ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - As expected, trainer Mark Hennig has withdrawn Gygistar from the Breeders' Cup Sprint, paving the way for Thunderello to draw into the race off the also-eligible list.
Gygistar suffered a deep gash in his left front hoof when he grabbed himself in his stall at Belmont Oct. 11. Hennig was hoping to find a way to protect the injury enough to train and run Gygistar in the Breeders' Cup but abandoned that plan on Friday.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - With Chopinina, racing itself is just a fractional part of the fun.
A moderate allowance horse at age 3, Chopinina vaulted out of obscurity last month, leading to deep stretch before finishing second to Breeders' Cup Mile hopeful Good Journey in the Grade 1 Atto Mile. A 55-1 outsider that day, Chopinina will assume longshot status again next week in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
And if you saw this filly train, you would be inclined to make her about 1,000-1.
ARCADIA, Calif. - The Tin Man, the expected pacesetter for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf, will enter unchartered territory when the field turns for home at Arlington Park on Saturday.
When he starts as a longshot in the Turf next weekend, The Tin Man will be attempting 1 1/2 miles on turf for the first time. The new distance is the latest experiment that trainer Richard Mandella has tried with The Tin Man in the last year. So far, most of Mandella's tinkering has worked, and his efforts have placed The Tin Man among the nine hopefuls for the BC Turf.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. - Earlier this year, Take Charge Lady was so highly regarded that she went off as the favorite in the Kentucky Oaks, in which she finished second. But after a subsequent victory by Take Charge Lady three weeks later, trainer Ken McPeek decided to give her a break, even though she appeared, on paper, to be in peak form.
CHICAGO - The three best 3-year-olds in the country, and the unquestioned leader of that division in Europe, were announced on Thursday as pre-entries in the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic and could vie for the title of Horse of the Year when the 19th World Thoroughbred Championships are held at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.
CHICAGO - In terms of raw numbers, it is the smallest field. In terms of depth, it might be the strongest. Only eight fillies and mares were announced on Thursday as pre-entries for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff, but the quality of the runners should make the first World Thoroughbred Championship race of the day Oct. 26 at Arlington Park one of the best on the card.
Trainers Shug McGaughey, Bob Baffert, and Mel Stute will try to rekindle the success of Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies past next Saturday at Arlington Park.
McGaughey, who won the 1995 Juvenile Fillies with My Flag; Baffert, who won in 1998 with Silverbulletday; and Stute, who saddled Brave Raj to victory in 1986, pre-entered five of the 12 2-year-olds for the Juvenile Fillies.
For three months, the buzz in the 2-year-old division was all about Zavata. From a hard-luck second in the Three Chimneys Juvenile as a first-time starter, to a breathtaking 7 1/4-length victory in the Saratoga Special, Zavata ruled the juvenile ranks.
Meanwhile, stablemate Whywhywhy was going about his business, winning the Flash and Sanford Stakes in relative anonymity.
My, how times have changed.
The $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf will have its smallest field in history at Arlington Park on Oct. 26.
Only nine horses were listed at Thursday's pre-entry stage, the same number that started in the 1986 Turf at Santa Anita. There were 10 starters in the 1988 and 1992 runnings of the Turf.
The list of candidates features runners from throughout North America and Europe.
