September 1, 2015 Contact: Jim Gluckson 212-230-9512 Countdown to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Newsletter Advisory: This is the third of nine weekly news releases focusing on the horses and races leading to the 32nd Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 at Keeneland. For more information, please visit www.breederscup.com. The Breeders’ Cup will be televised live on NBC and NBCSN. You can follow all the contenders’ activity leading up to the Breeders’ Cup with Equibase’s free “Road to the Breeders’ Cup” Virtual Stable Virtual Stable notification service. American Pharoah’s Upset and Gleneagles Spur Classic Intrigue While the “Graveyard of Favorites” may have claimed another victim Saturday in the $1.6 million Travers (GI) at Saratoga, Triple Crown winner AMERICAN PHAROAH lost little in defeat and is likely headed for a run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ahmad Zayat’s homebred 3-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile suffered a shocking loss when he finished second by three quarters of a length to Donegal Racing’s KEEN ICE. The Classic also gained some added international intrigue on Tuesday with the announcement from that Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith group one winner Gleneagles (IRE) would be pointed to the Classic. (See item below). Following the Travers, Baffert gave great praise to Zayat for sending American Pharoah to Saratoga, just 27 days removed after he earned an automatic starting berth into the Classic with a rousing comeback victory—over Keen Ice—in Monmouth Park’s “Win and You’re In” William Hill Haskell (GI) October 2. The Haskell was American Pharoah’s first start since winning the Belmont Stakes June 6 and running in the Travers potentially left him in a precarious position, with the Classic some nine weeks out.( On Tuesday, Baffert indicated to Daily Racing Form that American Pharoah would be pointed to the Classic.) “He was valiant in defeat,” Baffert said Sunday. “If he would have stopped running and finished fifth or sixth, you would have scraped me off the track. I would have been so mad at myself. You begin to feel like they’re invincible, and you forget they all get beat.” Keen Ice is clearly peaking for trainer Dale Romans and picked the right time to get his second lifetime win. The son of 2007 Classic winner Curlin had chased American Pharoah in his last three starts prior to the Travers and bridged the gap each time, as he was seventh in the Derby, third in the Belmont and second in the Haskell. Keen Ice is now 2-for-11 lifetime and Donegal owner Jerry Crawford is thinking the road less travelled will be the way his colt gets to Lexington. Romans called Saturday’s Travers “the biggest win in my career.” “Look, our horse just has gotten better every single race, and there's no – one of the interesting questions is going to be do we train up to the Breeders Cup, or do we race between now and the Breeders Cup?” Crawford said. “My gut instinct at this very moment is that we might train up, given the enormity of what we've put him through. I'd be surprised if Dale wants to run him again between -- we've had a good strong campaign here.” Regardless of how Keen Ice gets to the Classic, Crawford is looking forward to another potential matchup with American Pharoah, especially since his horse appears to a vastly improved colt. “What we’re excited about going forward is hopefully a rematch at the Breeders’ Cup Classic,” Crawford said. “We believe that at this moment, we have the best-bred, fastest 3-year-old horse in the world. We know our friends, the Zayats, might have a slight disagreement with that, so let’s get it on and meet up in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.” Godolphin’s homebred FROSTED ran well to be third, despite being taken out of his preferred running style when replacement jockey Jose Lezcano decided to press American Pharoah from the outside for much of the first nine furlongs of the race. Frosted is winless in four starts since winning Aqueduct’s Wood Memorial (GI) in April and will likely test older horses for the first time in Belmont’s Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) October 3. The Gold Cup is a “Win and You’re In” for the Classic. As for other Classic news, Spendthrift Farm’s two-time champion BEHOLDER, who secured a Classic berth when she decimated males by 8 ¼ lengths to become the first female to win the “Win and You’re In” TVG Pacific Classic (GI) August 22, is the clear-cut leader in California. The 5-year-old daughter of Henny Hughes was voted 2-year-old filly champion in 2012 for trainer Richard Mandella off a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita and 3-year-old filly champion off her win in the Distaff there in 2013, but may have much larger goals this year. Beholder, who is 14-for-19 lifetime, will likely prep for a potential Classic start in Santa Anita’s Zenyatta (GI) September 26, a “Win and You’re In” race she’s won the past two years. Lane’s End Racing and Dell Ridge Farm’s East Coast handicap leader HONOR CODE has resumed serious training after his thrilling neck win over LIAM’S MAP in Saratoga’s “Win and You’re In” Whitney (GI) August 8. The 4-year-old son of 1992 Classic winner A.P. Indy has won 3-of-4 this year for trainer Shug McGaughey but stepped up and showed he can be just as good at two turns as he is at one in the Whitney, when he closed a seemingly insurmountable late deficit to get up. Honor Code, who is 6-for-9 lifetime, also earned an automatic berth into the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile when he won Belmont’s “Win and You’re In” Metropolitan Handicap (GI) in June, is expected to prep for the Classic in either the Kelso (GII) or Gold Cup there October 3. Teresa Viola’s Liam’s Map, who lost an absolute heartbreaker in the Whitney after setting ridiculously fast fractions and just failing to hold late, will wheel back in run in Saturday’s $600,000 Woodward (GI) at Saratoga (see below). The 4-year-old son of 1995 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Unbridled’s Song is 4- for-6 lifetime and would be a major factor in the Classic, should he progress down that path for trainer Todd Pletcher. The “Eagle” to Land in Lexington Intense interest from overseas in the Classic also came alive on Tuesday with the announcement by trainer Aidan O’Brien that Coolmore’s top 3-year-old miler GLENEAGLES (IRE), who has been searching for firmer turf in Europe, will be targeted to the Breeders’ Cup Classic later this fall. The son of Galileo (IRE) has dominated the competition this year, going undefeated in three group I starts; the 2000 Guineas (GI) at Newmarket and Irish 2,000 Guineas at The Curragh in May and the St. James’s Palace at Royal Ascot June 16. O’Brien was forced to scratch Gleneagles from the “Win and You’re In” Juddmonte International (GI) at York’s Ebor Festival August 19 due to the wet conditions and hopes he’ll be able to run September 12 in the QIPCO Irish Champion (GI) at Leopardstown, which is also a “Win and You’re In” for the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf. “Given suitable ground, Gleneagles will run in the Irish Champion on Saturday week and, failing that, he will be aimed at the Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot in October (17),” O’Brien said. “His end-of-season target is the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland, where he may face American Pharoah.” Gleneagles has won eight straight since losing his career debut at Leopardstown in June 2014, though he was disqualified from victory in Longchamp’s “Win and You’re In” Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in October, his final start at 2. Overall Gleneagles is 7-for-9 lifetime and also counts The Curragh’s Vincent O’Brien (GI) among his four group I wins. *** NBC’S COVERAGE OF AMERICAN PHAROAH’S SECOND-PLACE FINISH IS MOST WATCHED TRAVERS STAKES IN 20 YEARS Viewership up 32% vs. One-Hour Telecast of American Pharaoh’s Haskell Victory Fans packed the race track in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and tuned to NBC in big numbers Saturday.Stakes for the 146th Travers Stakes. Viewership for the NBC telecast peaked at 3.4 million viewers between 5:45- 6:05 p.m. ET, as American Pharoah – the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years – was edged out in the stretch run by Keen Ice. Compared to American Pharoah’s victory in NBC’s one-hour Haskell Invitational telecast on August 2, viewership for the 5-6 pm ET hour of the Travers Stakes increased 32% (2.5 million for Travers; 1.9 million for Haskell) NBC’s full telecast (5:00-6:05 p.m. ET), averaged 2.0 million viewers to rank as the most-watched Travers Stakes telecast in 20 years (3.4 million viewers on 8/19/95, ABC). Saturday’s full telecast viewership was up 104% from last year’s Travers Stakes on NBC. SATURDAY’S WOODWARD HEADLINE’S NBC’S BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE SERIES- PRESENTED BY LANE’S END TELECAST AT 5 P.M. ON NBCSN Closing weekend at Saratoga will be highlighted by the $600,000 Woodward for 3-year-olds and up, and the Spinaway Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, which will award a Breeders’ Cup Challenge berth into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.