Mark Hennig, the trainer of Summer Colony, has done the math, and it doesn't quite add up. Summer Colony came to Santa Anita in February for the La Canada Stakes, and beat Azeri in her own backyard. But as the year has progressed, when the two best older fillies in the country are mentioned, Azeri's name is usually placed first, and not just because of alphabetical order.
Denon assumed the role of top American contender for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Turf with his win in the Turf Classic at Belmont Park on Saturday.
But he is one of a only few proven American horses preparing to challenge what is expected to be an all-star European team at Arlington Park on Oct. 26 .
The European list of participants will not be final for another few weeks, following two key preps - Sunday's Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp in France and the Champion Stakes at Newmarket in England on Oct. 19.
Although two California-based horses dropped out of consideration for the Breeders' Cup Mile during the last week, little else is new regarding the outlook for the $1 million race.
That is about to change.
Three crucial Mile preps are set for this weekend in the United States: the $600,000 Shadwell Keeneland Turf Mile, the $350,000 Kelso Handicap at Belmont, and the $250,000 Oak Tree BC Mile at Santa Anita.
As much as last weekend gave shape to the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf with two significant preps, the coming one holds even more possibilities with three major races, from California to Paris.
At Santa Anita, Golden Apples, the leading turf female in this country, has a showdown with Banks Hill, last year's Filly and Mare Turf winner, in the Yellow Ribbon. At Keeneland, the 3-year-old Affluent takes on Surya in the WinStar Galaxy. Across the Atlantic, Islington and Aquarelliste race in the Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.
In the week leading up to the Kentucky Derby, trainer Tom Amoss was a guest analyst on TVG's daily show, "The Works."
In the week leading up to this month's Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, Amoss hopes to be simply a guest.
Bob Baffert will be represented in all six major stakes races for juveniles this weekend, which will help determine the makeup of the fields for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Juvenile Fillies.
While Baffert already has a Juvenile starter with Vindication - winner of the Kentucky Cup Juvenile - his participation in the Juvenile Fillies will be determined largely by what happens in Friday's $400,000 Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland, Saturday's $500,000 Frizette at Belmont, and Sunday's $200,000 Oak Leaf at Santa Anita. All three races are run at 1 1/16 miles.
The prospective starting lineup for the 2002 Breeders' Cup Sprint should come into focus by the end of the weekend after the running of three key prep races: the Grade 3 Phoenix Breeders' Cup at Keeneland, Grade 1 Ancient Title Handicap at Santa Anita, and Grade 2 Forest Hills Handicap at Belmont Park.
Upset victories last weekend by Evening Attire in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park and Tenpins in the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park, coupled with poor performances by favorites Repent and Macho Uno, have left the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic as inscrutable as ever, less than four weeks before the World Thoroughbred Champions at Arlington on Oct. 26.
Fresh is good for produce. But whether it is best for winning the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic will be put to the test this fall.
There is a clear line of demarcation among trainers preparing for the richest race of the World Thoroughbred Championships on Oct. 26 at Arlington Park. In one corner stand Bob Baffert and Paco Gonzalez, the trainers of War Emblem and Came Home, who are bypassing a late-season prep in order to run in the Classic off a two-month break.
Their paths have crossed just once, but they have been eyeing one another since then, and, assuming all goes well in their respective prep races next week, Azeri and Summer Colony will meet for a second and more important time, to decide the Eclipse Award for champion older filly and mare in the $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff.
