LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Owner Andrew Rosen hopes that Breeders’ Cup success runs in the family.
Twenty-six years ago, Rosen’s family won the first-ever Breeders’ Cup race when Chief’s Crown took the 1984 Juvenile at Hollywood Park. Five years ago, Merv Griffin’s Stevie Wonderboy won the 22nd Juvenile at Belmont Park.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Forever Together of 2008 would give favored Midday all she wanted in Friday’s Filly and Mare Turf, while Informed Decision, vintage 2009, would be a clear favorite in the Filly and Mare Sprint. But empires fade.
Neither mare has come back in 2010 to their best form of seasons past, and it has generally been that kind of year on the Thoroughbred side of trainer Jonathan Sheppard’s stable. Sheppard had a magical 2009, going 16-8-6 with 50 graded stakes starters. This year, Sheppard comes into Breeders’ Cup weekend with seven graded stakes wins.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – There are any number of compelling stories in this year’s Breeders’ Cup. One of them is trainer Jimmy Toner’s attempt to win the $1 million Juvenile Fillies Turf with Winter Memories, whose dam, Memories of Silver, competed in the Breeders’ Cup for Toner 14 years earlier.
Winter Memories will be favored to win the one-mile Juvenile Fillies Turf, having captured her only two previous starts in impressive fashion, including the Grade 3 Miss Grillo over a yielding course at Belmont Park on Oct. 3.
Friday’s distaff-plus-Marathon Breeders’ Cup card gets off to a modest start with a largely meaningless Marathon at 1 3/4 miles on dirt, conditions that you will find in few places in the world outside of South America. This is a race that would benefit by a switch to turf, in which case some of Europe’s better stayers might express an interest.
ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Gypsy Ring has maintained solid form throughout the Woodbine meet, and will likely be favored in Friday’s seven-furlong headliner, a second-level allowance with a $62,500-60,000 claiming option.
Gypsy Ring finished second in two Ontario-sired stakes this year, the New Providence and Shepperton, in which he faced tougher competition than what he’s up against Friday. His lone unplaced effort at the meet came in a slow-paced allowance July 4, when he was too far back over a Polytrack that favored speed horses such as Queen’s Plate winner Big Red Mike.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The last flight of Breeders’ Cup horses has arrived in Louisville, with a plane from New York landing here at 5:35 local time Tuesday. Among the horses on the Tuesday evening flight was Gio Ponti, who will challenge Goldikova in the Mile.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Zenyatta drew post 8 and was made the 8-5 favorite on the morning line of Churchill Downs’s Mike Battaglia when a field of 12 was entered on Tuesday for the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic, the highlight of the 14 BC races, worth $25.5 million, to be run Friday and Saturday at Churchill Downs.
Zenyatta is the lone mare in the field, just like a year ago, when she won the Classic at Santa Anita. She is seeking to become the second repeat winner in the Classic, joining Tiznow, who prevailed in 2000 and 2001.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum won the 2008 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile with Midshipman under his Darley Stable banner with trainer Bob Baffert. Last year, Sheikh Mohammed won the Juvenile again with 30-1 shot Vale of York, who raced for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Stable and trainer Saeed bin Suroor.
How tough is the $1 million BC Turf Sprint? The program favorite, Silver Timber, has been pegged at 4-1 in a race that drew 15 entries, including one also-eligible, and nine more starters are listed at 12-1 or lower.
Silver Timber, with Julien Leparoux to ride, was assigned post 5, with the other program favorites being Chamberlain Bridge (post 1, 6-1), Rose Catherine (post 9, 6-1), Unzip Me (post 4, 8-1), and Quick Enough (post 8, 8-1).
