ARCADIA, Calif. – It takes time and effort to parse the form of dozens of international Breeders’ Cup runners. These horses are all over the Saturday card. The time has been spent, the effort put forth. Here’s how it looks, and let’s hope it was worth the work.
Classic
International runners in main body: 2
Win chance: Moderate
Contenders: Ushba Tesoro
ARCADIA, Calif. – Tuesday morning outside the international quarantine facility tucked into the northwest corner of the Santa Anita backstretch, the great English photographer Edward Whitaker watched a couple European horses walk through the chain-link fence gate and down toward the racetrack for their first morning training since arriving Saturday night in America. Whitaker has been working Breeders’ Cups for decades.
“This is the best group of European horses that have ever come,” he said.
Anecdotal? Sure. Accurate? Possible and to be determined this weekend.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Late on Sunday morning at Santa Anita, War Like Goddess bounced off the track in the manner of a frisky 2-year-old more than a 6-year-old mare with eight stakes wins. It was not the first time she displayed such enthusiasm.
“She’s a little bit of a challenge to train,” trainer Bill Mott said over the weekend. “She wants to be a strong galloper.”
ARCADIA, Calif. – The first 10 months of her training career were challenging. The last five months have been exhilarating.
The career trajectory for Cherie DeVaux over the last six years is impressive, albeit hardly surprising. An assistant to Chad Brown for nearly eight years, DeVaux ventured out on her own in 2018 with no horses and mainly the support of her husband, bloodstock agent David Ingordo.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Arcangelo, the Belmont Stakes and Travers winner, will scratch from Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic due to an issue with his left hind foot, trainer Jena Antonucci said Tuesday.
Further, Arcangelo will be retired from racing and stand at stud at Lane’s End Farm in 2024, owner Jon Ebbert said Tuesday. A deal to have him stand at Lane’s End upon his retirement was announced about two weeks ago.
Ebbert said he had the option of running the horse in 2024, but ultimately decided to retire him.
PASADENA, Calif. – Arabian Knight drew post 12 in a field of 13 and was installed as the morning-line favorite by both track linemaker Jon White and Daily Racing Form’s Brad Free for Saturday’s $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
White made Arabian Knight the 3-1 favorite, while Free pegged the 3-year-old at 7-2.
The Classic is the richest of 14 Breeders’ Cup races to be run Friday and Saturday at Santa Anita, which is hosting the event for the 11th time.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Although most of the major works were completed over the weekend for Breeders’ Cup 2023, there was still some significant business to attend to Monday at Santa Anita. Stablemates Arabian Knight and Speed Boat Beach, key contenders in both the Classic and Sprint, put the finishing touches on what has been a series of very impressive works leading up to their respective races here Saturday.
At a meet significantly impacted by weather, all-sources handle at the Belmont at the Big A meet was down 19.4 percent compared to a year ago.
All-sources handle was $192,200,723 compared to $238,442,142 in 2022, according to figures provided by the New York Racing Association. Ontrack handle was $17,1289,736, down 22.4 percent compared to a year ago.
An unprecedented amount of rain forced the NYRA to cancel two racing cards and postpone a third. Thus, over 26 programs, there were 247 races run, compared to 268 races run over 28 cards in 2022.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Total wagering during Keeneland’s 17-day fall meet declined 3.5 percent compared to last year’s record fall meet handle, according to the charts of races that Keeneland held during the meet.
Though total fall handle declined from $209.2 million last year to $201.8 million this year, the total was the second highest in the history of the fall meet. Last year, Keeneland benefited from the publicity surrounding the 2022 Breeders’ Cup, which was held at the track the weekend after the conclusion of the fall meet, and from slightly larger fields.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Last week, Frankie Dettori was at lunch in Pasadena, not far from Santa Anita, when he instinctively looked across the restaurant.
No one was peering in his direction, a change from his experiences in Britain. Dettori had a hassle-free lunch, an anonymous guest in a Southern California restaurant.
“I was there at the bar and I found myself looking around to see if anyone saw me,” he said. “It’s kind of a habit.
“I was talking to this chap next to me. He said, ‘You’ve got a funny accent. Where are you from?’ I said I’m Italian and English.”
