The $1 million Filly and Mare Sprint could have one of the shortest fields for the two-day Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, as only nine pre-entered horses have the seven-furlong race listed as their first preference.
In all, 12 were pre-entered in the Filly and Mare Sprint, but three have the Distaff as first preference – Mo See Cal, Secret Spice, and Serengeti Empress.
Several horses with designs on Horse of the Year – including Bricks and Mortar, Code of Honor, Midnight Bisou, and Mitole – were among the 188 individual horses announced Wednesday as pre-entries in the 14 races that will comprise the 36th Breeders’ Cup, to be held at Santa Anita for the 10th time on Nov. 1 and 2.
Santa Anita Tuesday, October 22
Weather: Clear
Temperature: 68
Track: Fast
ARCADIA, Calif. - The conventional notion that the Santa Anita main track has been on the slow side during the current meeting may have been tempered just a bit Tuesday morning when Mitole worked five furlongs from the gate under jockey Mike Smith in 58.29 while preparing for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Mountaineer Park complied with its policies and local laws regarding disposal of an animal carcass in a case revolving around the recent distribution of photographs of a horse carcass lying in the open air at a West Virginia landfill near the track, according to a law-enforcement official investigating the case.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Mitole will have been off for more than two months when he goes in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint on Nov. 2, so his connections desired getting a sharp work into him in preparation for a race that is shaping up as the strongest of the two-day festival.
On Tuesday morning at Santa Anita, they got all that, and more.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Eurico Da Silva said he’s looking forward to riding El Tormenta in the Nov. 2 Breeders’ Cup Mile at Santa Anita. Trained by Gail Cox, El Tormenta earned a fees-paid berth for the Grade 1 turf event when taking the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile here in September.
“He’s trained very well,” Da Silva said. “Gail’s doing everything right for the horse. I think he’s going to run big. If I didn’t think he had a shot, I would not go.”
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The career of two-time Canadian champion female turf horse Starship Jubilee is winding down, and she should be a Sovereign Award finalist for Canadian Horse of the Year off her recent victory in the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes.
Relentless Dancer has established himself as a Louisiana-bred of note – and he’s made just three starts. The talented son of Midshipman won his stakes debut Saturday night, cruising to a 10 1/2-length win in the $100,000 Louisiana Legacy at Delta Downs.
The score came on the heels of a 9 3/4-length win in a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs. For both races, Relentless Dancer earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 82. He won over 6 1/2 furlongs in the maiden race and over seven furlongs in the Legacy.
Apprentice jockey Paulina Ramirez and her mount, St Teresa, left those watching a maiden race for 2-year-old fillies last Wednesday at Delta Downs gasping. The pair seemed home free in the stretch drive when St Teresa ducked into the rail, nearly unseating Ramirez. The rider clung to St Teresa’s neck before dramatically swinging back up into the saddle.
“I was very scared,” said Ramirez, 22.
“The only thing that kept me up was that my foot stayed on top of the saddle.”
Ramirez and St Teresa managed to save third. The filly was making the second start of her career.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Chester and Mary Broman were the stars of Saturday’s Empire Showcase Day program, winning three races with horses they bred, two of which they also owned, including Empire Classic winner Mr. Buff.
Thursday, in the second race at Belmont Park, the Bromans’s breeding program will be showcased again when Chestertown, a colt who brought $2 million at the OBS March 2-year-olds in training sale, makes his highly anticipated debut.
