The Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita: Highlights of Past Runnings at The Great Race Place Plus: Belmont Park Fall Racing Hawthorne Preview European Report Horse of the Month: Flintshire October 2016 / Volume 71 Issue 9 Articles 4 West Coast Notebook 40 Contest Central Pre-Breeders' Cup Feature Get Qualified for the NHC this fall! Here's How 8 East Coast Update 44 Betting Freshman Stallions Belmont Park Fall Championship Meet Preview The Factor 12 Horse of the Month 48 Turf Investor Flintshire “Old-School” Angles Can Give You an Edge 16 European Report Extras British Champions Day, Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Anchor Action-Packed October 29 William F. Hudgins Jr.’s Turf Selections 20 Skeptical Handicapper 30 Horses To Watch Coupled and Uncoupled Entries 37 Stop Watch and Shed Row 22 Midwest Memo Hawthorne Race Course Fall Meet Preview 38 Index to Fit & Ready, Shed Row and Stop Watch 26 Over the Turf When the Lower-Weight Entrant is Worth a Shot MAGAZINE Henry Bomze John Blake, Subscribe by Phone, Mail or Web Founder, 1946 Frank Cotolo, americanturf.com (800) 645-2240 William F. Hudgins Jr., Since 1946 American Turf Magazine Allen Hakim Todd Liebman, 747 Middle Neck Road Suite 103 American Turf Magazine (U.S.P.S. Number: 055-450)(ISSN: Publisher Barry Meadow, 0003-1445) is published with 10 issues per year by All Star Great Neck, NY 11024 Sports, Inc., 747 Middle Neck Road, Suite 103, Great Neck, Noel Michaels, NY 11024. Copyright © 2007 by All Star Sports, Inc. All www.americanturf.com rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage Noel Michaels Bob Pandolfo, paid at Great Neck, NY and additional mailing offices. 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Try 1 month of DRF’s Digital Paper FOR ONLY $24.95 Buy today at DRF.com/paper16 Use Coupon Code PAPER16 at Checkout 4 American Turf Magazine / October 2016 West Coast Notebook Breeders’ Cup XXXIII: We’re Going Back To “Cali” By Steve Sherack ITH THE BREEDERS’ CUP RETURN- Shirreffs, also brought down the house record of 19-for-20 and earnings of ing to Santa Anita for a in the previous year’s Ladies' Classic in $7,304,580. She was immortalized W record ninth time this fall, Arcadia. She, of course, fell a painful with a life-sized bronze statue in Santa Steve Sherack takes a look at some of head short of her ‘Hollywood Ending’ Anita’s Paddock Gardens in 2012. “We the most memorable moments to take when suffering her first career defeat were blessed to have her,” Ann Moss place at the Championships beneath to Blame in her final trip to the post said upon Zenyatta’s induction into the picturesque San Gabriel Mountains. in the following year’s heart-stopping the Hall of Fame this summer. “She The two-day event, featuring 13 races Classic at Churchill Downs. won her first race on Thanksgiving and purses totaling a record $28 mil- Zenyatta retired with a lifetime and we’ve been thankful ever since.” lion, kicks off in Arcadia, California, November 4. 2009: The Unforgettable “Queen Z” “This is un-be-liev-able!” Those were the unforgettable words of Santa Ani- ta’s legendary track announcer Trevor Denman as Zenyatta closed like a rocket from last of 13 to dramatically become the first – and only – female to cap- ture the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2009. Favored at 5-2 odds, Zenyatta extended her record to a perfect 14-for-14 before an adoring crowd of 58,845 with a one- length victory over Gio Ponti. “I still never got to the bottom of her,” Hall of Fame rider Mike Smith said that day of Zentatta. “She’s incredible.” Mike Smith Celebrates His 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic Win The mighty mare, owned by Jerry Aboard Zenyatta and Ann Moss and trained by John Photo by Horsephotos.com/NTRA October 2016 / American Turf Magazine 5 West Coast Notebook 2003: Man-oh-Mandella: he also visited the winner’s circle two won four here last time, if I had known What a Day! other times on the undercard that year. I was going to do it, I could have really I’m having a very good day. The Breeders’ Cup was expanded and enjoyed it, but I was in shock all day Richard Mandella saddled a remark- switched to a two-day format beginning and by the time I came out of the shock, able four of the day’s nine Breeders’ at Monmouth Park in 2007. everybody had gone home. And I am Cup winners in the event held at Santa “I don’t know how to describe it,” still in shock here. I didn’t believe this Anita in 2003. Halfbridled got the party Mandella said of his monumental day could happen again, but it happened started with a popular tally in the Juve- at the 2003 Breeders’ Cup. “The day I bigger and better.” nile Fillies beneath Julie Krone – the first female to ride a Breeders’ Cup win- ner. Action This Day followed suit with a 26-1 shocker in the male equivalent in the Juvenile. Johar then dead-heated with repeat winner High Chaparral in a wild renewal of the Turf, and finally Pleasantly Perfect put an exclamation point on the day, upsetting the Classic with a smart late rally to win. It wasn’t, however, the first time that the Hall of Fame trainer won four races on a Breeders’ Cup program. Ten years earlier, somewhat coincidentally also at Santa Anita, many people remember that Mandella got the job done with Kotashaan in the Turf and also in the Richard Mandella (far left) with 2003 Breeders' Cup Classic Juvenile Fillies with heroine, Phone Winner Pleasantly Perfect Chatter. Few, however, remember that 2013: Gary Stevens – Triple Crown races. “There was one particular horse that The Comeback Kid “I haven’t felt like this since probably I breezed for Simon Callaghan, that is Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens, back five years before I quit riding, body what I missed, not so much the after- in the saddle in 2013 after a seven-year wise, mental wise and everything and noon stuff, but the feeling that the Rock retirement, put on a show for the Santa I want to give it a go again,” said Ste- Hard Tens, the Point Givens, the Silver Anita faithful at that year’s Champion- vens, who played George Woolf on the Charms give you. Leaving the pole, the ships. He guided home Beholder to big screen in the 2003 motion picture hair literally stood up on the back of a runaway decision in the Distaff and Seabiscuit. my neck and I said, ‘Man I miss this.’” came out on top in a three-way photo aboard Mucho Macho Man in the fol- lowing day’s Classic. “This was a tremendous experience to win this race at my age [50],” Stevens said after getting his picture taken in the Classic. “I never expected to be in this situation. This is the ultimate feeling. It’s the icing on the cake of my career.” Stevens has ridden a total of 10 Breeders’ Cup winners throughout his illustrious career – good for seventh on the all-time earnings list with just a shade under $19 million in purses. He has also ridden the winners of the Kentucky Derby three times. His hiatus Gary Stevens Wins a Three-Way Photo Aboard Mucho Macho from riding included a popular stint as Man in the 2013 Classic an analyst for NBC’s coverage of the 6 American Turf Magazine / October 2016 Photo by Horsephotos.com/NTRA West Coast Notebook 1993: Arcangues – That’s Why They Run The Race The speedy Bertrando, part of a three-horse entry favored at 6-5 in the 1993 Classic, kicked for home with a clear advantage and looked long gone in the Santa Anita stretch. But Arcangues had other ideas. The unknown French invader from Andre Fabre’s yard swept right by beneath Jerry Bailey in deep stretch and returned the biggest payout in Breeders’ Cup history – $269.60 to win for every $2 bet.