start from post 8 in the 12-runner field, while the 4-1 House of Grace will be stationed just inside of her in 7.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Count Santa Anita linemaker Jon White among those who were dazzled by Connie and Michael's rousing debut at Keeneland on Oct. 17. So impressed was White by Connie and Michael's front-running, 7 3/4-length score, that he installed her as the 4-1 second choice on the morning line behind Oak Leaf winner Blind Luck in Friday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The closest Visit has come to winning this year is two second-place finishes to Magical Fantasy in major turf stakes for females in California.
She is winless in seven starts in 2009, and that record could be perceived as a reason not to include her among selections for Friday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The post position draw for Saturday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Sprint at Santa Anita added a little further intrigue to the race after Zensational, the track's 7-5 morning-line favorite, drew the rail. Nine of the 11 horses pre-entered for the six-furlong Sprint were entered on Tuesday, with Square Eddie opting for his first preference, the Turf Sprint, and Kodiak Kowboy withdrawing due to illness.
ARCADIA, Calf. - The Breeders' Cup Juvenile just got a whole lot tougher for unbeaten Lookin at Lucky, who drew post 13 in a 13-horse field that will race 1 1/16 miles.
While trainer Bob Baffert downplayed the post, many handicappers will agree the draw transformed Lookin at Lucky from one of the most solid favorites Saturday to perhaps one of the most vulnerable.
"At least he's going to be in the clear," Baffert said.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The complexion of the $1 million Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile changed dramatically since pre-entries were announced Oct. 28, with six horses that originally made it into the body of the race opting for other races or electing not to come.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Ladies' Day for the Breeders' Cup is Friday, when five of the six BC races run that day at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting will be exclusively for female horses. But the Queen runs Saturday, when Zenyatta, unbeaten in 13 previous starts against females, runs against males for the first time in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
On Tuesday afternoon, Zenyatta drew post 4 in a field of 13 when post positions were drawn for the 26th Breeders' Cup, to be run Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita.
When it comes to the $1 million Juvenile Turf, trainer Darrin Miller hopes that experience will count for something.
Miller is the trainer of King Ledley, whose eight starts represent the most of any of the 12 runners entered in the one-mile turf race. King Ledley made all eight of his stars in Ireland, winning once and finishing second or third in several group stakes. He was purchased privately by Tom and Bonnie Hamilton's Silverton Hill Stable before his third-place finish in the Goffs Million Sprint at the Curragh.
