ELMONT, N.Y. - A wet turf course could lead to the withdrawal of Alkaased from Saturday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park, trainer Luca Cumani warned on Tuesday.
A Group 1 winner in France in June, Alkaased is considered a longshot among the five European-based candidates for the Turf, run over 1 1/2 miles. He has had most of his success on turf courses rated good or firm, a point that concerned Cumani on a rainy Tuesday morning at Belmont.
ELMONT, New York - Only from the outside looking in did it appear that Host popped out of nowhere to win the Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland. Host was 10-1 in the Shadwell. He hadn't raced in eight months. And since being imported from Chile in the latter part of 2003, Host had not even been entered above the Grade 2 level.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The fact that Europeans have won two of the last four runnings of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile may explain why there are three European-based horses pre-entered for Saturday's 22nd running of the race.
Trainer John Gosden certainly noted the Juvenile victories by Johannesburg (2001) and Wilko (2004) in his decision to ship the English-bred Leo over for Saturday's $1.5 million Juvenile. Ivan Denisovich and Set Alight are the other European-based 2-year-olds in the race.
ELMONT, N.Y. - On paper, She Says It Best has as strong a resume as any of the 11 horses being considered for Saturday's $1 million Juvenile Fillies. She does not figure, however, to be as strongly backed at the windows as stakes winners Adieu and Folklore.
She Says It Best has won 4 of 6 career starts - only Adieu has also won as many as four races - including one of the major prep races for this, the Grade 2 Alcibiades. But the manner in which She Says It Best won the Alcibiades may prompt handicappers to leave her off their tickets.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The home-field advantage in football or basketball is generally considered to be worth at least a couple of points. But is there such a thing as a home-field advantage in horse racing? And if so, how much would it be worth?
Trainer Mark Hennig definitely feels he has got the home-field edge in this year's Breeders' Cup Sprint with Gygistar, who has won 5 of his 8 starts at Belmont Park, including four graded stakes.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The English trainer Jeremy Noseda put it succinctly Tuesday morning: "The best European milers this year aren't in the Breeders' Cup."
This is true. Dubawi was retired. Divine Proportions got hurt. Starcraft is expected to be entered in the Classic instead of the Mile. Rakti was a disappointment this fall. And Noseda's own Proclamation changed hands and went to Dubai rather than the Breeders' Cup.
The past performances of horses participating in the Breeders' Cup typically receive intense scrutiny from handicappers intent on making a big score. This year, Breeders' Cup horses will also be under intense scrutiny from another group: backside security agents.
Tuesday, Oct. 25
Raining, track sloppy; 46¦
ELMONT, N.Y. - The combination of heavy rain, high winds, a muddy racetrack and the fact the majority of the Breeders' Cup horses currently stabled on the grounds worked the previous morning kept activity to a bare minimum at Belmont Park on Tuesday.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff on Saturday at Belmont Park is expected to have its largest field in years when entries are taken and post positions drawn on Wednesday, but it will not have the maximum of 14 runners. That is because Pampered Princess, the winner of the Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, is out of the Distaff with an upper respiratory infection, trainer Marty Wolfson said.
Wolfson said the problem was discovered on Sunday, after Pampered Princess worked a half-mile at Calder Race Course in Florida.
