When it has come to the Breeders’ Cup, Luis Saez has been a non-factor. Not only is he winless with 22 career mounts – only four of whom have been under 10-1 odds – he has only ridden 10 horses combined in the event the last four years.
This year, Saez should very much be a factor in the Breeders’ Cup. Not only will he ride 13 of the 14 BC races Friday and Saturday at Keeneland, he will be aboard a number of top contenders, many of whom figure to be prominent early in their races.
The first Keeneland Breeders’ Cup, in 2015, was kind to European runners.
Overseas horses won two of the five turf races in which they started (no one ran in the Turf Sprint), Hit It a Bomb capturing the Juvenile Turf, Found the Turf. Success ran deeper than victory. Europeans took second and third in the Filly and Mare Turf, second and third in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, first and third in the Juvenile Turf, second in the Mile, and first and second in the Turf.
Trainer Bob Baffert’s three-headed monster for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Keeneland landed the three outside posts, while Tiz the Law, who has shown a preference for racing outside, wound up stuck in post 2 when a field of 10 had posts assigned at the draw Monday night.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – With one notable exception, capacity fields were the rule when entries for the five races for 2-year-olds were drawn for the Breeders’ Cup Friday card at Keeneland. The $2 million Juvenile Fillies got just seven starters when entries were drawn here late Monday afternoon, but four of those enter undefeated in what figures to be a championship-defining race. Its colt-and-gelding counterpart, the $2 million Juvenile, drew a full gate of 14, led by the brilliant Jackie’s Warrior.
Average daily handle for the 27-day Belmont Park fall meet, which concluded Sunday, was $9,923,813, a 33.6 percent increase over last year’s daily average of $7,430,533, the New York Racing Association announced Monday.
Last year’s Belmont meet was scheduled for 38 days but one entire card was canceled and only one race was run on the closing-day program.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. – Unlucky with the coronavirus – but lucky with the weather.
All indications are that conditions will be ideal when Keeneland hosts the 37th Breeders’ Cup this weekend without spectators. Despite this being a time of year in Kentucky when rain and/or cold are not uncommon, the forecast throughout this week calls for no precipitation, with sunshine and high temperatures of 66 being predicted for Friday and 72 for Saturday.
ARCADIA, Calif. – In the nearly seven years since he went out on his own with just a single horse, trainer Michael McCarthy has built up one of the strongest barns on the West Coast. And though he’s won plenty of significant races, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup with City of Light, his current group might be his deepest yet.
Weston, the winner of the Grade 2 Best Pal Stakes for 2-year-olds at Del Mar in August, may start in the Grade 3 Bob Hope Stakes at seven furlongs at Del Mar on Nov. 15.
On Sunday at Santa Anita, Weston worked six furlongs in 1:12.20. Trainer and co-owner Ryan Hanson said Weston has trained steadily in recent weeks and in individual workouts, often running each furlong in approximately 12 seconds.
“He clips around there and does it easily,” Hanson said. “He’s doing it continuously and that’s what I like. He does it week to week.”
Del Mar-based jockeys who ride in Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland on Friday and Saturday will be required to undergo coronavirus testing at a San Diego-area hospital before being allowed to resume riding next weekend.
Track president Josh Rubinstein said over the weekend that the track has arranged for rapid tests with Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. Riders will be tested shortly after flying back to California and will be informed of the results within two hours. They will be permitted to ride at Del Mar on Saturday or Sunday, if tests are negative, Rubinstein said.
