ARCADIA, Calif. - The post position draw for Saturday's $1.5 million Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita produced its annual reactions of relief and disappointment on Wednesday.
Oasis Dream and Six Perfections, major stakes winners from Europe, were drawn in posts 10 and 13, farther outside than their connections wanted. Peace Rules, the speedy 3-year-old, drew the rail, while California stakes winners Designed for Luck and Special Ring were favorably drawn in posts 3 and 6.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf has been the defining race in the United States in recent years for top European jockey Frankie Dettori.
Teaming with the Maktoum family's Godolphin Racing and trainer Saeed bin Suroor, Dettori won the Turf with Daylami in 1999 and Fantastic Light in 2001. He has one other Breeders' Cup win in his career - Barathea in the 1994 Mile.
Saturday at Santa Anita, Dettori has two Breeders' Cup mounts, both for Godolphin - Mezzo Soprano in the Filly and Mare Turf and Sulamani in the Turf.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The $1 million Filly and Mare Turf is arguably the most wide-open event on Saturday's Breeders' Cup card. The only sure bet is that trainer Bobby Frankel will be the busiest man in the paddock before the race when he saddles three of the 12 horses entered Wednesday for the youngest of the eight races on the World Thoroughbred Championships program.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Post-position never was going to make or break the deep closer Aldebaran in the Breeders' Cup Sprint. But when leading Sprint hopefuls Shake You Down and Valid Video got stuck with unwanted posts for the six-furlong race on Saturday, Aldebaran skeptics were forced to concede the obvious.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Bill Shoemaker, all 4-foot-11 of him, was recalled as both a "colossus" and a "giant" during an emotional memorial service late Tuesday afternoon at Santa Anita.
The service mirrored the personality of Shoemaker, combining great dignity and a touch of humor. It also was filled with emotion, as speakers lovingly recalled someone who started out as a colleague and became a friend. Shoemaker died Oct. 12 at age 72.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Europeans, several of whom made their first local appearance since clearing quarantine, were the main focus of attention during training hours at Santa Anita on Wednesday. Among that group was L'Ancresse, who created the morning's biggest stir when she lost her exercise rider near the finish line and briefly ran loose.
New York-based trainers Todd Pletcher and Christophe Clement also sent their Breeders' Cup hopefuls to the track for the first time, doing so early to beat the oppressive heat that has plagued this area for the past week.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Falbrav will start in Saturday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita, ending nearly a week of speculation about whether a horse widely considered to be the best in Europe this year would stay on grass or try the main track in the $4 million Classic.
Trainer Luca Cumani made the announcement on Tuesday after conferring with owners Luciano Salice and Teruya Yoshida.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Bob Baffert calls Congaree the best horse in the country, but the question to be answered on Saturday is whether that title comes with an asterisk.
Congaree clearly is one of the best horses from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. He whipped Aldebaran, the likely favorite for the Breeders' Cup Sprint, going seven furlongs in April, and in February he won going nine furlongs in the San Antonio Handicap at Santa Anita.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Speed figures be damned. Dennis Manning scoffs at the lack of respect given his 3-year-old sprinter Valid Video heading into the Breeders' Cup Sprint. He could have a point.
Shake You Down enters the Sprint with the highest six-furlong figure - a 121 Beyer Figure earned July 12 at Calder, where he raced six furlongs in 1:10.03. Valid Video also won July 12 at Calder, getting six furlongs in 1:10.15. Although the time was slower by only .12, Valid Video earned a Beyer Figure of only 110.
ARCADIA, Calif. - Trainer Michael Stoute voiced concern last week about shipping Islington from England to Southern California for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. And his worst fears have been realized considering the unseasonably warm temperatures that greeted his filly upon her arrival over the weekend.
