LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Breeders' Cup contenders had to deal with frigid temperatures and a sloppy track when training opened Thursday, although conditions improved as the morning progressed, with the main course upgraded to good following the renovation break.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - First in 2004, second in 2005, what will be Ouija Board's legacy in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf? Will she be remembered as one of the great European invaders, like Miesque, the brilliant winner of back-to-back BC Miles? Or, at age 5, and with many miles under her sturdy legs, will Ouija Board give way to a younger sister, a horse on the rise like Wait a While?
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the three leading candidates for Horse of the Year, the two top contenders for champion older horse, a pair of outstanding European imports, and a Kentucky Derby winner, this year's $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday at Churchill Downs ranks as one of the best Classics ever, alongside those of 1998 and 2004.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Had George Washington been entered in the Breeders' Cup Mile, he likely would have been the favorite, and
deservedly so, for he has proven to be the best miler in Europe. But owners John Magnier and Michael Tabor have not made it to the top of the sport by taking the safe, conventional route, whether racing their horses or managing their stallions, and in trainer Aidan O'Brien they have a partner eager and willing to aim high.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Paul Saylor just chuckles when people tell him what a shrewd purchase he made when he bought the then minor stakes winner Fleet Indian for $290,000 last January. He was simply looking for a broodmare prospect to breed to his Grade 1 winner Purge. That he was buying a potential future champion was the farthest thing from his mind.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Kiaran McLaughlin is a low-key kind of guy by nature, but mention the name Henny Hughes in his presence and his face immediately lights up and words like "special" and "great" quickly enter the conversation.
McLaughlin's unwavering confidence in his flashy 3-year-old will get put to the supreme test on Saturday when Henny Hughes is expected to go off the solid choice over 13 other speed merchants in the $2,130,000 .
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Few trainers appreciate the 1,234-foot stretch of Churchill Downs more than Shug McGaughey. In 1988, McGaughey's Personal Ensign needed every inch of that stretch to run down Winning Colors and win the Breeders' Cup Distaff, capping off an undefeated career. In the 1994 Distaff, McGaughey's Heavenly Prize needed the stretch to be another two feet longer, as she fell a neck short of longshot speedster One Dreamer.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the exception of Todd Pletcher fans, there is something for everyone in this year's edition of the Breeders' Cup Mile. And for those who have a strong opinion, value should be had.
In a full field of 14 in the $2.17 million Mile, the post-time favorite could be around 7-2 or 4-1. It's anybody's guess who that favorite will be, however. It definitely won't be a Todd Pletcher trainee, because this is the only one of the eight Breeders' Cup races in which he doesn't have a runner.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - They have arrived from the East. They have arrived from the West. The $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile on Saturday at Churchill Downs could be viewed as the final arbiter as to which region has the best 2-year-olds this year. But maybe that is already known.
The Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland on Oct. 7 brought together the top-ranked 2-year-old in the East in Circular Quay, and one of the West's best in Great Hunter, who beat Circular Quay by 1 3/4 lengths.