October 17, 2018 Contact: Jim Gluckson 212-230-9512 Countdown to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Newsletter Advisory: This is the last-of-10 weekly news releases focusing on the horses and races leading to the 35th Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Friday, November 2 and Saturday, November 3 at Churchill Downs. 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 notification service. Accelerate Looms Large as All Roads Lead to Churchill Downs With 85 “Win and You’re In” Challenge races in the books and all the heavy lifting done, the 35th Breeders’ Cup is clearly in focus as racing’s championship weekend descends on the Louisville, Kentucky track for the ninth time. The biggest and brightest stars of the turf will look to clinch several divisional awards, and no star appears brighter than ACCELERATE, who headlines the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic as he tries to put the finishing touches on a sensational campaign worthy of Horse of the Year consideration. The 1 ¼-mile Classic is the last-of-14 Breeders’ Cup races totaling more than $30 million and is sure to bring the curtain down after two action-packed days of racing under the Twin Spires. Pre-Entered fields for all 14 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races will be announced live on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 11:30 a.m. ET via a live stream on www.breederscup.com The Breeders’ Cup will be televised live by the NBC Sports Group, with 11 hours of coverage on NBCSN and NBC beginning Thursday, Nov.1 and running through the Classic on Saturday, Nov.3 http://www.breederscup.com/races/watch Hronis Racing’s Accelerate would be a sure-fire cinch to win Horse of the Year with a Classic win if not for the Triple Crown exploits of Justify, but even so, he could sway voters should he win the Classic. The 5- year-old son of Lookin At Lucky has been virtually unbeatable this year for trainer John Sadler, winning 5- of-6 starts including a quartet of Grade I’s; the Santa Anita Handicap in March, Gold Cup at Santa Anita in June, and a pair of “Win and You’re In” races for the Classic in the TVG Pacific Classic at Del Mar in August and Awesome Again at Santa Anita September 29. Accelerate is 9-for-21 lifetime, including a ninth-place finish in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, and suffered his only loss this year when second in the Oaklawn Handicap (GII) in April. Accelerate continued his Classic preparations October 14 at Santa Anita, working a half-mile in 47.80, and galloped out in 1:01.20 under assistant trainer Juan Leyva. “He’s going to go further the next two weekends, so it was a good work,” Sadler said of Accelerate, who missed his scheduled breeze Saturday when the main track was closed due to rain. “We were off one day on our timing because of the weather, but he worked really nice. I couldn’t be happier.” Accelerate winning the Pacific Classic Photo by Alex Evers/Eclipse Sportswire Gary and Mary West’s WEST COAST got the Classic prep he needed in the Awesome Again when he was a game second in his first start since running second in the Dubai World Cup (GI) at Meydan in March. The 4-year-old son of Flatter was third in last year’s Classic at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert but has started just one other time this year, running second to Horse of the Year Gun Runner in the Pegasus World Cup (GI) at Gulfstream Park in January. West Coast is 6-for-12 lifetime and looms the main danger while trying to give Baffert his fourth Classic win. West Coast signaled he’s moving forward off the Awesome Again when he worked a sharp 59.40 October 14 at Santa Anita. “He came out of it really well,” Baffert said. “I didn’t have a choice but to run him in the Awesome Again. I had to do something. I couldn’t just bring him up to that race on works. He’s happy and he’s training well.” The 3-year-olds appear to be looking up at a daunting pair of elders but Bob LaPenta, Madaket Stable, Siena Farm, and Twin Creek Racing Stable’s CATHOLIC BOY has separated himself from the pack in Justify’s absence off back-to-back wins in the Belmont Derby (GI) on turf in July and Travers (GI) on the main track August 25 at Saratoga. The son of More Than Ready has come a long way since running fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year at Del Mar for trainer Jonathan Thomas and returned to the track this past week after a mild fever. Catholic Boy, who is 6-for-9 lifetime, worked five furlongs in 1:01.08 October 14 at Belmont. He arrived Tuesday night at Churchill and is scheduled to work again either October 20 or 21. Thomas was initially concerned with the missed training time, but was put at ease with the way Catholic Boy worked. "He had a small temp, what basically turned out to be a two-day virus that he got over, but it cost us a breeze last weekend," Thomas said. "When you prep for the Breeders' Cup, you really don't want any hiccups, but in the grand scheme of things, he recovered very quickly. He's such a fit horse and I find it hard to believe that one (missed) breeze would dismantle what we're trying to do here. And the fact that he breezed as well as he did this morning lets me know that maybe missing the work last week was a blessing, I don't know. He did everything the right way.” Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman’s MCKINZIE gives Baffert another major player and more hope for the 3-year-olds, as he was a top Triple Crown contender this winter before being injured after winning the San Felipe (GII) at Santa Anita in February (he was disqualified and place second). The son of 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Street Sense returned to win the Pennsylvania Derby (GI) at Parx Racing September 22 and is 4-for-5 lifetime. McKinzie, who had not had a recorded workout since winning the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 22, went six furlongs in a bullet 1:12 last Sunday. Paul Reddam’s PAVEL and trainer Uriah St Lewis’ DISCREET LOVER won automatic qualifiers for the Classic and bolster the depth of the handicap horses. The former, a 4-year-old son of Creative Cause who is 3-for-11 lifetime, won Churchill’s “Win and You’re In” Stephen Foster (GI) in June for trainer Doug O’Neill, though he was second, some 12 ½ lengths behind Accelerate when last seen in the Pacific Classic. The latter, a 5-year-old son of Repent, qualified when he closed late to win Belmont’s “Win and You’re In” Jockey Club Gold Cup (GI) at 1 ¼ miles September 29 and is 7-for-44 lifetime. Godolphin’s THUNDER SNOW (IRE) easily defeated West Coast in the Dubai World Cup and was second, beaten a neck, in the Gold Cup for trainer Saeed Bin Suroor and is another handicap runner with an upset chance, as is trainer Chad Summers, Shadai Farm and Head of Plains Partners’ MIND YOUR BISCUITS, who prepped with a win in the local Lukas Classic (GIII) September 29, and WinStar Farm and China Horse Club’s YOSHIDA (JPN), who won his dirt debut in Saratoga’s Woodward (GI) September 1 for trainer Bill Mott. COLLECTED, second in last year’s Classic for Baffert but suspect off his 2018 form, TOAST OF NEW YORK, second in the 2014 Classic at Santa Anita, and GUNNEVERA are also expected for the Breeders' Cup Classic, as are 3-year-olds AXELROD, BRAVAZO, LONE SAILOR, and MENDELSSOHN, who won the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year at Del Mar for trainer Aidan O’Brien. (The top Breeders’ Cup Points' leaders and Breeders’ Cup Challenge winners by division are listed below. Breeders’ Cup Point earners are limited to horses who finish first, second or third in Graded Stakes races. Horses based outside of the U.S., and Canada who have not won a Breeders’ Cup Challenge race, are selected into World Championships races by the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel at the Pre-Entry stage, Oct. 22. An asterisk in the points section denotes a foreign contender. A complete Breeders’ Cup Points list is available at: https://members.breederscup.com/championships/pointsleaderboard.aspx) Breeders’ Cup Classic – Breeders’ Cup Challenge Winners (BCC) and Points Leaders Points Horse Trainer Owner BCC Winner Accelerate John W. Sadler Hronis Racing LLC BCC Winner Discreet Lover Uriah St. Lewis Uriah St. Lewis BCC Winner Pavel Doug F. O'Neill Reddam Racing, LLC 22 Bravazo D. Wayne Lukas Calumet Farm 18 McKinzie Bob Baffert Michael E. Pegram , Karl Watson , Paul Weitman 16 Axelrod Michael W. McCarthy Phoenix Thoroughbred, Slam Dunk Racing 16 Lone Sailor Thomas M. Amoss GMB Racing, LLC 12 Catholic Boy Jonathan Thomas Robert V. La Penta , Madaket Stables LLC, Siena Farm, Twin Creeks Racing Stable LLC 12 Mind Your Biscuits Chad Summers Shadai Farm, J Stables LLC, Head of Plains Partners LLC, M.