MIAMI – All the rain that has inundated the South Florida area this past week has done more than just totally disrupt the turf racing schedule at Gulfstream Park West. It also has thrown a curve to the connections of a couple of prospective Breeders’ Cup contenders, Imprimis and Diamond Oops.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Barclay Tagg can only hope Tiz the Law likes Keeneland better than Churchill Downs. After all, in eight career starts, the only two defeats for the standout 3-year-old colt have come at Churchill.

So when Tiz the Law had his first work over the Keeneland surface before dawn Friday, Tagg couldn’t help but believe the colt stands a good chance when the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic is run Nov. 7 at the Lexington, Ky., track.

“I think he gets over any track better than Churchill,” Tagg told Keeneland publicity.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Art Collector, likely for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, was sent through a serious work early Thursday at Churchill when drilling a half-mile in 47 seconds under regular jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. Gallop-out times through the turn and into the backstretch were 58.80, 1:11.20, and 1:25, according to Churchill clocker John Nichols.

“Very sharp,” Hernandez said. “It seems like he’s back to himself.”

England-based trainer Ralph Beckett hasn’t started a Breeders’ Cup runner since the event last was held a Keeneland, in 2015, but Breeders’ Cup officials expect at least one and possibly two Beckett-trained runners in the Juvenile Turf next month.

Beckett, who could not be reached by phone Wednesday, has long mentioned New Mandate as a likely participant in the Juvenile Turf, while Devilwala, who finished fourth at odds of 100-1 Oct. 10 in the Group 1 Dewhurst at Newmarket, also showed up this week on the Breeders’ Cup roll call of possible starters.

The international contingent for the Breeders’ Cup lost several major names in the past week, including ace British sprinter Battaash, who was declared out of the Turf Sprint in favor of freshening him for a 2021 campaign. The connections of other European Turf Sprint candidates, including Group 1 winner Glass Slippers, are still finalizing their plans. However, the race is expected to have some international flair thanks to Team Valor’s comebacking homebred Oleksandra, who is looking to continue a run of long layoffs for Turf Sprint winners.

Trainer Graham Motion participated in his first Breeders’ Cup in 2004 and has had at least one runner in the event each year since winning that year’s Turf with Better Talk Now and running second in the Filly and Mare Turf with Film Maker. Motion’s streak will reach 17 this year with, among others, Mean Mary in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.

In September 2019, when the Scat Daddy filly finished fifth in her debut on dirt at Laurel Park, Motion said he “did not know she was this kind of filly.”

Not long after Spanish Loveaffair won her career debut by 11 lengths in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park in July, trainer and co-owner Mark Casse had a brief chat with partner Michael Hernon.

“It’s been fun being owners with you,” Casse recalled saying Wednesday. “We will not own her for her next start.”

By the time Spanish Loveaffair won her second start, in the Sharp Susan Stakes on Aug. 29 at Gulfstream Park, the ownership had changed. Hernon remained, but the Casse family’s share was acquired by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Chances are slim that a Breeders’ Cup race on dirt would be won by a horse with a European turf pedigree and an English trainer who began his career focusing exclusively on turf.

Not only that, but Harvest Moon is barely seasoned. The 3-year-old made the first start of her career in June, on grass, and has raced just five times. The Distaff has never been won with such limited experience; Royal Delta raced seven times before her 2011 victory. But then, few develop as rapidly as Harvest Moon, trained by Simon Callaghan.

Already intending to run the Grade 1 stakes-placed maiden Keepmeinmind in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Nov. 6 at Keeneland, trainer Robertino Diodoro could add a second horse to his lineup for that race in the two-time winner Dreamer’s Disease.

Diodoro liked what he saw from a five-furlong workout Dreamer’s Disease put in Oct. 17 at Keeneland, and if he sees another good work from him this weekend, then he will likely be greenlighted for the Juvenile.

ARCADIA, Calif. – The Pacific Classic was a pivotal race this year. It showed that Maximum Security was back to his best form, and it showed that runner-up Sharp Samurai could run with the best on dirt.

For Sharp Samurai, it opened options that ultimately will change his course for the Breeders’ Cup. Though he’s been one of the best middle-distance grass runners in the country for four seasons, and has made 17 of his last 18 starts on turf, Sharp Samurai will go in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 7 at Keeneland.