ARCADIA, Calif. – The Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint will be contested by horses from the barns of Bob Baffert, Bill Mott, Chad Brown, and other world-renowned trainers.

And then there’s Ian Kruljac, whose career victories stand at a grand total of three, all from Finest City, one of the sleepers in the seven-furlong Filly and Mare Sprint.

“She’s running, not me,” said Kruljac. “She’s going to speak for herself.”

:: Breeders’ Cup Challenge: Results, replays, charts, and more

ARCADIA, Calif. – Lord Nelson forced owner B. Wayne Hughes and trainer Bob Baffert into a decision last winter – retire him or race him?

After Lord Nelson finished third in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes for 3-year-old sprinters at Santa Anita last December, Hughes was strongly considering retiring the colt to his Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky. Hughes and Baffert met to decide whether to race Lord Nelson in 2016. There were merits to both arguments.

As a son of Pulpit, Lord Nelson would be attractive to breeders, and he needed a rest from racing anyway.

Charismatic, the star-crossed dual classic winner and 1999 Horse of the Year, is being repatriated from Japan and will become a pensioner at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement in Georgetown, Ky.

The 20-year-old son of Summer Squall stood in Japan beginning with the 2003 breeding season after being purchased by the Japan Racing Association to stand at the JBBA’s Shizunai Stallion Station.

Santa Anita
Track: Fast
Weather: Clear
Temp. 64

ARCADIA, Calif. – It was a relatively quiet morning at Santa Anita on Wednesday, when the biggest news was made off the track with the announcement of the pre-entries for the Breeders’ Cup.

ARCADIA, Calif. – Beholder has one final chapter to write in a storybook career that will end Nov. 4 at Santa Anita, where she will face undefeated 3-year-old filly Songbird for the first and last time in perhaps the most widely anticipated race of the 2016 Breeders’ Cup.

The $2 million Distaff will make history whether or not Beholder wins in the final start of her career. For the first time, a Distaff field will include three reigning champions – Songbird, 2-year-old filly; Beholder, older dirt female; and Stellar Wind, 3-year-old filly.

Santa Anita
Main Track: Fast
Weather: Clear
Temp. 68

ARCADIA, Calif. - There are some who believe this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic will be a walk in the park for division leader California Chrome. Others think it might be a two-horse race between California Chrome and 3-year-old sensation Arrogate.

Daily Racing Form is pleased to introduce Timeform ratings in its past performances for overseas shippers that are now racing in North America. Timeform has an international reputation for accuracy and objectivity, and its ratings are widely accepted as the definitive assessment of European racing merit.

How Timeform ratings will help you win

The China Horse Club, the international horse-racing partnership, has purchased an undisclosed share in 2014 Horse of the Year California Chrome, the club said on Twitter.

The China Horse Club, which was launched in 2013 and has quickly purchased stakes in horses across the world, said in a tweet Friday that it was “very pleased to join ownership of California Chrome heading into [the Breeders’ Cup] and Pegasus events.” The Pegasus World Cup is a $12 million race scheduled for Jan. 28 at Gulfstream Park.

Santa Anita

Weather: Showers early/cloudy

Temp.: 68

Track: Fast

Veteran sportscaster Mike Tirico will host the Saturday Breeders’ Cup broadcast on NBC-TV on Nov. 5, the network announced, marking the first time that Tirico has worked on a racing broadcast.

Tirico, who joined NBC this year after a long career at ESPN and ABC, said in a statement distributed by the network that he has “always enjoyed watching the Breeders’ Cup cap the year and set the storylines for the following spring.”

“Now I can’t wait to experience that in person for the first time,” Tirico said.