DEL MAR, Calif. - The Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, annually a gathering of top European and American-based runners, is not an easy race to win once, let alone twice.
High Chaparral was the first two-time winner in 2002 and 2003, finishing in a dead-heat with Johar at Santa Anita in the latter year. Conduit won consecutive runnings at Santa Anita in 2008 and 2009.
No one has done it since, although five have tried.
DEL MAR, Calif. – This year’s Breeders’ Cup definitely has saved the best for last.
The top older horse in the country, Knicks Go, faces three top members of an outstanding crop of 3-year-olds – Essential Quality, Hot Rod Charlie, and Medina Spirit – in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar, bringing down the curtain on the 38th Breeders’ Cup.
DEL MAR, Calif. – He was brilliant in the spring, he’s been brilliant this fall. Little has changed with Life Is Good on that front. New trainer, same high expectations, same high level of performance.
Life Is Good will be heavily favored to win the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday at Del Mar. He is 4-5 on the track’s official morning line, set by Jon White, and even money on the line set by Brad Free, who made the prices for the Saturday Breeders’ Cup races for Daily Racing Form. Not much difference there, either.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Wesley Ward has trained four Breeders’ Cup winners, has won Group 1 races in England and France. Dozens of exceedingly fast, vastly talented horses have passed through his barn, and so it was surprising when Ward, during spring 2021 and almost in passing, said Golden Pal could turn out to be the best horse he’s handled.
There is hope, still, for anyone crazy enough to continue in the niche profession of turf writing: Fausto Gutierrez has blazed a path out.
Yes, Gutierrez was a racing handicapper and writer for the Mexican newspaper Reforma off-and-on for about 10 years, starting while he was still a college student and lasting until he, ahem, saw the light.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Trainers Aidan O’Brien and Bill Mott rank in the top six in Breeders’ Cup history in wins and purse money won. Neither has won the Filly and Mare Turf. It’s not for a lack of trying.
O’Brien, who ranks second in purse money won and fourth in wins at the Breeders’ Cup, is winless with 15 starters in 12 runnings of this race. Mott, who ranks sixth in both wins and purse money won in the 37 years of the Breeders’ Cup, is 0 for 8 in the Filly and Mare Turf.
DEL MAR, Calif. – There may only be five horses in Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar, but expect a good old-fashioned throwdown between the two favorites, Gamine and Bella Sofia.
Both fillies have speed and, from the sounds of it, their connections intend on using it.
“We’re going to come out running,” said Rudy Rodriguez, trainer of the 3-year-old filly Bella Sofia, who has Luis Saez aboard the 5-2 second choice from the outside post.
DEL MAR, Calif. – Letruska can feel the heat, which is exactly what trainer Fausto Gutierrez hoped would happen when he took off blinkers late last year. That is when Letruska took off.
“She was running with the Teletimer. She needed to feel the competition,” Gutierrez said. “Finally, she’s a horse that likes to fight.”
DEL MAR, Calif. – The international quarantine area on the east side of the Del Mar backstretch has buzzed like a beehive since Sunday morning.
More than 50 overseas runners, a record, have traveled for the 2021 Breeders’ Cup, a massive contingent to accommodate.
For racing officials, the challenges are logistical – safely and efficiently providing a temporary training base for a horde of animals used to walking around wooded trails half the day.
Del Mar
Weather: FoggyTemp. 56Track: FastTurf: Firm
DEL MAR, Calif. – While the North American horses wrapped up all of their serious work for this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup at various venues around the country last weekend, the Europeans, who arrived late on the scene, are still playing a little catch-up in that regard. Many of them took care of that issue here Tuesday morning, including Team Ballydoyle, all of whom got the chance to really stretch their legs over the main track here Tuesday under the watchful eye of trainer Aiden O’Brien.
