Since his upset victory in the 2017 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar, Talismanic has won twice in six starts in three countries.
He was second in the Hong Kong Vase last December, won stakes in France in spring and summer, and ran ninth in the Dubai World Cup on dirt in March and 13th in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris on Oct. 7.
Catalina Cruiser will put a perfect race record on the line when he starts as the probable favorite in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nov. 3, but the field he will face is in flux with 10 of the 16 horses pre-entered Monday also pre-entered in a second Breeders’ Cup race.
The 2-year-old fillies Concrete Rose and Newspaperofrecord have made up for a lack of experience this year with identical unbeaten records in two races.
Each won a maiden race at Saratoga a day apart in August before being sent in different directions for their first start in stakes. Newspaperofrecord won the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park on Sept. 30. Concrete Rose won the Grade 2 Jessamine Stakes at Keeneland on Oct. 10.
There is rarely a shortage of turf sprinters, and when Breeders’ Cup pre-entries were announced Wednesday the cast for the $1 million Turf Sprint numbered 20. That left a half-dozen hopefuls for the 5 1/2-furlong race stranded on the also-eligible list.
The first seven entries into the field were filled by Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series winners and the top points earners in graded stakes. The other seven were selected by a Breeders’ Cup committee.
There were few real surprises when pre-entries were announced Wednesday for the six-furlong $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
As expected, the connections of Promises Fulfilled, Whitmore, and Limousine Liberal all gave the Sprint first preference over the Dirt Mile, and the owners of X Y Jet decided they will put up the fees necessary to make their horse eligible for the race. The field will be far from full, with only 11 starters likely for the event.
Only one European horse, Karakontie in 2014, has won the Breeders’ Cup Mile since 2010. Last year, six Euros ran in the Mile and were no match for the American star World Approval.
Are overseas interests deterred by this trend? They are not.
Nine Europeans were among 21 pre-entrants into the Mile, and as many as seven stand a good chance of lining up in the starting gate Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.
If anyone was wondering how popular the new $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint would be, wonder no more. The inaugural edition of the race has drawn 28 pre-entries as horsemen on both sides of the Atlantic have embraced the late-season opportunity for 2-year-old turf sprinters.
The number of pre-entries is more than twice the number – 12 – who will be allowed to start in the 5 1/2-furlong race on Nov. 2 at Churchill Downs.
The first nine winners of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf mainly fell into obscurity and mediocrity after winning the race. Perhaps the times, they are a-changin’.
Oscar Performance, the 2016 Juvenile Turf winner, is a prime contender in the Breeders’ Cup Mile this year, while 2017 winner Mendelssohn has a fighting chance in the Classic.
The nation’s only 2-year-old with three graded stakes victories will travel from California to Kentucky accompanied by lofty expectations.
:: BREEDERS’ CUP 2018: Pre-entries, odds, comments, and more
