GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - In the Gold, who was listed as the co-fourth choice in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, was scratched out of the race on Wednesday due to a fever, trainer Nick Zito confirmed on Thursday.
The scratch reduced the field to 12 runners. In the Gold was included in the head-to-head wager and was substituted with Play With Fire.
Zito said the fever was diagnosed Wednesday afternoon. He said he had no choice but to treat In the Gold with strong antibiotics.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Pleasantly Perfect is here from California. Roses in May traveled from Kentucky. Ghostzapper flew in from New York. They are the three top choices for Saturday's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Lone Star Park, and they drew their geographic equivalents on Wednesday morning when post positions were determined for the 1 1/4-mile race.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Technically, Tom Albertrani will make his Breeders' Cup debut Saturday when he saddles Balletto in the $1 million Juvenile Fillies. Realistically, Albertrani has had more than his share of Breeders' Cup experience already.
Albertrani, 46, has been around horses for more than three decades. He rode briefly before working for some of the most notable outfits in the sport. For nine years, Albertrani was an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - With only eight horses in the field, the post position draw for the $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile wasn't that critical.
Still, Nick Zito, the trainer of Sun King, and Todd Pletcher, the trainer of Proud Accolade, both said the posts their horses drew will help them get the trip their trainers desire in the 1 1/16-mile race.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - When it was announced that Sweet Catomine drew post 10 for Saturday's $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, trainer Julio Canani touched his head with both index fingers and then pointed to his owner, Marty Wygod.
"I told Marty that we were going to get 10, he said 11," said Canani, smiling. "I don't want to get dirt in her face. I prefer to be on the outside than to be in the 1-hole."
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - What are the odds that the first horse a trainer ever saddles in the Breeders' Cup will be the heaviest favorite on that particular Breeders' Cup card?
Pretty long, that's for sure. But when the dust had settled at the Breeders' Cup draw Wednesday at Lone Star Park, it became quite evident that Kitten's Joy, trained by BC rookie Dale Romans, will be the shortest price of the day when he goes postward in the $2 million Turf.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - All 14 pills were used, and still, no relief. The handicapping headache that always seems to surface in the Breeders' Cup Mile is once again a reality in 2004, as no clear-cut favorite and more than a handful of contenders turned up at the post-position draw Wednesday at Lone Star Park.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - Despite having officially given first preference to the Turf, the connections of Ouija Board opted to enter their 3-year-old in the Filly and Mare Turf, and she was immediately established the 8-5 favorite by track linemaker Rick Lee at Wednesday's Breeders' Cup post position draw.
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - By putting Azeri in the Breeders' Cup Classic, trainer D. Wayne Lukas was left without the obvious favorite for Saturday's $2 million Distaff at Lone Star Park. And his luck in the race went from bad to worse on Wednesday morning when his lone remaining Distaff starter, Stellar Jayne, drew the far outside post in a field of 11 for the 1 1/8-mile race.
"I thought the draw was horrible," Lukas said. "But it's one of those things you've got to live with. Two out of three ain't bad."
GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - A quick break from the gate took on even more significance than usual for the front-running Speightstown on Wednesday when he drew post 2 in a field of 13 for the $1,060,000 Breeders' Cup Sprint.
"It wouldn't have been one of our first five choices, but they didn't give us a choice, and we'll deal with it the best we can," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Speightstown. "Normally he's an exceptional horse from the gate."
Speightstown will have to be on Saturday.
"With an inside post, the break becomes even more important," said Pletcher.
