One of the heaviest favorites during the entire 14-race BC schedule is Mastery, a 3-year-old British-bred colt who runs in the first race of the series, the $500,000 BC Marathon early Friday.

As the winner of the Group 1 English St. Leger last out, the colt will be the first of a handful of major BC contenders being sent out by the Godolphin powerhouse. Frankie Dettori has the mount back on Mastery after missing the Sept. 12 St. Leger at Doncaster. The inaugural Marathon was run at 1 1/2 miles last year over the Pro-Ride but has been extended to 1 3/4 miles this year.

Richard Mandella, the Hall of Fame trainer who set a Breeders' Cup record in 2003 at Santa Anita by sending out four winners, will not be nearly as prominent this time around. Mandella will have only as many as two BC starters: Crown of Thorns in either the Dirt Mile (first preference) or Sprint, along with Lord Shanakill, one of the wild cards in the $1 million Turf Sprint.

Garrett Gomez has picked up the mount on Pure Clan for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf next Friday, according to his agent, Ron Anderson.

The mount on Pure Clan became available after the filly's previous rider, Julien Leparoux, opted to stay with defending champion Forever Together in the Filly and Mare Turf, which is run over 1 1/4 miles.

Kent Desormeaux will have the mount on Whatsthescript in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on Nov. 7, trainer John Sadler said Thursday.

Desormeaux will be aboard Whatsthescript for the first time in the BC Mile. Whatsthescript, 5, is winless in four mounts this year, all major turf stakes in Southern California. Joel Rosario was aboard for those races, which included third-place finishes in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar on July 25 and the Grade 2 Oak Tree Mile here on Oct. 10.

Workouts this weekend will determine whether Girolamo and Regal Ransom run in the Breeders' Cup Classic, the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, or skip the event alltogether.

Both 3-year-old colts are owned by Godolphin Racing, and were pre-entered in two Breeders' Cup races, both to be run Nov. 7 at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting; the Classic was listed as the first choice for both Girolamo and Regal Ransom. Compounding the issue is that Godolphin also has Midshipman and Pyro pointing for the Dirt Mile, so Godolphin is trying to figure out how to fit all the pegs into the proper holes.

It is a far different Music Note who heads into this year's $2 million Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic on Nov. 6 at Santa Anita's Oak Tree meeting. She's a year older, stronger, faster, and - with just three starts this year - far more fresh than she was for last year's running. And she likely won't have to go up against the unbeaten Zenyatta, last year's Ladies' Classic winner, who is being pointed for the Classic against males on Nov. 7.

ARCADIA, Calif. - Mine That Bird and Summer Bird have two things in common. Both are Triple Crown race winners and neither would have you running to the bank in anticipation of next week's Breeders' Cup Classic after watching them gallop over Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface on Thursday morning.

That impression, which is obviously subject to change in the final days leading up to the big event, is one of many, both good and bad, that figure to be made over the next week or so as more and more candidates continue to arrive at the site of the 2009 Breeders' Cup.

ARCADIA, Calf. - D' Funnybone is out of sight but very much on the mind of Gallant Gent's trainer, Craig Lewis, who admits front-runner D' Funnybone is a key factor in deciding whether Gallant Gent starts in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile or Juvenile Turf.

D' Funnybone goes in the Juvenile, and Lewis predicted, "He is going to be in front."

That is fine for presser Gallant Gent, who Lewis said, "could be in a beautiful position."

Many people considered last year's Breeders' Cup, the first run over a synthetic surface, to be one-sided. In the eight Pro-Ride races, it appeared horses with a proclivity for running on dirt didn't have much chance, whereas horses with turf reputations had an advantage.

Others wondered whether any definitive statements could be made based on eight races.

Sweet Hearth, pre-entered in both the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and the Filly & Mare Sprint, will not be traveling to Santa Anita for either race as she scoped badly on Thursday at her training base in Chantilly, according to the Racing Post. Her trainer, Alain de Royer-Dupre, promptly withdrew her from consideration.