9-22-15 BC Newsletter

9-22-15 BC Newsletter

September 24, 2015 Contact: Jim Gluckson 212-230-9512 Countdown to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships Newsletter Advisory: This is the 6th 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. Santa Anita Opens with Major Qualifiers toward Breeders’ Cup The calm before the storm is over; the final countdown to the Breeders’ Cup has begun. Over the next two weekends, no fewer than 24 “Win and You’re In” automatic qualifiers for racing’s signature Championship will be run. They will span the globe and send countless runners to Keeneland, where the Breeders’ Cup will be run for the first time October 30-31. And while the Cup shifts away from Santa Anita for the first time in three years, the Arcadia, California track will still take center stage when it opens this weekend, as it has five Challenge races Saturday, on a weekend that sees nine total, with Belmont Park and Newmarket also joining in. If you’re a leading Breeders’ Cup contender and are stabled in California, there’s a good chance you’re running Saturday at Santa Anita, as all five grade I “Win and You’re In” races will surely have a major impact on several Breeders’ Cup races. And while the featured Awesome Again will award an automatic starting berth into the Breeders’ Cup Classic, it’s the Zenyatta for fillies and mares that could have the biggest impact on America’s richest horse race, as BEHOLDER will start as an imposing favorite in what her connections hope will be a springboard to the Classic. The $300,000 Zenyatta, run at 1 1/16 miles, will award an automatic starting berth into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff, but Spendthrift Farm’s Beholder has her sights set on a much bigger prize. The 5- year-old daughter of Henny Hughes has been one of the leading fillies and mares in the country over the past three years for trainer Richard Mandella, but the dual-champion and two time Breeders’ Cup winner took her game to a new level in her last start, when she secured a Classic berth with a 8 ¼-length win over males in Del Mar’s TVG Pacific Classic (GI) August 22. Beholder, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita in 2012 en route to being voted champion 2-year-old filly, and the Distaff there in 2013 to secure the 3-year-old filly championship, has won all four starts this year and secured a Distaff berth when she won Del Mar’s “Win and You’re In” Clement L. Hirsch (GI) by 7 lengths in August. Overall she’s won 14-of-19 career starts and will look to win the Zenyatta for the third straight year. Spendthrift Farm’s general manager Ned Toffey cautioned that the plan is to make sure Beholder is at the top of her game before committing to the Classic, but reaffirmed that is assuredly the goal. "This business is day-to-day, and we have to basically let the horses tell us," Toffey said. "And that's what Richard will do. Richard will let her tell him if she's ready for the next race, and for the Breeders' Cup Classic, and beyond. We're never going to run her unless she's 100%, so if she's 100% we would plan on the Breeders' Cup Classic. But we don't have to make that decision for a little bit. Right now the intention is the Zenyatta and the Breeders' Cup Classic.” The presence of such an imposing favorite didn’t prevent the Zenyatta from drawing a deep field, as eight others will tackle Beholder, with WARREN'S VENEDA the biggest threat on her return to Santa Anita. The 5-year-old daughter of Affirmative won the local Santa Maria (GII) and Santa Margarita (GI) this winter for trainer Craig Lewis and was beaten just 1 ¼ lengths when second to Beholder in the local Adoration (GIII) in June, though she was 11 ¼ lengths behind her in the Hirsch. MY SWEET ADDICTION, who won the local Vanity (GI) for trainer Marty Jones and WILD IN THE SADDLE, who won Del Mar’s Tranquility Lake for trainer Richard Baltas, could also threaten on their best day, while BIG BOOK, KYRIAKI, MY MONET, OSCAR PARTY and SAVINGS ACCOUNT round out the field in the Zenyatta. A Chance to Make Amends in Awesome Again With Beholder sticking within her own gender, and the California handicap division in flux, the $300,000 Awesome Again, run at 1 1/8 miles, will bring together a mixed bag of runners that will look to secure the sixth of seven automatic starting berths into the Classic. Trainer Bob Baffert will send out a pair— BAYERN and HOPPERTUNITY—and both will be looking to restore tarnished reputations. Kaleem Shah’s Bayern won a controversial renewal of the Classic at Santa Anita last year but nothing has gone right since, as he’s winless in four starts this year and has been uncompetitive in three of them. The 4-year-old son of Offlee Wild dueled on the lead and backed up readily behind Beholder when ninth in the Pacific Classic but fans will point to his 3-for-3 record over the Santa Anita main track as a hope he can right the ship in time to make another Classic run. Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s Hoppertunity hasn’t fared much better than his stablemate, as he’s just 1-for-6 this year. The 4-year-old son of Any Given Saturday won the local San Pasqual (GII) in his seasonal debut in January, but has lost five straight since, though he hasn’t been worse than fourth in any of them and finished in that slot in the Pacific Classic. Hronis Racing’s HARD ACES secured the second automatic Classic berth when he won the Gold Cup at Santa Anita (GI) in June for trainer John Sadler but will have to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Pacific Classic, while GLOBAL VIEW, IMPERATIVE, POINT PIPER, SAMMY MANDEVILLE and SMOOTH RULER will be decided longshots in the Awesome Again. Juvenile Races to Have Strong Favorites The $300,000 FrontRunner and its sister race, the $300,000 Chandelier, will offer automatic starting berths into the Sentient Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, respectively, and both could have potential odds-on, undefeated favorites. The FrontRunner, run at 1 1/16 miles, will mark the two-turn debut for Paul Reddam’s NYQUIST, who has dominated the California 2-year-old contingent in his three starts for trainer Doug O’Neill. The son of 2010 Juvenile winner Uncle Mo has won his three starts by a combined 9 lengths and was untested in winning Del Mar’s two biggest juvenile stakes; the Best Pal (GII) by 5 ¼ lengths in August and the Del Mar Futurity (GI) by 3 ¾ lengths September 7. The remainder of the FrontRunner is filled by a group of untested, but promising 2-year-olds, with BLAMEITONTHELAW and SWIPE looking to improve on their 2-3 finish for trainers John Sadler and Keith Desormeaux, respectively, behind Nyquist in the Del Mar Futurity. MT VEEDER, undefeated in two starts for trainer Bob Baffert, including the Contender at Los Alamitos Race Course September 13 and ON FIRE, a two-turn maiden winner at Del Mar August 26, also warrant respect, while GO LONG, HOLLYWOOD DON and RARE CANDY will need to improve to make a dent in the FrontRunner. The 1 1/16-mile Chandelier will have an even biggest favorite in Fox Hill Farm’s SONGBIRD, who has won her two starts by a combined 11 ¾ lengths for trainer Jerry Hollendorfer. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro broke her maiden by 6 ½ lengths at Del Mar in July and then turned the Del Mar Debutante (GI) into a public workout en route to a 5 ¼-length win September 5. Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s PRETTY N COOL, who entered the Debutante undefeated in two starts for Baffert, including a win in Del Mar’s Sorrento (GII) in August, but was no match when second, looms the main danger, with Debutante third-place finisher LAND OVER SEA also in the mix. HALO DARLIN, LADE PRINCESS, RIGHT THERE, SHEEZA MILKY WAY, VIEJA LUNA and YODELSONG are also entered for the Chandelier, but will have to make a big leap forward to threaten. Rodeo Drive to Offer Filly & Mare Turf Bid The $300,000 Rodeo Drive, run at 1 ¼ miles, will offer an automatic starting berth into the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and has lured Speedway Stable’s HARD NOT TO LIKE, who has risen to the top of the division for trainer Christophe Clement off wins in the local Gamely (GI) in May and Saratoga’s Diana (GI) July 25. The 6-year-old daughter of Hard Spun is 8-for-20 lifetime and would further strengthen her championship credentials with a win, which she will be heavily favored to secure. ELEKTRUM (IRE), who won Del Mar’s John C. Mabee (GII) August 8 for trainer John Sadler and SHARLA RAE, who won the Del Mar Oaks (GI) August 15 for trainer Doug O’Neill, rate the biggest dangers and clearly enter in top form, while FAMOUS ALICE, FANTICOLA, LADY PIMPERNEL (GB), PHOTO CALL (IRE), QUEEN OF THE SAND (IRE), STAR ACT, STORMY LUCY and THREE HEARTS are also entered in the Rodeo Drive.

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