LEXINGTON, Ky. – Cinderella arrived on time for Europe, as Glass Slippers emerged from a wild pack in the stretch and then held off Wet Your Whistle by a half-length to become the first internationally-based winner of the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on Saturday at Keeneland.
Knicks Go is fast, he loves Keeneland, and he’s effective around two turns. Not that he needed any help, but conditions were to order Saturday, and he led from start to finish in the $1 million Dirt Mile after setting blistering fractions, continuing a banner Breeders’ Cup for trainer Brad Cox.
Knicks Go ($5.60), the favorite, shook off the speedy Complexity in upper stretch and drew away in the short stretch to win the Dirt Mile by 3 1/2 lengths over the 62-1 Jesus’ Team, the longshot shot in the field, who edged Sharp Samurai by a nose for second.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rendering her defeat in the Kentucky Oaks a distant memory, Gamine once again was her brilliant self when dominating the 14th running of the $900,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint in track-record fashion Saturday at Keeneland.
LEXINGTON, KY. – Trainer Brad Cox has nothing etched in stone for Aunt Pearl’s 2021 campaign, although he did say the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot is definitely one of the objectives next season for Friday’s impressive Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner.
There are a lot of details to sort out over the coming days in regards to Essential Quality’s immediate future, but trainer Brad Cox said Saturday that the colt would likely make just two starts prior to next May’s Kentucky Derby.
“I’d have to think three would be a little bit of a stretch prior to the Derby,” Cox said.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Vequist emerged from her victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies in good order and will soon head to Florida for about 45 days of rest, trainer Butch Reid reported early Saturday at Keeneland.
“She’ll soak up some sun and pick on some grass,” said Reid, who trains Vequist for the three-way partnership of Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable, and Thomas McGrath.
A year after Godolphin Racing had to scratch the top contender Maxfield out of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita due to injury, that organization was able to celebrate a victory in this race when Essential Quality stormed down the center of the Keeneland main track under Luis Saez to win the $2 million Juvenile by three-quarters of a length.
Hot Rod Charlie, who wasn’t even originally selected into the body of the Juvenile field when pre-entries were announced on Oct. 28, finished second at 94-1. It was 1 1/4 lengths back to Keepmeinmind in third.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Betting on the five Breeders’ Cup races held on Friday at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Ky., was down 10.0 percent compared to the five races held on the first day of the event last year at Santa Anita in Southern California, according to charts of the races.
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Aunt Pearl, one of four undefeated horses in the field, ran 13 other 2-year-old fillies rivals off their feet, leading from start to finish en route to a convincing 2 1/2-length victory under jockey Florent Geroux in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Mother Earth rallied from far back to finish second, a neck in front of fellow European invader Miss Amulet.
