Trainer Julio Canani won the Breeders' Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park in 1999 with Silic and at Belmont Park in 2001 with Val Royal. This year, Canani does not even have to leave home to start his current Mile hope, Special Ring.
Special Ring this season has displayed the form needed to join those two - and will need all that ability at Santa Anita on Oct. 25.
With less than a month remaining before Breeders' Cup Day, there is a good chance several of the leading members of the division may not make it into the starting gate for the $1 million Filly and Mare Turf.
Pending a last-minute change of heart, Europeans Islington and Nebraska Tornado are both expected to pass the race. Meanwhile, Voodoo Dancer and Dublino, two of the top U.S.-based contenders, will miss important preps this weekend while nursing minor health problems.
Halfbridled, the undefeated winner of the Aug. 30 Del Mar Debutante, was bet down to 2.40-1 for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies future bet, making her the shortest-priced favorite in the four offered over the weekend.
Betting on the future bets closed at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday. In the other races, Cuvee was favored at 3.90-1 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile; Heat Haze was the 6.50-1 favorite in the Filly and Mare Turf; and the field was favored in the Mile, at 5.40-1.
Halfbridled, winner of the Del Mar Debutante, was the shortest-priced horse in the final round of the as of 5:45 p.m. Saturday. The 2-1 morning-line favorite, she was 9-5 in the wagering, preferred over the 6-1 Class Above, who romped by 16 lengths in the Kentucky Cup Juvenile Fillies. The field - all 2-year-old fillies except the 23 designated as separate betting interests - was the third choice at 10-1.
NEW YORK - We have already had two chances to express our opinions about the Classic, Distaff, Sprint, and Turf. Now, we have one last chance to get it right on the remaining four Breeders' Cup races.
The final round of the Breeders' Cup Future Bet, which comprises the Juvenile, Juvenile Fillies, Filly and Mare Turf, and Mile, begins Friday at 1 p.m. Eastern and runs through 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
ARCADIA, Calif. - After only two starts, Tizdubai is finished for the season. The unbeaten 2-year-old filly sustained a condylar fracture of her right front leg that will sideline her for three months and prevent her from running in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
Tizdubai has been scratched from the Juvenile Fillies pool for this weekend's .
According to trainer Eoin Harty, the injury may have occurred in a five-furlong workout at Santa Anita on Sept. 5. The injury was discovered early this week.
Halfbridled, the undefeated winner of the Aug. 30 Del Mar Debutante, has been installed the heavy 2-1 favorite for the first and only round of future wagering on the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies this weekend.
Halfbridled, who is trained by Richard Mandella, is favored over 22 other individual horses in the future bet, including Class Above, the 6-1 second choice; Ashado, the 12-1 third choie; and a 15-1 field entry that includes all other 2-year-old fillies.
ELMONT, N.Y. - The phone in trainer Phil Johnson's Belmont Park office rang non-stop, and the door was opened and closed in a revolving-like fashion. Well-wishers from near and far were still congratulating Johnson Monday morning, some 40 hours after 43-1 shot Volponi pulled off an improbable 6 1/2-length victory in Saturday's $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Arlington Park.
Among the well-wishers was Billy Turner, trainer of 1977 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew.
"You left the media speechless," Turner said as he shook Johnson's hand.
ARLINGTON, HEIGHTS, Ill. - Now it's Bob Baffert's turn to take on the Juvenile-Derby jinx.
Baffert, who has trained three of the last six Kentucky Derby winners, had gone 0 for 6 in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile before Saturday. But, when Vindication put away stablemate Bull Market and kept his other stablemate, Kafwain, at bay to win the $1.07 million Juvenile by 2 3/4 lengths at Arlington Park, the focus immediately shifted to next year's Derby.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Azeri, who became the front-runner for Horse of the Year following Saturday's Breeders' Cup at Arlington Park, emerged from the race in good order, will ship home to California on Tuesday, and will race again next year, trainer Laura de Seroux said Sunday morning.